Nervous about Frogs Overwinter

[JBtheExplorer]

So, as some of you know, this is the first year I've had a pond large enough to attract frogs. By the end of summer, four frogs were living at my pond.

Now that its getting cold/snowing/thin layer of ice on the surface of the pond, I want to make sure I can do whatever I can to keep them alive.

My pond is about 3 ft deep, maybe just under, but very close. At the bottom there is a thin layer of muck built up, less than a half inch, and I also put most of my hornwort down there. I have 2 potted plants sitting on the next shelf up which is about 2ft 4 in. below the surface. that they could possibly burrow into.

I've been nervous about this winter from the start, but the reason I bring this topic up is that I was out cleaning leaves off of the thin layer of ice and noticed a frog on the top step, which is only about 8" below the surface. It was alive. I'm wondering why it felt the need to swim up near the surface. Have I unknowingly set a death trap? Is it normal for a frog to move around like that?

What are other things I can do over winter to help keep them alive? I heard of putting a hole in the ice every couple of weeks to let oxygen in and toxins out, but I'm not sure how to do that, particularly in a few months when the ice is 1ft.+ thick.

 

[fishin4cars]

If they came up naturally leave them be, they know what to do and will be back in the spring.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Nervous about Frogs Overwinter

Your nervous? Think how your frogs feel!

 

[HARO]

JB, get a stock-tank de-icer from the local farm supply and zip-tie it to a length of lumber so it stays near the center of your pond. Turn it on (plug it in) whenever the pond has been frozen over for four days or so. It will open a hole safely, no chopping to damage the fishes' sensory systems. Once the hole is a foot or so across, unplug it until the next time it's needed. The ice around the de-icer only gets a few inches thick, since you are constantly melting it back.
John

 

[Tula]

I had frogs for years and they came through the winter just fine. Sometimes I'd find them in the skimmer and others must have burrowed into gravel and potted plants on the pond bottom. I recently met a woman who has turtles over winter in her pond and she has a liner….she said she places a couple of boxes of sand on the pond's bottoms and they burrow into it.

I had my pond gravel removed this summer and only saw one frog thereafter…..doubt I'll have many frogs next year…..makes me kind of sad, but guess it's a trade off one makes with koi. Kim

 

[Lisak1]

We've had a few frogs die in our pond, but it happens early in the season when the cold just starts. I think they get caught unaware. Not sure there's much you can do about it... I think you have to accept a certain amount of loss in nature. We felt much fondness for the bullfrogs that call our pond home...until they started catching and drowning the birds that we also rather fancied! Now we consider ourselves just observers of the whole backyard circus!

 

[Sharon Goode]

My pond frogs came out with the last warm weather but did not stay long as the cold front came in with a furry. They are back in the rocks of my waterfall and seem to be covered in a thick protective slime coat.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

JB, get a stock-tank de-icer from the local farm supply

thanks for the tip!

 

[adavisus]

When water temps get to around 40f there can be a topsy turvy when warmer, denser water sinks to the bottom of the pond when its cold weather, that steady temp on the bottom of the pond flipping and rising during a mild weather period. Quite likely a frog might like to bask where the thermocline is a comfy temp

Regards, andy
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[Tula]

We've had a few frogs die in our pond, but it happens early in the season when the cold just starts. I think they get caught unaware. Not sure there's much you can do about it... I think you have to accept a certain amount of loss in nature. We felt much fondness for the bullfrogs that call our pond home...until they started catching and drowning the birds that we also rather fancied! Now we consider ourselves just observers of the whole backyard circus!

I had no idea bull frogs had such vorocious appetites! I googled it and to my astonishment, they eat birds, mice, snakes etc. Hmmmmmm…..very interesting. Kim

 

[HARO]

My pond frogs came out with the last warm weather but did not stay long as the cold front came in with a furry. They are back in the rocks of my waterfall and seem to be covered in a thick protective slime coat.

I haven't seen ANY furries around my pond! :cheerful:
John

 

[Lisak1]

I had no idea bull frogs had such vorocious appetites! I googled it and to my astonishment, they eat birds, mice, snakes etc. Hmmmmmm…..very interesting. Kim

Voracious is right. Sadly, our two biggest frogs just caught them, killed them, and spit them out. They were apparently too big to swallow, but too tempting to pass up. We looked at them very differently after that!