Giant Waxy Monkey Frog help.

[Diver]

To my knowledge they've never been captive bred over here, the specimens we get are wild caught and who knows what they've been through to get here. They clearly hate being shoved in a box hence the nose rubs. I believe they get collected during breeding when they are easily accessible so they may or may not have had the opportunity to breed before capture. The more I learn about the process, the more I don't agree with it.

The solution therefore is set up captive breeding programs thus reducing the demand on wild caught animals and ensuring large numbers of the species in existence in captive populations despite how their native habitat is being destroyed (such as in RETFs). The problem is there is so much contradictory information about how to keep them let alone breed them that the process is both difficult and expensive (my project is into thousands already). If there were a blueprint to follow, I'd be following it regardless of cost, but there doesn't even seem to be an accepted standard for vivarium size, structure, decor, temperatures, humidity etc. etc. as we have with other more commonly kept species.

I have 36 years of herpetological experience and regularly breed a number of tree frog species, but all I can bring is some background knowledge. This species is entirely new to me as is dealing with the different potential diseases and ailments which are not frequently encountered when you deal with captive bred animals. But although I feel the chances of success are low, they are definitely higher than not trying at all of course and with some help and input from anyone willing I'm giving it my best shot.

I know this species is successfully captive bred on your side of the Atlantic, but I can't find any published information relating to how these people are keeping and breeding them. I suppose this information is not made available in order to protect their financial interests, but it's not good for the species as a whole. Happy to proved wrong if anyone know where this information is available though!

Anyway, the four new guys being in fine fettle bar a nose rub or two and two being in amplexus seemed like the best opportunity I might get so they are currently in a 5ft x 5ft x 5ft rain chamber:



Two nights in and nothing so far and the couple who were together have not rejoined.

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Hope it works! Keep us updated!

[Diver]

Well the new guys didn't spawn or re-enter into amplexus so I turned the rain off after four days as the humidity won't be helping their rubs to heal. I've left them in the chamber at low humidity to keep them separate from the others in the interests of quarantine and they seem healthy and happy.

Sadly the group of four I bought at Hamm are all dead, they obviously had something very nasty and all went down hill very quickly. Early symptoms looked like this:





They got a lot worse looking at the end turning all kinds of colours with very red bellies. I'm still waiting for the results of the chytrid and ranavirus swabs so I may at least find out what they died of eventually. I treated them for chytrid when I first saw symptoms (the skin on their backs also went very hard and shell like) but the treatment had no effect.

So of the 12 I bought, I now have 6 left. The 4 in the rain chamber, the remaining individual from the first group of 3, and a LTC that I managed to find in shop a couple of hours away who had been in their possession for 2 months. Fingers crossed I can at least get these guys to survive.