Pyxie Breeding

[John]

So I had some correspondence with the founder and owner of The Frog Ranch, James "Kim" Thomas, about using some of his photos in my African Bullfrog Info sheet (follow the care info link in the forum menu bar). He reviewed the sheet and kindly granted permission for me to use his photos (I haven't yet but I will). He made an interesting point, which I will quote here (I hope he doesn't mind):

While I would agree with much of the information in your article, I do wish authors such as yourself would quit leading the public to believe that hormones are somehow necessary in the commercial captive propagation of amphibians.

That got me thinking even more than usual about how to go about breeding these frogs without hormones. I think I've presented quite a reasonable and logical approach to breeding them based on what we know about these frogs and I fully intend to test my hypothesis in the next few months to breed these frogs naturally (as soon as my largest female tops about 10 cm I'll aestivate her and my adult male).

But anyhow, getting back to Kim's point, I have raised a counterpoint with him (he hasn't responded yet - I hope it's a yet) that we as hobbyists are somewhat in the dark as to how to really accomplish successful breeding of these frogs without hormones. To the best of my knowledge there isn't any English language record of how to do it naturally. So I ask anyone who has thoughts on this to please venture them. Do you have more info than me? I certainly don't have all of the answers. I've bred quite a few amphibian species over the years but never a large Anuran. In the meantime, I am going to peruse non-English publications (I'm thinking German) for more insight.

[Octopus]

Hi John
I Just want here to try some ideas and start some kind of debate….
So I want to say what I do if I had the opportunity to try this breeding project
My approach would be to consider following African seasons calendar and mimicking that.
You have mentioned in the caresheet that 10 months of aestivation in the wild is possible but extreme, but for breeding purposes I would start with a long aestivation period like seven months, then awake them at middle December .Preferable in a storm day if you get lucky in the place you are.
My guess is that the trick to breeding them is give time enough in aestivation period to encourage the female to produce eggs.
At this point I would try to give some good meals for one day or two, has they would need a day or two in their natural habitat to achieve breeding places, this is where you see them crossing roads.(Yes I have seem them at night a couple weeks before Christmas 2002 , from Joannesburg to Mozambique border).
With this done male and female must already be prepared for some tests and I will introduced the male to the first one. In a one day 24h/24h rainchamber (see how he reacts like calling or not, introducing another male if necessary, maybe they need to establish territory and feel some kind of domination)
If good reaction were observed by a male I will take the other out and introduce the female at night for another non stop rainchamber day , so amplexus could happen ….if some eggs were laid I do not leave him to care of the offspring

[John]

Some good thoughts there my friend. One point though, December in the Northern Hemisphere is the opposite time of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, climate-wise. Surely those of us in the Northern Hemisphere would adjust accordingly? (i.e. June instead of December)

[Nomadofthehills]

I wonder if barometric pressure plays a role.

[Octopus]

I am pretty sure about barometric pressure playing a role in natural conditions for them to start activity.

That's my point, i am in the Northern Hemisphere, here December is a rainy month so i would play only with higher temperatures of course, and then I would start feeling adjusted accordingly to African calendar(that's what i mean with mimicking)
I have seen several times toads like Bufo bufo or B.calamita a few hours before first rains.
How can that be possible ? ( fields don't have a single drop of rain yet, and they come out).
I found also that is very old popular sense people saying -If you see a toad it's going to rain !

[Ra]

Most frogs from the southern hemisphere that are bred naturally do respond to weather patterns here, such as changes in barometric pressure, so it is more likely the actual conditions of the place they are in rather than waht time of the year it is in their homeland.