Amy-Lilypad! Q about Greys.

[LilyPad]

My Atlas stayed chirping in January last year, he was approximately 6 months out of the water. It started out pretty random and awkward, I called it his "puberty" phase. My big female will occasionally let out a soft chirp but only when startled or when she wants a male to leave her alone. I've heard it maybe 3 or 4 times in the 4 years that i've had her. Atlas didn't get a dark throat until the following spring after he started calling, around 1 year out of the water.

[ColleenT]

thank you. i am hoping i have 2 males, as i would love to hear them chirping when they are full grown. they were OOW in July i think. Since the larger of the 2 is chirping, i am hopeful. i keep trying to figure out what is triggering it, but have not been able to, so might not be from any sounds outside the enclosure. Tomorrow i plan to get my Frog sounds cd up near the Viv to see if they respond.

[LilyPad]

Congrats! I'm guessing you have males I took me about a month of my kids insisting Atlas calling (he was in qt in his own tank because he was quite sick when I got him) before I really confirmed he was a male! I'm glad that I only have one calling male, he chirps at everything sirens, violins, kids being loud, low pressure systems, etc. Now, he even starts calling when he hears the red eyes going. Funniest thing...the sprint commercial with the screaming goat really gets him going. You can find some really good Hyla versicolor recordings on youtube, Atlas usually responds to them. Anything at the correct pitch seems to get him going. Cracks us all up. How big are your babies? Atlas is about 1.5 inches. Silvermist is also male though (has never called) and he is a bit bigger at just under 2 inches. I think my Willow is also a male (gets a dark throat but has never called) and is almost exactly 2 inches.

EDIT - Your timing seems to go almost exactly with what Atlas did.

[ColleenT]

i think he/she is about 1.5 inches but could be slightly larger. the other one is smaller, maybe an inch and a quarter? But if they are both males i am hopeful their sizes will even up a bit better. i love when we hear it. it's a strange sound.

[UncleChester]

My female would let out a single note chirp as a release call if another frog stepped on her. It doesn't sound at all like a calling male, and is much softer.

As Amy has mentioned, the young males may try to call and it won't sound quite 'right', but there's usually an attempted trill.

In the winter, my male is set off trilling by the furnace kicking in, misting the cage, and if I play recordings of Greys calling. Males are much less picky about the time of year than females are. In the wild I'll hear isolated Greys trilling late in the summer, long after breeding season is done.