How to Breed Frogs

Breeding frogs involves convincing the frogs that they want to mate.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray Bottles
• Aquarium Screen Covers
• Aquarium Water Test Kits
• Aquariums
• Mosses
• Plastic Containers

1. Understand that you cannot force your frogs to breed. You can, however, create conditions that will make them more likely to breed.

2. Make sure you have a male and a female frog. It can be difficult to identify the sexes, but some females have a triangle-like protrusion between their rear legs. The best way to be sure you have both sexes is to request this when purchasing your frogs.

3. Learn about the type of climate your type of frog naturally lives in. You need to replicate spring in that climate to make your frogs think it is time to breed. This may mean you'll need to lower the temperature (so your frogs will hibernate) and then warm the frogs' environment. Or you may have to create a dry period (usually done with dry moss) followed by a "rainy" period, during which you mist the frogs often. The change in climate triggers the impulse to breed.

4. Talk to the person you purchase your frogs from to determine what type of climate change your frog requires. You can also check with your vet.

5. Be sure to provide plants for the frogs to hibernate under or climb on (if you have a tree frog).

6. Understand that the length of the cold or dry spell will vary with the type of frog.

7. Provide your frogs with fresh water at all times even if you are simulating a dry spell.

8. Watch for your frogs to mate. The male will climb on top of the female and fertilize her eggs as they are laid.

9. Separate your frogs from their eggs so they do not attempt to eat them.

10. Expect your eggs to hatch into tadpoles in 6 to 21 days, depending on your type of frog.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not release your tadpoles into the wild unless they are a local species of frog.
• Once your tadpoles hatch, separate them into individual containers or provide them with lots of floating plant life to hide in. Tadpoles will eat each other.

on 8/8/2006 When you have tadpoles, make sure that they have at least one big rock that they can limb on when they grow front legs.

on 8/8/2006 Don't purposefully or accidentally throw tadpoles down the drain or toilet either.

on 6/30/2006 I've kept tadpoles for a long time and discovered many different things for them to eat. The preferred meal for tadpoles is soggy bread, although too much will foul the water. Another tadpole delicacy is that stringy algae stuff that the tadpoles rummage through to find a meal, just like in the wild. Sucker fish food works quite well, but is not a favorite.

on 11/22/2005 Don't use plain tap water for your tadpoles! Either leave the water out for a few days, or buy the drops at a pet store to take the bad chemicals out of tap water immediately.