# Letting parents raise their young



## Flip00u812 (May 19, 2015)

This morning I saw a tadpole on the back of my male Ranitomeya tarapoto! Very exciting moment! This is the first time I've seen any offspring from them. I have four broms and a couple of film canisters in the tank. Is there anything I need to be doing to ensure proper care of the tadpole? I'm going to leave it and any others in the tank for the parents to raise.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Your parent frogs probably wont raise the tadpole since they are no obligated egg feeders.


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## Flip00u812 (May 19, 2015)

Everything I've read states that Ranitomeya imitators take care of their young and that the males call the females to deposit trophic eggs for the tadpoles.


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## indrap (Aug 28, 2018)

Imitators are facultative egg feeders. You are good to leave the tads with the parents

It's worth mentioning that not all ranitomeya are like this - fantastica, summersi, bennies, ventrimiculata, and variabilis are not egg feeders. Ranitomeya that will egg feed are vanzos, imis, lamasi, and flavovittata.

Great looking frogs btw. To answer your question I would just let their parents do their thing and make sure the broms get their water axils filled up and changed with RO water periodically (or just let your mister do its thing if you have one set up).


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

You probably won't produce as many froglets if you let the parents raise them, but you will probably get some. No guarantees, though.

Mark


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## Flip00u812 (May 19, 2015)

I just looked around the tank and found an egg with a tad in it that has slid down the side of the glass. I don't see movement, but should I pull it?


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## Flip00u812 (May 19, 2015)

Thank you for this information. The male went into one of my bigger broms and I saw him later without the tad so I'm guessing he dropped him in there. I'll make sure to focus my misting on the broms to periodically flush the water.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Flip00u812 said:


> Thank you for this information. The male went into one of my bigger broms and I saw him later without the tad so I'm guessing he dropped him in there. I'll make sure to focus my misting on the broms to periodically flush the water.


I'd highly recomend to not change anything in the tank ( if you mist automaticly), there is a good reason the male chose to deposit the tadpole in this particular bromeliad. Also, if you "refresh" the water too much, there will not be all the food available for the tadpole since it might get flushed away. 

I forgot to say : congrats on the tadpoles! You will never get tired of seeing your frogs with tadpoles on their back 


@ Indrap : That's good information! I always assumed most ranitomeya did not take care of tadpoles. So thanks allot for sharing the names of all the Ranitomeya that are able to eggfeed! 

Never the less, I will always recomend raising tadpoles by hand if you want the most (healthy) offspring. Ofcourse this does not aply for Oophaga.


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## Flip00u812 (May 19, 2015)

Looks like I need to start researching egg/tadpole care. I’d love to start raising offspring.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Tijl said:


> I'd highly recomend to not change anything in the tank ( if you mist automaticly), there is a good reason the male chose to deposit the tadpole in this particular bromeliad. Also, if you "refresh" the water too much, there will not be all the food available for the tadpole since it might get flushed away.


The typical practice with imis is to flush the broms well every few days. The tads don't need debris to eat; the parents will provide nutritive eggs. Further, froglets raised by parents are known to morph larger than those raised by hand.

Each of my imitator pairs have brought about 4 tads to metamorph in the last year. I don't intervene in care at all, even if I think something is going wrong. I've been doing this a year; these frogs have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years. I trust them.

Yes, you could pull eggs and raise frogs by the bucketful. I love watching my parents care for their young... it is by far my favorite part of keeping frogs.


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## hungrymonkeyx3 (Apr 20, 2014)

You're letting mother nature take its course. I like that idea, however, your tadpole survival rates diminish significantly.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

hungrymonkeyx3 said:


> You're letting mother nature take its course. I like that idea, however, your tadpole survival rates diminish significantly.


Umm, no. Imitators don't tend to lose tads, plus parent raised _Ranitomeya_ morph larger.

Everyone is impressed by the fact that you've got your 25 posts in since yesterday, though.


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## Melajennie (May 30, 2018)

I’ve had my pair of green imis for a little over a year now and finally saw a new frog yesterday! I started seeing eggs this summer and have seen the male occasionally carrying a tad but could never see where he deposited them. Apparently he’s using the outer leaves of the broms and not the central axils as that’s where I saw the new little one emerge from. He’s about 1/4 inch long and fully formed, no tail remnant. I don’t know if he was pushed or jumped but by last night he was on the bottom of the viv and not in a brom anymore. He doesn’t seem to move much. Is that normal?


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I don't think there is ever any 'pushing'.

Looks like a nice little froglet. I can't see details in the pic, though (especially the front legs). If you want to see if he's moving normally, you could poke him gently. It is a bit odd that it isn't actively avoiding you when you open the viv.


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## Melajennie (May 30, 2018)

That’s the thing. The front legs are soooo thin. I can’t even really see if the hands are fully developed. When you nudge him he just sits. Doesn’t try to hide. But he has moved a tiny bit from spot to spot so I know he’s mobile. Just not what I would expect. But first baby frog so I really had little expectation. Would it benefit him to put in his own sterile tank? I’d rather leave him with his family. 


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

No -- leave it in the viv for now. Moving it will stress it.

Might be SLS -- search here for info.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

This is sls


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## Melajennie (May 30, 2018)

After reading through a lot of threads I think sls might just be it. He does hop. But not well. 










Hard to see in the photo but his front legs just don’t look right. Is there any hope for him? Any treatment? Seems there are a lot of threads about sls but I haven’t found one yet that agrees on a treatment. 

And since I can’t see any other possible tads in the viv but know I’ve seen some being carried what should I do to prevent this when the next one emerges?


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Treatment? No.

Prevention? Increase Vitamin A supplementation of parents. That is agreed on.


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## Melajennie (May 30, 2018)

I had not been supplementing vit a at all. Wasn’t aware and assumed the multivitamin powder would have everything. Just checked. It is void of vit a. I mostly dust with calcium plus d3 daily except once a week with the reptivite multivitamin. I’ll get some repashi a asap. 

Thank you. 


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## Stiles (Feb 24, 2020)

Socratic Monologue said:


> No -- leave it in the viv for now. Moving it will stress it.
> 
> Might be SLS -- search here for info.[/QUOTE= Hop one day at a time]
> 
> ...


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