We now have four very small bullfrogs in our goldfish pond. We put six tadpoles in the pond back in April and I believe that four successfully became frogs and the others may be on the way. We have had frogs before, and I always assumed frogs didn’t need any help eating things. Afterall, if they can get in in their mouths, they eat it. A friend told us that he once fed his frogs live mice. So, they have quite an appetite. But Nancy and I read up on taking care of garden pond frogs since we have had others simply leave, and we found out that many people feed their frogs to keep them around,
I have about a million live meal worms in my refrigerator from my bluebird stash and I tossed some near the little frogs and a few got eaten. The problem is, if it’s not live and wiggling, frogs won’t eat it, and many of the worms I pitched in played possum and didn’t wiggle and the frogs didn’t eat them.
How about crickets? Nancy suggested. They wiggle.
My previous experience with crickets was on a day that I happened to buy some at a bait shop. The guy at the marina said they were catching huge bluegills on live crickets, so I bought a dozen. Motoring to a good spot, I opened the small paper container to catch a cricket.
Catching a live cricket, I was to discover, is a little like herding cats. They are faster than a six-legged gerbil and it is hard if not impossible to nab one in your hands. When I cracked open the container, at least six were waiting for their chance of the Great Escape and hopped out, scattering to all parts of the boats – unretrievable.
Hmmmm. Better try again. Carefully, I grabbed one by the legs and as I was set to skewer him with a size 8 long shanked hook, he wiggled free and disappeared with the rest of his comrades. Out of the original dozen, I was able to put one cricket on a hook and a fish snatched him off as soon as the bait hit the water. Obviously, my past cricket catching endeavors were not successful.
Nonetheless, I bought a small box from a pet store that supposedly contained 25 to 30 live crickets.
Nancy tried her hand at catching one to feed the frogs and he escaped like – Jiminy Cricket. She lost another, then another, and finally trapped one on the patio as he was trying to escape. Quickly, she tossed the thing in the water and “wham”, one of the little frogs nailed it. That was cool.
That night I put the contents of the cricket box in the kitchen in a bag with a zipper, but I left the bag slightly opened so the crickets could get some fresh air. Never leave a cricket bag slightly open, by the way. We now have about a dozen live crickets living in a commune under our piano
Yesterday, I ordered 500 live crickets from Fluker Farms, my mealworm source. I’m hoping out of the 500, we can catch maybe 20 or 30 for the frogs to eat before they, too, escape,
It’s not easy catching crickets.