That’s right, I have only two froglets left to transfer to the Big Tank outside. One will be ready tonight, the other will need a couple more days. How do I know this?
I assume that the minute a froglet indicates that it has figured out how to breathe air, that is the moment. It can still swim, it can still breathe underwater, but it’s spending enough time above water that you know it can breathe there too. That’s why they’re called amphibians — so named after the military vehicles that can operate both at sea and on land. (Just kidding – that’s completely backwards.)
I’ve kept each one until it had fully developed arms and legs and was ready to hop around and catch bugs on its own. I’ve freed them while they still had some tail left, so they could still get nutrients from that while honing their hunting skills.
I know when they’re ready because they come up out of the water. First they’re hanging out on the glass, at first partially submerged. Then suddenly they’re spending more time out of the water than in it. They sit on the floating wooden plank, look wistfully out the window beyond the glass, and seem sad or depressed that they can’t get out there.
All these last changes take place within a twenty-four hour period. Then when I take them outside, after a few moments of trepidation they erupt in joy, and spring merrily away, like…… well, like frogs. (Do you like that simile? Clever, not?)
Next: Why did I do this in the first place? Why did I choose to Hand Raise these froglets in a special nursery on the mantle in my living room? Why did I presume that these wild creatures of nature needed help from a a member of the bumbling human race? Check back with me soon.