[santoury]

A local pet store (focus on reptiles/fish) often has tadpoles available. I'm a beginner, so am wondering what difficulty level they are? I have heard that some (all?) PAF tadpoles are carnivorous even as tads? Or, is it just a matter of putting it in a small tank with "pond scum" like with native tadpoles ?

 

[illinoisfrogs]

A local pet store (focus on reptiles/fish) often has tadpoles available. I'm a beginner, so am wondering what difficulty level they are? I have heard that some (all?) PAF tadpoles are carnivorous even as tads? Or, is it just a matter of putting it in a small tank with "pond scum" like with native tadpoles ?

Many are said to be carnivorous, so they are usually raised individually. Tads are really pretty easy to keep, but there is much greater risk involved with them since you don't know the breeding situation, and they could morph with SLS if the parents weren't supplemented well.

That being said, depending on the price, tads are a great way to go, and it's a fun process to watch them develop over the course of several weeks.

 

[santoury]

Please tell a newbie what SLS is ?
What is the usual diet for these carnivorous tads? Mosquito larvae and stuff?
The ones at the store are kept invdividually so that makes sense.

 

[WendySHall]

You have some very interesting questions today. I was just wondering...are you hoping to purchase tads to raise them for the purpose of watching them be prey?

 

[santoury]

No - frogs are way too much work. I enjoy seeing them at stores and such, but the questions are to educate myself. And who knows - now that I'm on here, I may just end up getting one for fun. I'm not one of those sickos that likes raising animals only to see them eaten.
I'm a plant guy - hence the interest in the CP behavior.

 

[WendySHall]

Okay...I had to ask though (you understand). I feel better now.

SLS=Spindly Leg Syndrome
The legs of the frog are thin and stiff and are basically unusable. It can inhibit their ability to hunt, move around, and even hold themselves upright. It is believed to be attributed to the poor nutrition of the parents and generally results in death.

There are differing foods you can feed a tadpole. Personally, I use tadpole bites & sera micron (sold by Dendroboard sponsors), quality fish flakes, fruit flies, and they also munch on Indian Almond leaves placed in the individual tadpole cups.

 

[santoury]

Oh yes - When I was younger, I had a pair of White Doves, and no matter what I did, their offspring always had something very similar - very sad. Thanks for the helpful info. in feeding the tads - sounds very straightforward