Horned frogs breeding

[Unnar Karl]

Hi

I have been doing a lot of research on how to breed horned frogs/pacman frogs, i think i got the gist of it but there still some things that's unclear to me and i was hoping someone here could help me

First is am supposed to hibernate them for 2 months, lowering the temperature and humidity. How low are we talking and how dry ?

They should not be feed in two months, that's safe right?

Also if there are any other suggestions or tips i would be glad to hear them

[Thevacantface]

My first suggestion would be to not try this at all. It's really not healthy for your frogs. Plus, if you are successful, do you have a plan set up to deal with that many tadpoles and then froglets, it will be in the hundreds if not a thousand. Most breeders have relationships with wholesalers to offload their frogs, you will have a tough time breaking into the market.

Next, I would suggest you find a weather station closest to the stronghold of the particular species you are trying to breed and mimic the conditions identically. This is going to include barometric pressures, so you will basically need to keep your frogs in a hyperbaric chamber that you can adjust the temp, humidity, light, etc., on a regular basis to match changes that occur during the day and night.

When it comes to the feeding I know you want there to be nothing in their digestive tract when they go under, but as for how long to keep them off food, I couldn't tell you. You might want to study some entomology from the frogs region just to know when their food sources start disappearing, and try to match that with the weather cycle you are running.

Because of all these things, the majority of breeders use hormones. Much less risky for the frog, less hassle with priming the conditions.

[DVirginiana]

The general consensus is that breeding horned frogs is more trouble than it's worth at a hobbyist level. If you do it incorrectly, you could end up harming the frogs. Also, what is your plan for all the offspring if it does work?
I don't mean to sound harsh, just don't want you to end up hurting your frogs/be disappointed in your breeding results, but if you don't know how to put the frogs under for two months or whether or not keeping them off food during this time is okay, you probably don't know enough to breed them responsibly. Again, I'm not trying to be mean, but those are major things and if you don't have those down pat then odds are you're going to miss some of the more nuanced care aspects that you have to have for breeding.

Edit: When I say 'hobbyist' I mean someone with one or two frogs who wants to breed for fun. Everyone I've seen on this forum who breeds seems to know what they're doing. Just wanted to make sure it didn't sound like I was attacking any of the people on here who breed them.

[Lija]

Could not agree more! There is a reason there are not that many pacman frog breeders out there.

[earthtiger]

...use hormones. Much less risky for the frog,...

Are you serious!?!?!?

[Thevacantface]

In fact, I am serious. Not to say that using hormones is particularly healthy for the frogs, but the risk to them is much lower than a person trying to induce their frogs to mate by cycling them. Even in their natural habitat not that many will survive through to the next year, part of the reason why they produce such large numbers of offspring. It's one of the reasons captive frogs tend to live much longer lives than their wild relatives too.

[Lija]

I must say this.
Both methods can be deadly, it's pointless to discuss. By any means if done properly cycling is mimicking natural frog cycles in a wild, it's safe and natural for a frog IF done by experienced breeder or keeper. Let me point out the IF!

there is nothing natural or healthy in using hormones, and breeders who care only about money and producing as many frogs as fast as possible, use hormones, after a few breeding you will see "proven breeders" for sale.
For them it is business, and frankly I have no respect for people, who value $ vs wellbeing of animals.
In animal conservation facilities use of hormones is justified, but it's completely different category.

[Unnar Karl]

Well i think i got all the answers i was looking for.
If there is a chance of me harming the animal then i'm defiantly not going to try it.
Thanks for the replies and a happy new year