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How many frogs is too many?

57 replies

WhoFedTheFish · 28/03/2025 07:23

moved into a house with a pond. Fish (koi) in the pond. This is our first spring here

noticed three frogs a few weeks ago. Delighted to have them

now it would appear we have ~25 frogs!

Where have they come from? Are they here to stay?

Has anyone got any frog knowledge to say whether this is normal?

OP posts:
shellyleppard · 28/03/2025 07:27

Frogs return to the pond they were born in to breed.....yours must have been quite the hot spot!!! 😂😂 You should get frog spawn soon. If you don't want the fish eating it all perhaps move some to a old fish tank and watch the miracle occur

Fictionreader100 · 28/03/2025 07:29

They were probably tadpoles from your pond returning to mate.
All good until you've suddenly got hundreds of baby froglets in the garden and want to mow your lawn !
They hang about for months and unless you want to turn into a frog killer mowing is not possible .

zzplec · 28/03/2025 07:29

They're just there to mate, they don't live in the pond permanently. You won't see them the rest of the year.

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Gingernaut · 28/03/2025 07:31

Wait until the eggs hatch

The area around the pond will be hopping with froglets in no time

Aliceisagooddog · 28/03/2025 07:32

Your very lucky, frogs are wonderful 😍

ShiftySquirrel · 28/03/2025 07:32

They'll soon disappear after mating season. Frogs are a great addition to your garden though, they eat the slugs.

myplace · 28/03/2025 07:33

Gosh, lucky you.

TheDandyLion · 28/03/2025 07:34

They eat the slugs for you.

Christwosheds · 28/03/2025 07:35

ShiftySquirrel · 28/03/2025 07:32

They'll soon disappear after mating season. Frogs are a great addition to your garden though, they eat the slugs.

This.
Yes it’s normal to have a lot of frogs in the breeding season, but they won’t stay long. As fish and frogs don’t mix well you won’t have huge numbers of froglets though, the fish will probably eat a lot of the frogspawn.

Nosaucelikemintsauce · 28/03/2025 07:38

Give Paul McCartney a ring.... Maybe due a comeback....

Flozle · 28/03/2025 07:39

Frogs eat slugs? Did not know that.
We had a frog hop into the living room once. Disappeared under the sofa and emerged wearing a dog hair fur coat.

BeaAndBen · 28/03/2025 07:40

There’s a manic shagging couple of weeks then they’ll vanish again.

Your koi will have a wonderful time eating the frogspawn as they hatch

ConflictofInterest · 28/03/2025 07:42

Don't worry they mate and leave. Although they usually hang around in the flower boarders to surprise you when you do the weeding.

ObliviousCoalmine · 28/03/2025 07:42

I would sacrifice lawn mowing for their slug eating abilities.

Sinkintotheswamp · 28/03/2025 07:51

It'll go a bit crazy for a couple of weeks then they'll head off somewhere else.
Just go careful when the tadpoles turn into tiddly baby froglets, they really are hard to spot.

Poppymeldrum · 28/03/2025 08:00

My father refuses to use weedkillers-only natural methods when it comes to gardening
He has a small pond at the bottom of his garden (ds's old,knackered baby bath!)
We see loads of frogs around now
They are ace-he once found one scoffing bread on the bird table
Just leave them alone and they'll soon go again-they return to where they where born to breed
(For some reason,every single one is called croaka)

Cryingatthegym · 28/03/2025 08:02

Fictionreader100 · 28/03/2025 07:29

They were probably tadpoles from your pond returning to mate.
All good until you've suddenly got hundreds of baby froglets in the garden and want to mow your lawn !
They hang about for months and unless you want to turn into a frog killer mowing is not possible .

I'm worried about this. We've not long moved into a house with a small pond full of frogspawn. Me and the kids are very excited about it but I'm so anxious about when they start hopping because I've got cats! Is there anything I can do to keep them safe?

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 28/03/2025 08:06

@WhoFedTheFish you will probably find one frog or toad who lives in the garden all year round. they only come for mating season. we have emptied out our pond a few times and the last time there was about 30 frogs. they all leave. they dont live in the pond. as long as you leave strategically placed stones for the frogs to hop onto and out then it is fine. get a filter and get yourself some koi carp.

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 28/03/2025 08:09

@WhoFedTheFish we have 2 ponds. one is huge being 13 feet long and 4.5 feet deep. it has a filter and a pump. also has a net for the herons and an electric fence for the otters. the other pond only has a net and no fish but the frogs love both. it is a natural pond and gets no treatment.

profiterolesarelovely · 28/03/2025 08:11

I love this thread! So do they return to the pond they hopped out of as froglets or the pond where they were frogspawn? What happens to all the frogspawn hatched in classrooms and released into the school pond?

DahliaBlooming · 28/03/2025 08:14

Could they be toads?! Frog season where I am in the UK was about a month ago and it's now toads making their way back to their mating ponds... I am in no way an expert though and am just repeating what people say locally, which could easily be nonsense 😂

Sifflet · 28/03/2025 08:17

Flozle · 28/03/2025 07:39

Frogs eat slugs? Did not know that.
We had a frog hop into the living room once. Disappeared under the sofa and emerged wearing a dog hair fur coat.

That would be a brilliant children’s picture book! The Frog in the Fur Coat.

BeaAndBen · 28/03/2025 08:17

DahliaBlooming · 28/03/2025 08:14

Could they be toads?! Frog season where I am in the UK was about a month ago and it's now toads making their way back to their mating ponds... I am in no way an expert though and am just repeating what people say locally, which could easily be nonsense 😂

It is very much frog season here. They are at it flipping everywhere, the mucky shagging buggers!

Flozle · 28/03/2025 08:19

😆

TheHerboriste · 28/03/2025 08:20

Wow, you are so fortunate!
Remove the fish for the time being.