# Any hope for Vents improving parenting practices?



## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

My pair has produced countless clutches of eggs, so I have begun leaving some of them in the viv, but they seem to forget that they have children!
I find skinny tads in random film canisters, its like they transport them and all but then they leave them to fight it out with their canister mates while they continue on there honey moon extravaganza. 

Is there any way to make/help them care for them better?

I have only seen them lay one feeder egg, and it was fertile anyway..


any help would be great

thanks, Mac


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

MMm... in my experience with them they are not very good parents, they kinda dump the tads off and sometimes feed and other times won't, so i would juts pull the eggs or tads if they are not feeding them.


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## mjahnke (Sep 8, 2008)

I'm currently letting my trio "raise" a tadpole in a film canister. The only time I've seen them do anything to help feed the tad was when they actually laid a clutch of four eggs at the edge of the canister.

I've just been throwing a tad bite/fish food in every couple days to make sure the tads getting food.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Interesting though, how do the tads make it in the wild? Do they feed off whatever falls into their pool?
I wonder if the parents act the same in the wild, or if it is a captive thing.


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## rjmarchisi (Feb 16, 2004)

Aren't vents not eggfeeders as noted here:

SpringerLink - Journal Article


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## thetattooedone (Mar 26, 2007)

My Amy's will raise their own Tads off of eggs if I leave the Tads in the tank. However, they didn't start doing it right away. It took some time for them to get the hang of it. I had to raise probably the first 10 clutches?? How old are your vents? How long have they been breeding?


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

thetattooedone said:


> My Amy's will raise their own Tads off of eggs if I leave the Tads in the tank. However, they didn't start doing it right away. It took some time for them to get the hang of it. I had to raise probably the first 10 clutches?? How old are your vents? How long have they been breeding?


Amy's ? My pair is about 1 3/4 years old. they have produced over 20 clutches of eggs( estimate). So breeding for about 1 year.

rjmarchisi- " Aren't vents not eggfeeders as noted here:

SpringerLink - Journal Article"

thats obligate egg feeders, vents can raise their young on eggs, they are just not very good at it. I am wondering if they will get better over time, or what.


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## MrGerbik (Dec 18, 2006)

It is my understanding from the article above is that tad cannibalism is part of the whole tad survival. They are in fact good parents in that they may put tads together and the strongest survives.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

I see, I guess my problem is that the tads dont get fed at all, so once the one tad dies and the stronger one eats it, the others that have not have food tend to rot, and foul the water.


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

If you are feeding enough FFs into the viv some will drown in the tadpole containers and be devoured by the tads. So they will morph out fine regardless of lack of parental care.

As for the multiple tadpole deposition, given how prolific vents are you will have this problem unless you 1) pull tads routinely or 2) have a very large (and I mean very large) number of water sources in the viv. Whether they are depositing younger tads as feeders for their older siblings or simply depositing tads where they can find water the end result is one tad per water source (usually). Vent tads are very aggressive feeders and will readily attack each other under most circumstances.

Bill


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

So to sum this up, vents cant be "taught" to be better parents by not pulling tads(just wont happen). 

I think i'll just try and see who comes out on top, but from what I have seen, the tads have to be a substantially bigger than its sibling to eat them, or else they just sorta nip at it , eventually it dies, rots, and fouls the water.


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## thetattooedone (Mar 26, 2007)

Mac said:


> Amy's ? My pair is about 1 3/4 years old. they have produced over 20 clutches of eggs( estimate). So breeding for about 1 year.
> 
> rjmarchisi- " Aren't vents not eggfeeders as noted here:
> 
> ...


Amy's as in R. Amazonicus. Which are very similar if not the same species as vents.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Oh, never heard of them written that way...


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