Dead frogs

[Brian B]

Does anybody find dead frogs in their pond on a regular basis?

About once a week, I find a small dead frog in my birdbath.

All my chems check out OK and my fish seem happy. I have found a couple of jelly-like sacs with black dots inside them, clinging to the back of my primrose leaves. Are these egg sacs? Do these frogs die after laying eggs? Maybe just chance?

Here are a couple of pics

 

[Lisak1]

Hmmm - laying eggs definitely doesn’t kill them. Maybe a bird is killing them? Although I don’t see any signs of trauma on that one. Are you adding any chemicals to the water?

 

[MajorDan]

Drowned if there isn’t a way to get out.

 

[Lisak1]

Drowned if there isn’t a way to get out.

I find that hard to imagine - we watch frogs leap in and out of our patio pond and up on our retaining walls in a single bound, which are 30 inches high. It looks like they could easily get out of the bird bath from these photos.

Maybe they aren't dying in the bird bath at all - maybe something is catching them and killing them and depositing them in the water - raccoon maybe? They are known to wash their food before eating.

 

[MajorDan]

My old car was a criter killer. Didn’t eat them, just played with them. Seems like raccoons would have chowed down on any frog they caught. I real mystery.

 

[Brian B]

Hmmm - laying eggs definitely doesn’t kill them. Maybe a bird is killing them? Although I don’t see any signs of trauma on that one. Are you adding any chemicals to the water?

No chemicals needed. I got my cycle down pretty well at this point.


I suppose a bird could be bringing it and then leaving it (don't know why they would though), or maybe finding it in the birdbath and killing it on the spot.

I do get a variety of birds drinking and bathing from this birdbath. An occasional scrubjay, a pair of collared doves, a flycatcher, sometimes a finch or two.

I know for a fact that scrub jays will go after mice. Wouldn't surprise me that they might kill a frog or two now and then if they could.

Weird, huh? They are always in the birdbath, just floating, like it was a message from the frog mafia or something haha.

 

[Lisak1]

like it was a message from the frog mafia or something haha.

Good point! "Enter here at YOUR OWN RISK!"

I'm sticking with the "something is killing it and leaving it" theory. Makes the most sense. Why? Who knows - nature is weird man!

 

[mrsclem]

I find a couple of dead ones every month in one pond. I have a little ramp so they can climb out but I think the koi are playing with them and drowning them.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

My pond......I have captured dozens and dozens of frogs in my skimmer.....I release 98% of them but a few make it to the filter basket which I feel bad about.....my pool is another matter.....it is a Death Machine if you don't get them out......Aquatic frogs I throw into the pond......Toads I throw over the fence......moles, Voles, field rats, snakes,......well good riddance

 

[Tara]

Desperate for water after ingesting poison. Some poisons can kill frogs very quickly.

 

[MajorDan]

Ha just read my post above. Should have been my CAT although my car tried to get a couple deer.

 

[Brian B]

Desperate for water after ingesting poison. Some poisons can kill frogs very quickly.

Could be this. The mosquito district sprayed via aircraft two nights in a row on Monday and Tuesday. Right over my house.

 

[MajorDan]

Uhoh, if mosquito foggers kill our frogs what does it do to our fish? Hope not, they fog here all the time and neighbors hire the Mosquito Squad to fog their yards. Should I worry?

 

[Tara]

Could be this. The mosquito district sprayed via aircraft two nights in a row on Monday and Tuesday. Right over my house.

Could be, some poisons make the victim who ingested it very thirsty. Same with some poisons birds get into, tremors, thirst, pain, and then death. Very sad.

 

[Tara]

Uhoh, if mosquito foggers kill our frogs what does it do to our fish? Hope not, they fog here all the time and neighbors hire the Mosquito Squad to fog their yards. Should I worry?

I'm sure a lot of factors come into play.