# Pumilio aggression toward offspring?



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Hi all,

Hopefully some of you more experienced pumilio folks will chime in. The first group of froglets from my pair of San Cristobals (SNDF 10) recently came oow. While I would normally leave them in the tank, I noticed that both the male and female were showing aggression to the first few offspring. On the advice of another frogger, I removed them and they appear to be doing fine. I witnessed the same behavior with the second trio of froglets and followed similar action. And now, just today, I watched as another froglet (which I didn't previously see) was accosted by my male cristobal. The behavior can be described as the following: bulldogging, where the male/female steps over the froglet and then chases it away, often while the male is calling. I've also watched the male and female try to eat the froglets. For the most part the froglets didn't appear too phased by the whole ordeal but like I said I have removed them to their own springtail sanctuary. 

Anyway, just wondering if anyone has seen this type of aggression before.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Trying to eat them, wow. What size tank are they in?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

18" cube (in my office).

I know, right? They were going after them like they were ffs. The reason I noticed the newest froglet is that the male was going crazy, standing on top of it on the edge of a brom leaf, while calling. I mean, I understand, kids annoy me as well, but damn, I was ready to call child services.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Haha yeah definite abuse. Yeah that's probably too small for more than a WC pair, 7+ pumilio in there would definitely freak them out


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Viv is too small. Stepping on frogelts I've seen, but never trying to eat them. Seperate is def best for that small of a viv


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

My basti male has done that a few times. He doesn't do it anymore. I'm thinking it has to do with being fr/wc. He did it to the first two groups but now understands they are his children. He would stand on them and call like crazy. I've even seen the female wrestle him off of a froglet.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

interesting, thanks for the input.


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## jfehr232 (Apr 13, 2009)

Yeah same here, found my male basti all over my one froglet (out of 5) and the froglet seems to just have hid away and does fine. 

I resort to already having springtail vivs ready for the froglets....but I do leave them in just to let the parents know they did a good job lol..( maybe my way of comforting myself)


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## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

jeffdart said:


> My basti male has done that a few times. He doesn't do it anymore. I'm thinking it has to do with being fr/wc. He did it to the first two groups but now understands they are his children. He would stand on them and call like crazy. I've even seen the female wrestle him off of a froglet.


I have seen this also a little, but for the most part none of my WC pairs have ever done that that I've seen. I've had a trio 1.2 bastis in a 55 with 7-8 froglets-juvies. A 10 vert WC basti with a 8 month old juvie and several other froglets(no aggression seen at all). So it just depends. It sounds like it will pass.


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## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

I have this problem too, also with Bastis but only with my female. She will sit on the froglets and chase them away. The froglets don't seem to mind though as mine will continue to feed and act normally even when the female is acting aggressive.


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

We had a nice pair of red bastis that would just throttle their offspring. They would chase them, stomp on them, kick them, and bully them until they were either dead or I removed them. It was surprisingly brutal and it happened with clutch after clutch.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

JL-Exotics said:


> We had a nice pair of red bastis that would just throttle their offspring. They would chase them, stomp on them, kick them, and bully them until they were either dead or I removed them. It was surprisingly brutal and it happened with clutch after clutch.


What size tank were they in?


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

ChrisK said:


> What size tank were they in?


Initially a 15 tall and then again in a custom tank about 30 gallons in size.


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## ESweet (Apr 13, 2009)

In the wild, both in Costa Rica and Panama I've seen a lot of this. I had a video of a Bri Bri male jumping on the head of a very young froglet, pinning him down and calling. They are strangely aggressive little animals, though I've never witnessed this in any of my captive pumilio, WC or CB.


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## jeffr (May 15, 2009)

I just pulled to Basti froglets because I saw one of the adult females pouncing on them


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