# Are the frogs dead?



## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

Not sure where to post this but hoping that someone will be able to advise.

In our pond there are 5 frogs all on the bottom of the pond. The pond is clear of any leaf/silt etc on the bottom and water is completely clear with a pump running 24/7 and 17 goldfish are resident. 

One frog is sitting in a normal frog position, hope you know what I mean, and two are laying upside down and two look like they are doing the splits. We have nudged them gently with a stick but there is no reaction at all. I don't want to take them out as I don't know if they are hibernating. Any idea as to whether they're dead or hibernating. 

Thanks


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## ChameleonFan1989 (Feb 14, 2012)

Not 100% sure, my grandparents have frogs and when his hibernate, seen them flat on their bellies with their legs spread out, never seen them on their backs though.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

they are hibernating...better hope theres no herons near you :whistling2: frogs and fish will be gone in an afternoon


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## ChameleonFan1989 (Feb 14, 2012)

CloudForest said:


> they are hibernating...better hope theres no herons near you :whistling2: frogs and fish will be gone in an afternoon


True, my granddad lost all of his goldfish down to herons


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

Yes they`re probably hibernating.
Herons are easy to keep out.
Put some sticks in the ground a little bit back from the pond and all around it, then tie some wire between them 6 - 10 inches off the ground.
The herons can`t step over the wire and won`t be able to get near the pond keeping the fish and frogs safe.


Mike


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

We lost 12 fish in two days to a heron. We have made a wire cover for the pond now. 

Will leave frogs be and see what happens in the coming weeks. 

Thanks.


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## AmenMoses (Feb 21, 2015)

CloudForest said:


> they are hibernating...better hope theres no herons near you :whistling2: frogs and fish will be gone in an afternoon


Reminds me of the occasion when my young son came in and said there was a big duck in the pond, wasn't a duck it was a rather raggedly looking heron and it was basically eating my entire stock. Turned out that it cleared my pond of every adult which suddenly left all the fry with no predators, I ended up with more fish than I started with!


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

Sounds like their hibernating... Right time of year..


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

vukic said:


> Sounds like their hibernating... Right time of year..



I really hope so. I like having frogs round the garden, they are such comical creatures.

Does anyone know if I should leave the ones that are upside down like that or should I turn them the right way up?


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

Red123 said:


> I really hope so. I like having frogs round the garden, they are such comical creatures.
> 
> Does anyone know if I should leave the ones that are upside down like that or should I turn them the right way up?


leave them alone as much as possible

was the pond recently cleared? not a great idea at this time of year tbh, disturbing them can force them out of the pond and they wont do well when the weather starts biting again

but the fact they are now exposed in a clear pond is more of a concern - good recommendation above to stop herons eating them


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

The pond has not been cleared recently, it just keeps completely clear due to the pump that works in it. I have to say actually this is the first pond pump we have had that actually keeps the water crystal clear, its just that it stops any sludge etc for the frogs to hide in from forming. So great for us but not so good for the frogs


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

Red123 said:


> The pond has not been cleared recently, it just keeps completely clear due to the pump that works in it. I have to say actually this is the first pond pump we have had that actually keeps the water crystal clear, its just that it stops any sludge etc for the frogs to hide in from forming. So great for us but not so good for the frogs




Sounds like an amazing pump!!!


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

It is an excellent pump would highly recommend them. 
Easyclear Filter | Easyclear Pond Filter | Hozelock


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## Tenaki2427 (Dec 1, 2013)

Red123 said:


> Not sure where to post this but hoping that someone will be able to advise.
> 
> In our pond there are 5 frogs all on the bottom of the pond. The pond is clear of any leaf/silt etc on the bottom and water is completely clear with a pump running 24/7 and 17 goldfish are resident.
> 
> ...


 Hi
I'm not sure whether they are alive as frogs are becoming active now (though I don't know the temperatures where you are) but here I saw a wild male active. Upside down doesn't sound that they alive. If there is no frosts in the morning you could try to take them out to check as they should be able to find cover in the pond again.


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

If they have died why would this be? The pond has not frozen over this year. The water has always been moving.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

tbh sludge at the bottom of the pond is a good thing, provides an ecosystem for all sorts of wonderful animals, including dragon and damsel fly larvae, newts, and all sorts of other things which tadpoles can feed on


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

CloudForest said:


> tbh sludge at the bottom of the pond is a good thing, provides an ecosystem for all sorts of wonderful animals, including dragon and damsel fly larvae, newts, and all sorts of other things which tadpoles can feed on



So how can I get the sludge :lol2: without getting green water. The main reason we bought this pump was because of the green water. Its not a large pond, round, about 4ft diameter and 18" deep. I am all for helping wildlife but don't want to compromise the fish that we have in the pond.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

Red123 said:


> So how can I get the sludge :lol2: without getting green water. The main reason we bought this pump was because of the green water. Its not a large pond, round, about 4ft diameter and 18" deep. I am all for helping wildlife but don't want to compromise the fish that we have in the pond.


algae is a different matter, it can take quite some time for the eco-system in the pond to stabilize, and that tends to require a period of algae in the meantime - unfortunately a pond with no sludge, means very little other life in the pond to feed on the algae, so blooms are almost inevitable fairly frequently

duck weed (the tiny floating weed that covers many ponds) are a simple way to start the process off, they help absorb excess nutrient which would otherwise be food for algae, they also block the light that the algae needs...and also provide cover for the fish and frogs, against those pesky herons

its not a fast process getting a fully stabilized pond tho, you are looking at a year or two until its nicely settled with the right level of sludge, inverts, fish and plants, but without any (visible) algae growth

snails are another good start for eating algae, but only one part of the solution


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

One thing to consider Red.
If they were dead, why haven`t they decomposed ?
And no it isn`t because they are frozen, if they were frozen then so would the water be.
When you get a chance put some pond plants in and as they drop leaves and they start to decompose your sludge will start to build up.
You could help speed the process up a bit by chucking some dead leaves in.
Wind will also blow bits of soil in too and of course you`ll get some out of your plants, so before you know it you`ll be all set for next winter.


Mike


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

We use to have a large pond and that had plenty of sludge and willife, however when the children came along we filled it in. Felt that with it being 4ft+ deep it was safest thing to do. The kids are in their late teens now so 3 years ago we installed this small pond. You can't beat the sound of running water in the garden. 

Thanks for the advice :2thumb:


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

I have lifted the frogs out of the pond and in all frogs all 4 legs appear stiff and the back hard though the stomach area has remaind soft. All the frogs feel slimy and the eyes are completely white. There is no movement from them at all but no sign of decomposing. Am I right in thinking they have all died? I would have thought frogs would be moving around by now.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I think it's fair to say that they are dead. Do you have any live ones in there?


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

There are 4 or 5 frogs in there all in the same condition. There are no frogs that appear to be live just 17 very healthy looking gold fish. I feel terrible for the poor frogs. They produced loads of spawn last year in the pond. I am now concerned why they died, and I am concerned for the health of any other frogs that move in to the pond.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

It's difficult to know why. I would say that the water quality was fine as the Gold Fish are fine. It hasn't been very cold this winter either, so that can be discounted. Probably be a good idea to find a little bit of frogspawn and rear them up to froglets and release them. Then hopefully in three or four years you will have a few more frogs.


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

I`m still wondering why they haven`t decomposed IF they are dead.
But lets consider that they might be alive.
They won`t be for long if you don`t leave them alone.
NOTHING will survive in water if it dies.
The body will decompose and the fish will have a feast.
A frogs body clock will tell it when to open it`s eyes and get breeding, they don`t listen to us or care what we think.
My frogs are still submerged and they`ll stay like that till they`re ready.
I`ll find out in a few weeks if they are still alive.


Mike


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

frogman955 said:


> I`m still wondering why they haven`t decomposed IF they are dead.
> But lets consider that they might be alive.
> They won`t be for long if you don`t leave them alone.
> NOTHING will survive in water if it dies.
> ...



All the frogs are still in the pond and were only gently lifted out for a few seconds so I could see that they were not decomposing, which they certainly are not. I have never had frogs act or look like this in a pond before. In our old pond they would be hidden so were never seen until spring. I have searched and searched and can not find and pics resembling how these frogs look especially where the eyes are. I have to say it but they look like zombie frogs, pure white where the eyes are, no visible eye at all, creepy :lol2:.

The frogs will remain in the pond unless it appears that the water is getting polluted by them and /or there are obvious visible signs of decomposing. Obviously I do not want the fish to suffer because of them but until that time....... : victory:

** Just found this article, maybe there is hope for my frogs after all, who knows. http://creation.com/frozen-frogs


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I think that they are dead from the cloudy eyes and lifeless bodies. Even hibernating frogs will move.If you buy fish from the fishmonger the first thing to start decomposing are the eyes , they go cloudy. The frogs will not decompose very quickly as the water temperature will be only a few degrees above freezing at this time of year.


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

Haha the zombie frogs made me laugh.
I've now got visions of them hopping around munching on people's brains lmao.
Thank god we're not like they are in the States where they think there's going to be a zombie apocalypse. 
Everyone would be running around blasting frogs with their zombie guns :lol2:
Oh no I can see it now.
There's a new movie coming out, Zombie Frogs From Mars. :bash:


Mike


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## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

Definitely sound dead to me. As Colin said, they would move even if they were hibernating. 
Anyway a lot of frogs have already come out of hibernation & spawned. They have in the east anglia region anyway. My dads pond is full of spawn & he's in peterborough. They actually spawned last month, when they had some wet weather.


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

frogman955 said:


> Haha the zombie frogs made me laugh.
> I've now got visions of them hopping around munching on people's brains lmao.
> Thank god we're not like they are in the States where they think there's going to be a zombie apocalypse.
> Everyone would be running around blasting frogs with their zombie guns :lol2:
> ...



:lol2::lol2::lol2: Glad to see I am not the only one 'that' sort of imagination


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## Natrix (Dec 9, 2006)

I've had frogs in my ponds for years and live ones will move about even under ice. These ones are dead.
They will decompose very slowly while temps are still low but will quickly turn into a stinking mess as soon as temps raise over the next week or two.

Personally I would be getting them out fast to avoid killing the fish.

Gordon


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## CJ1981 (Jan 19, 2014)

frogman955 said:


> Haha the zombie frogs made me laugh.
> I've now got visions of them hopping around munching on people's brains lmao.
> Thank god we're not like they are in the States where they think there's going to be a zombie apocalypse.
> Everyone would be running around blasting frogs with their zombie guns :lol2:
> ...


Too late Mike, they beat you to it:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*Frogs*_(*film*)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIPFNBbvspA

www.imdb.com/title/tt0926063/

www.reddit.com/r/Muppets/comments/2yf94e/ ***8206;


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

Damn it your right.
Why is it always on independence day lmao.
If you ask me it`s a bad day to be an American :lol2:.


Mike


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## Red123 (Mar 3, 2010)

The frogs have been disposed of. After lifting them out of the water and leaving them on the side of the pond for a matter of minutes they started to turn white. One of them had bloated whilst in the water and looked like it was about to pop :gasp:. 

Why did they all die though? I am beginning to wonder if it is to difficult for them to get out of the pond? There are plants hanging over the edge which they could use though. Guess maybe its one of those things. I just hope that any frogs that venture in to the pond do not succumb to the same fate either now or in the future.


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

That is a real bummer Red.
I can only guess that it is because the bottom of the pond is clean with nowhere for them to hide, like burying into the mud etc.


Mike


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