frogs eating goldfish

[Nick34]

I recently counted 13 small to medium bull frogs in my backyard pond. Also recently one of the larger frogs was spotted with a dead fish in its mouth...which was too big to swallow. My reading reveals that frogs eat insects but on occasion eat other animals. So the question is should i try to relocate the frogs or is this really not a problem I should worry about??

 

[tbendl]

Unless you are really really angry at the frog, it is kinda the natural food chain that is part of the charm of owning a pond. You can relocate but they might come back, they may help control fish population or they may not. I choose to leave the frogs in my pond.... I'm now singing the circle of life... Lol
I freaked out originally but now I kinda like the little green hoppers.

 

[sissy]

I had a bull frog eat one of my fantails and did not catch him in time .They all got caught and taken far away from my home to farmers who want them for there ponds

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Only Bullfrogs present this problem. Once they reach adult size they will eat anything that will fit into their mouths; fish, insects, other frogs, birds and other small animals. They are considered a nuisance species in many states. They, while maybe being a conversation item, are definitely a negative element around any pond.

 

[Lisak1]

Bullfrogs are indeed voracious hunters and eaters - anything they can catch, they will. And often they cannot even swallow what they get in their big mouth. This year we had one big bullfrog eat every other little frog in the pond. Once they were all gone though he moved on. And now we have little frogs again - like tbendl says... the circle of life. If one did get a taste for my fish though, he/she would be gone in a flash. That's a big of an expensive meal for a freeloader!

 

[tbendl]

Ok don't get grossed out but I've got a friend hoping one of the "hoppy things" that's getting kinda large (baseball size) so he can come gig him and eat him.
I won't be over to dinner at their house that week.
And I can't tell the difference between frog and toad and bullfrog.

 

[Lisak1]

We used to eat frog legs all the time. But honestly the bullfrogs we get in our pond are all body, very skinny legs. Not really great eating.

And in case you're wondering - yes, they taste just like chicken!

 

[tbendl]

And in case you're wondering - yes, they taste just like chicken!

Ok see here's why I don't believe you. I have never ever ever met a Southerner who ate some chicken and said.. tastes just like Momma's frog legs. And if it does in fact taste like chicken, why you be eatin' them scrawny slippery slimy things anyway...
Bhahahaha, I tease you of course.

 

[peter hillman]

It's neat that your pond attracted wildlife, but pretty soon that will be the only life left. I remember the joy of my first frog visitor, and the pain the most recent frog visitor gave me. I prefer frogless.

 

[HARO]

I, and about 20 other 17-year olds, worked with a fire crew in northern Ontario 'way back when. Most of the young guys were city boys, eager to learn the ways of the bush. Most of the fire crew were Indians (Yes, they called themselves that!) and always ready to B.S. us. Not a day went by that someone didn't ask "Have you ever eaten porcupine?" (or raccoon, or bear, or muskrat, or whatever). The answer invariably was "Yup. Tastes like chicken." I learned a lot that summer. First and foremost, never believe everything you hear!
John

 

[Tula]

Look through @RobAmy 's pictures for a graphic picture he captured of a bull frog eating a bird!

 

[Lisak1]

You mean like this:

I watched this guy stalk and catch this bird. I didn't realize what I was about to see happen - I was still naive about the power of the bullfrog as a hunter - or I would have warned the poor sparrow. He drowned it, chewed on it for over an hour and finally just spit it out in the pond. That solved the mystery of why we kept finding dead birds floating in the pond. We sometimes would find two or three a day. And judging by his size after a few weeks in our pond he must have successfully swallowed more than one. We named this guy Mr. Bigg. Eventually he moved on and we haven't had a bird eating bullfrog since.

 

[mrsclem]

I found a bull frog in my filter this week. I guess that explains what happened to the fry that were still in the pond!

 

[Nick34]

Thanks everyone...thats what I thought...fish stay, frogs go.../.Nick

 

[haver79]

I have one in my pond thats got to go. Hes too big. I have to catch him first.