# Vittatus Male Trolling Female with Calls



## Kboerstra (Jul 24, 2016)

I have been trying to breed my Phyllobates Vittatus' for a couple of weeks, I have been noticing some strange behaviour that I don't know whether it is normal or not. (I am new to actually owning darts)

I have met breeding requirements eg. Misting frequently, feeding every day with dusted fruit flies, lots of places to lay eggs including film canisters, leaf surfaces, coco hut, open water bowl... I even have both of my males calling.(I have 2 males and one female)

The behaviour I observe goes like this. One male begins calling. This attracts the attention of the female very quickly. She carefully hops over to the calling male and begins to flick her legs, even getting closer to the male. she then lowers her head and rubs it against the male's chin. The male stops calling, and begins to hop away. The female follows the male all around the tank. The other male, noticing that the two are running around, starts to follow the female, so pretty soon we have a little froggy love triangle that gets nothing done, no breeding beyond that point. It is as if the first male is terrified of the female because as soon as it gets to the physical contact, it becomes something that he wants nothing to do with.

Today the male was on top of a plant I have in my tank, on a broad leaf, and he began calling. the female tried for at least 30 minutes to find him, and get to his location. When she finally got up to where he was, he stopped calling, turned around and hopped away, leaving his exhausted and frustrated lady friend behind on the leaf.

What should I try to help them progress their love life? Is there anything I can do? How do you recommend I proceed with the breeding? Should I pull the other male out of the tank so it is just the pair?

Thank you.


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## Vinegaroonie (Jul 31, 2015)

Maybe he's afraid to talk to girls.


In all seriousness though there may be factors that you can't see (eg. Female showing aggression). Wait for an experienced vitattus owner to come on though. Good luck to your little guys though! Sounds like he isn't very appreciative of his lady friend 

-Niko




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## Fingolfin (Jan 31, 2016)

It almost sounds like he is trying to lead her to a spawning spot... I'm not sure if that is a common behavior in vittatus, but if it is, the there is nothing to worry about.

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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Vinegaroonie said:


> (eg. Female showing aggression)


That's why I am afraid of girls. Ok, except my wife


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## rmp (Oct 28, 2015)

From what I've seen with bicolor and aurotaenia, seems like you'll soon be getting a clutch. Something that helped me was figuring out where the males' territories were (although, admittedly, they move a lot in captivity), and giving them an extra laying spot (eg. film cannister) in it. Also, spacing the laying spots out in the terrarium may help males be a little more territorial and not 'intrude' in other's love life. 

Hope you get eggs soon!


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## Kboerstra (Jul 24, 2016)

Are there any people here who have successfully bred vittatus? I saw the male lead the female into a film canister, then as soon as the female went in with the male, he let out several squeeks and jumped out like the place was on fire... I dunno guys, is this sounding like solid breeding behaviour to you? The female seems like she is dying to breed, but the males just arent having it. They seem interested in her only when she is following the other male.


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## roundfrog (Jan 27, 2016)

I have bred them, well I have tads in the tank and in cups. Does that count?
To tell you the truth, I didn't even know I had a pair until I found eggs. I also have know clue how long they have been breeding. To my frogs, coco huts are a no-no, as are film cans. They prefer the hardest leaves to get to in the tank.
The last time I misted was like 2 weeks ago, so I don't mist every day. I feed every other day, but every day leading up to my vacation. Your best cure for the frog breeding activity is to wait. Patience is key in this hobby. Like me, you may not even know they had laid a clutch. who knows how many clutches could be in your tank. Also, do you check the coco hut and film cans every day. That does more harm then good. The frogs could get pretty stressed. Hope you get eggs, as what i just wrote is about all I have to offer, as I am knew as well.


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## Kboerstra (Jul 24, 2016)

They laid a clutch! Thank you everyone for your advice. In the end it was a black film canisterlaying completely horizontal in the front corner of the tank that finally got them to lay. I guess the male was finally not afraid of the female that time.


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