Roby,

Unexpectedly, a pair of mature green-frogs have remained in my pond for several weeks now; these being the first frogs - less a small pickerel frog - ive introduced to my pond.

My current pond is moderately planted with iris. One feature that is absent from many less frog-friendly ponds is the fact that my pond is edged by larger stones, in which the frogs can hide - i only occasionally find them; so, i assume they are hidding in the stones - or maybe, i doubt it, they wander away and return later.
My pond is only 6 x 11 - thats why i didn't think they'd stay.


I was wondering if you think the following numbers might work for a 27x18 pond with a stream.

Say, 8 pickerel frogs, 8 mature green frogs, 8 leopard frogs? thats 24 frogs.

i think that for a 27 x 18 pond, the ideal number is about 6 frogs before they feel crowded. hopefully, you will tell me otherwise.

in your experience with your pond, how many frogs do you think are at one time - of those that remain? have you noticed that some frogs remain year after year.

i think i might fence in my yard; since i might legally have to, i might as well put an added layer of birdnetting. I worry about that because i wont know if i have too many frogs and wont find out what is the correct ballence. i could let the frogs, first, reach a ballance - but i suspect that they dont - they just, at random, leave - which could mean that there are not too many but just that they wandered away, so this may not be a true indicator.

i dont want to depress? the frogs - so i would rather keep the numbers conservative - and if i have a fence, even if i only have 8 frogs, at least ill know that i wont have less then 8; if i have a fence, i wont have like 40 since ill not know if they would have dispensed to ballence out in numbers.



lastly,

im thinking of indroducing cricket frogs to my pond - do you think that they will all get eaten, in time, by the green frogs and pickerels - i think they are about an inch in size.

"Say, 8 pickerel frogs, 8 mature green frogs, 8 leopard frogs? thats 24 frogs."

There's really not a point in counting the number of frogs you can have because the frogs and nature will take care of that. Many frogs will be born or move in and many will die or move. You really can't control the amphibian population.

"i think that for a 27 x 18 pond, the ideal number is about 6 frogs before they feel crowded. hopefully, you will tell me otherwise."

Yes, 6 adult frogs sounds about right. My 1800 gallon pond has two bullfrogs and a couple of green frogs right now but has had up to a dozen green frogs at once, mostly juveniles. Adult male frogs compete and fight.

"in your experience with your pond, how many frogs do you think are at one time - of those that remain? have you noticed that some frogs remain year after year."

Unfortunately, most frogs look alike so I can't put little shirts on them and say, "Oh, look, it's Joe again!" I think my one huge male bullfrog I've had for about 4 years is the same; he keeps growing. My 153 gallon has had a dozen frogs in it at once. My 1800 gallon pond has had about that many as well.

"i think i might fence in my yard; since i might legally have to, i might as well put an added layer of birdnetting. I worry about that because i wont know if i have too many frogs and wont find out what is the correct ballence. i could let the frogs, first, reach a ballance - but i suspect that they dont - they just, at random, leave - which could mean that there are not too many but just that they wandered away, so this may not be a true indicator."

You can't really control it but certainly small enough fencing will keep more frogs from leaving (but also prevent new ones from coming in).

"i dont want to depress? the frogs - so i would rather keep the numbers conservative - and if i have a fence, even if i only have 8 frogs, at least ill know that i wont have less then 8; if i have a fence, i wont have like 40 since ill not know if they would have dispensed to ballence out in numbers."

Ok, I think you're overthinking things again though.

"im thinking of indroducing cricket frogs to my pond - do you think that they will all get eaten, in time, by the green frogs and pickerels - i think they are about an inch in size. "

Cricket frogs only come to the water to breed so most of the time, they will be in forest-type areas if they can find it. They can climb a lot of fences and just leave too. They're not a species that stays near water all the time like bullfrogs, green frogs, and pickerel frogs.