what to do with tadpoles?

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Wren

Wren

AC Members
Mar 27, 2011
366
2
18
Iowa
Real Name
Lisa
My above ground pool cover has water in it (we actually want it there as it keeps the cover from blowing off). But now I have a problem... I have a million tree frog tadpoles in the pool cover. Seriously, there are a LOT of tadpoles. They are getting bigger, but I don't see any legs yet. I will be busy for a couple weeks and won't have time to open the pool, so I figure they have a couple weeks to grow some little legs and hop on out of there.

If they are still there when I am ready to open the pool, what do I do with them? Can I put them in a creek on our land? (I'm in Iowa.) It would make sense that that would be ok, but I know that isn't always how the laws work. They are native tree frogs and could just as well have laid eggs in the creek. Should I move them now, rather than wait? There is no way that my yard will be able to support that many little froglets. However it is supposed to be a bad mosquito year, so maybe I do need quite a few of the little guys to hang around...

wren
 
Chickadee

Chickadee

Snail addict
Dec 26, 2010
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Traverse City, MI
Could you get a little kiddie pool and put them in that? If it were me I'd want to keep them as close as possible to where they were placed as eggs. I love tree frogs. Sometimes I find them in my house - no idea how they get in. They're such cute little things.
 
X

XanAvaloni

AC Members
Nov 13, 2009
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I suggest doing exactly nothing. Without the tadpoles the pool cover would be a solid writhing mass of mosquito larvae. Let nature take its course until you are ready to open the pool.

if there are still undeveloped tadpoles at that point the creek sounds like an excellent destination. As you say, they are native creatures, not endangered in any way, and moving them from point a to point b on your own land does not seem to be likely to upset laws of either nature or man. If they are too numerous for the creek to support the local fish, turtles etc will have an unexpected feast. circle of life and all that. :)
 
Wren

Wren

AC Members
Mar 27, 2011
366
2
18
Iowa
Real Name
Lisa
I'll move some today, and leave the rest until I have time to open the pool. I think they are exceeding the available food sources already. There are a serious lot of tadpoles in there. Think 18 foot pool with 10-20 tadpoles per cubic foot of water on the cover. The whole bottom is covered with a thick layer of tadpole poo... And yes, there is not a mosquito larva anywhere! I actually found the tadpoles when I went out to collect some mosquito larva and blood worms for my fish. There is nothing in there but some dead leaves, tadpoles and tadpole poo. At one point a fledgling bird fell in there and the tadpoles were eating that too. Ewww.
wren
 
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