Soooo... Who knows 'bout tadpoles??

Question

i think i may have stunted it's growth. I'm serious, i've had it for about FIVE MONTHS, and it JUST started growing tiny legs. [i live in New Orleans and it one of the REALLY common kind, i don't remember the name... sorry] i put it in a big container and everything, and all it''s brothers[?] grew up and hopped away, but this one is growing REALLY slowly, and i can't figure out whats going on. Is it sick, dying, or just messed up cause i had to move it??

Answer 1

Amphibians are pretty well known to have unpredictable larval stages.  Some salamanders NEVER morph into their adult phase and spend their entire lives as larvae (normally called axolotls).  

I wouldn't worry too much about this guy.  It's not unheard of for a tadpole to take a second year to transform into an adult.  Perhaps he didn't get as much food as the others initially, or it may just be a little genetic glitch making him a slow developer.  Of course, if you happened to get a bullfrog tadpole mixed in with the rest of the guys; it is the norm for them to take at least 2 years to develop.... if that were the case though, he'd probably be about the size of your thumb right now.

In short, don't worry too much.  As long as he's still eating and swimming around normally he'll get there in his own time.

*EDIT* There are other factors that could have inhibited its' development (water temp, water quality, etc); but since you said he was raised with his "brothers" and they all did ok, I'm assuming these variables are all within acceptable limits.

Answer 2

Good for you...every spring my sister has tadpoles that she gets out of her inground pool...she has to save them before she can get the pool ready for summer...she has reasonable success...Is there food for it...and is the water a decent temperature...colder water definitely slows down their growth.  A little fish tank heater is all we use and the little tadpoles swarm around it...algae from rocks that she puts in the tank and some flake fish food...a small air pump and they are good to go...Good luck with your amphibian rescues!