Save the tadpoles in my backyard?

Question

Hi, I live in Texas and there has been quite a bit of rain were I live and a pool of water has built up in my backyard/side yard. Anyways to make a long story short there happens to be thousands of tadpoles living in it now that I hope will make it to be full grown frogs just like their parents. Now my concern is. this pool of water they are living in is a problem with my parents and they want to dry it up, but I can't stand seeing them kill thousands of baby frogs to do it... I love frogs, and they do a very good job keeping the backyard as bug free as possible. So I was wondering if anyone had some ideas on how i could get these guys to grow up safely in my backyard without using the pool of water they are already in? Thanks in advance. Oh and btw I'm not some tree hugger, I just like frogs ha.

Answer 1

Here in California vernal pools are protected if they are home to an endangered species.

I don't know how many thousands of tadpoles you have, but if it's say under 2000, a child's wading pool - something about 6 or 8 feet in diameter would probably be adequate to keep them alive.   Then you'll need to get some algae (green gloppy stuff) from a natural body of water for them to eat until they mature enough to switch to meat (insects).   That happens around the time their legs begin to appear.

Oh, and BTW, you may not be a tree-hugger, but I can definitely detect that you are in danger of becoming a FROG HUGGER!  ;->

First frogs, then other amphibians and eventually trees!  

Answer 2

Just ask your parents to wait the two weeks it would take for the frogs to mature. Remind them that the frogs will eat all the mosquito larvae in the water while they're tadpoles, as well as bugs and other nasties that are around in the summertime in Texas once they become adults.

If your folks can't/won't wait, you can always use an aquarium fish net and a jar to transport the tadpoles to another pool of water somewhere else.  

Answer 3

Make a little pond ,with a sheet of plastic or a big plastic tub

Easier to persuade your parents to wait one month

the tadpoles will eat the mosquito larvae that are in the water.

and when they can walk they can be dry but will then go looking for a pond anyway,unless they are tree frogs

That is the kind I got mostly in my garden

Answer 4

Are the tadpoles small and black? If so, they are likely to be toad (Bufonid) tadpoles that transform very rapidly. By the time the pool dries up, they may be hopping about on land. If there is a good reason for draining the puddle prematurely, collect what you can and fill an aquarium. A small scraping of frozen spinach should feed them until they can move out.

Answer 5

get a cheap plastic pool and transfer over be sure not to use tap water to keep full also put in a lot of mud and keep in shade