Clawed frog (xenopus laevis) breeding.

[xxianxx]

My frog Pinky has layed some eggs it is her fourth clutch, the first two drops were in a tank on her own which i binned, the third was in a tank with two males who have both bred before and i know are fertile, this clutch failed to hatch. The fourth clutch was layed this morning, what i would like to know is it unusual for the first batches of eggs to be infertile? or is it likely that Pinky is just infertile?

[John]

I've never bred Xenopus but in many tropical frog species the first couple of clutches of eggs are not viable. I would think she's just young.

[tgampper]

I agree with John. The female is too young. For optimal breeding, the female should be at least 9 months old and the males slightly over a year old. If you have the "wild type" (not albino), their size should be about 2.5 inches from snout to vent. You should allow the female to rest about 60 days before trying again. Breeding is not difficult and one day you will find plenty of fertile eggs in the tank

[xxianxx]

I kept the female seperate from the males for about twelve months, i got her at one inch and she had a very poor growth rate, i only brought her out of pity coz she was the last frog in the shop, she had escaped out of the frog tank and was living in a plecostomus tank and eaking a living off algae wafers , she was near to death so i took her home and fed her up but growth rate was very poor. She is now eighteen+ months and about three inches nose to vent, has twice dropped eggs in the tank on her own(which was how i knew she was adult), and has bred twice in the last six months, the first batch didnt hatch im now waiting for the next. I dont beleive she is too young, i was just wondering wether first batches of eggs were often infertile and if i could reasonably expect a viable batch of eggs at some point, thanks for the response anyway.

[tgampper]

Just be patient. It sounds like she had a rough time. You may want to remove her from the males for a while. If you keep her in a tank close by, you might hear them calling each other. The male will initiate the call and if the female raps back to him, she is ready. If you hear a slow tick call from the female, she is not ready (the male will instantly stop his call). Good luck You will notice that a duet can get quite loud!

[xxianxx]

Im waiting for the next batch of eggs to hatch not be layed, the female was removed after the last egg laying to give her a break from the males.

[xxianxx]

Update, this batch has failed to hatch and the eggs have gone moldy. Is this likely to happen again? or after two failed batches can i reasonably expect a fertile clutch?

[xxianxx]

Update, just found forty tadpoles in the adult tank, it looks like Pinky is fertile afterall.