# Feeding tadpoles.



## Entoursis (Jan 8, 2012)

Hello.

Can you please help and tell me what kind of food would be ok for the tadpoles of Rana temporaria, Rana arvialis and Pelophylax (Rana) ridibundus?

I only heard about yeast, nettle and daphnia. Are these ok and what else should be added?


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/794786-rana-temporaria-tadpole-keeping.html

Plenty info on there regarding foodstuffs :2thumb:


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Yeast is a new one on me.I have never heard of it being used.


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## Entoursis (Jan 8, 2012)

Well I'm not 100% sure about yeast (that's why I ask) but It is mentioned in an article about growth rates of P.ridibundus as main tadpole food until they are 15 days old...

Did I understand right that fishflakes is essential for tadpoles or it can be replaced with, Fex, daphnias? Do the Rana tadpoles need protein rich food (fishflakes) only on the last stages of development like Pelobates? Or they need protein food for all the time until they become froglets?

Thanks.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I have used fish flakes and fish pellets because they are easy to give to the tadpoles.I prefer pellets as they dont pollute the water.

Frog and toad tadpoles will eat dried or frozen Daphnia and bloodworm,I have never seen them eat live food.


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## Entoursis (Jan 8, 2012)

Hm... very strange. Maybe it is normal but I don't know because it is my first amphian larvae keeping. I have some Rana tadpoles hatched 2 days ago. For all these 2 days tadpoles stay on the bottom and lie like dead (but they are alive and move when touched) or are attached to the glass. They refuse to take any food (boiled lettuce, daphias and fishflakes were tried). My only idea is that they are not feeding actively for a few days after the hatch, but I may be wrong and something bad is going to happen to them. Or maybe I should try another type of food.
Thanks.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Entoursis said:


> Hm... very strange. Maybe it is normal but I don't know because it is my first amphian larvae keeping. I have some Rana tadpoles hatched 2 days ago. For all these 2 days tadpoles stay on the bottom and lie like dead (but they are alive and move when touched) or are attached to the glass. They refuse to take any food (boiled lettuce, daphias and fishflakes were tried). My only idea is that they are not feeding actively for a few days after the hatch, but I may be wrong and something bad is going to happen to them. Or maybe I should try another type of food.
> Thanks.


They generally don't feed for the first few days, while they finish off the yolk from the egg. Plenty of time to panic yet!:lol2:


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## Entoursis (Jan 8, 2012)

Good evening.

There are some problems with tadpoles now? I was absent for 7 days and left tadpoles with my friend to feed them, when I returned, some of them already looked like a small froglet but with large tail, also, there were some dead tadpoles and others were feeding on their corpses. Some of dead tadpoles were without tail (seems to be eaten). It seems that thay were hunting each other. Why they suddenly started doing so? Usually I used fishflakes and nettle as food and they readily accepted it but now it doesnt seem they like it?

1. Is it possible that they really kill each other and what is the reason?
2. Sould I give another type of food to them at their later stages of development? For example, when they already have 2 legs?
3. Some of them already have 4 legs, frog-like looks, but still very long tail. Is it a time to provide them with some land to walk on as well as with baby crickets to eat?


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## lewis1987 (Jun 8, 2012)

yes as they grow they will start to eat the less developed ones. try feeding the bigger ones live brine shrimp or bloodworm


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