mating or fighting?

[ColleenT]

one of my frogs that i cannot tell sex keeps trying to climb on the back of my definite female. She is not letting him, she keeps getting away. do females do this behavior as a bullying thing? could it be a female trying to hurt the female? it does not look like it's hurting the lower frog, but i don't know what i have as far as sexes. Azureus

[Frogman1031]

Have you heard any calling at all? Even the slightest peep? Can you take a guess on size difference and how often this has been happening? They may be "establishing dominance"

[ColleenT]

i have been watching for calling- their call is very quiet. but seen nothing. i think i have 3 females and one is very pushy. i might take her out for the night and try again tomorrow.

[DigitalPunk]

Colleen,

Is the frog that is doing the climbing smaller? Can you get a good pic of the offending frog from the side and one looking down over it? Maybe it is a male, but could very well be a tank bully.

[ColleenT]

i have removed her from the tank. she went after the other one, too. so i think i have 3 females and she is a bully. i will try again tomorrow. the female on the bottom was very unhappy. i don't want the stress of her having to deal with that all night. if it keeps happening i will get a pic, but i am pretty sure it is fighting behavior. . i was hoping all 3 could live happily ever after..

[ColleenT]

so i was told on a different forum to keep them together and let them work it out. i put her back in last night and this morning they are all fine and leaving each other alone. if they can work it out that is great. if not, i'll rehome anybody who is a problem.

[DigitalPunk]

Leaving them alone to work it out is awful advice unless you want to end up with 2 stressed and possible dead frogs and one alive and happy frog. Adult Azureus will assert themselves and establish dominance. Females will bully other females and eat their eggs. Males will bully other males. The stress of the bullying couple with the inability to escape the area will increase that frogs chance of suffering and possibly contracting an opportunistic parasite. It is best to do what you had started doing and separate them as you see aggressive behavior.

We are not trying to simulate nature, we are trying to provide a safe and happy home for them and sometimes that includes keeping the weak ones from being picked on.

[ColleenT]

they are doing fine. nobody has gone after the others, they are eating and moving around in the enclosure. fingers crossed, this could work out. i am still supervising closely, and ready to remove any of them if needed.

[DigitalPunk]

Excellent, that is what we always hope for! You are doing the right thing, monitor them and intervene if nature starts to take its course and one of your friends becomes the object of anthers aggression