# Hatch Rates



## CleanLine (Sep 8, 2009)

What factors determine hatch rates?

Basically I have a small collection with a few different breeding pairs (all dendrobates). From my pairs I am generally getting 9-10 eggs with maybe 1 or 2 duds right off the bat. But then during their formation (normally the ones that hatch take 2 weeks) I lose about half of the good fertile/forming eggs. It seems that the tadpole starts to form, some even to the day before the hatch and then they grey over a little (the actual forming tadpole not the egg) and the egg goes bad. So my hatch rate is about 50% which I feel is pretty low. I have quite a few friends breeding darts and they all say they lose maybe one and after the tadpole start to form they normally make it all the way through.

So, I am starting to look at all the factors that may affect hatch rate. First, health of the male and female. I supplement every day generally alternating between cal with D3, cal w/o D3, and Hertivite. I also have a large number of different feeders I use but I mainly stick with FFs. But I don't think my breeding frogs' health is an issue as the eggs start to form and some do make it all the way through. My frogs are younger than many of my friends, so who knows...maybe the hatch rate will increase as my frogs get older.

My eggs incubate at 72 or 73 F in just a touch of spring water. The humidity in the petri dish seems to be ok (they don't look like they are drying out).

Any ideas...any other factors?

Thanks,

Chris


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

I have varied experience with my azureus and auratus. There always seems to be one or two eggs that either aren't fertile or go bad immediately. Some clutches I get nearly all the tads hatched and other less than half. So, I suppose that overall, my success rate from egg to froglet is probably similar to yours, and your methods sound very similar to mine.

Fortunately, I've had good sized clutches, so I have plenty of tads in the water, but if I could improve the success rate, I'd sure like to make whatever changes are necessary.


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## CleanLine (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks Jim, it is good to know it isn't just me stinking as a frog keeper. Have you noticed a change over time...like as they get older the hatch rates improve? Have you tried change the pairs to see if they produce eggs with higher hatch rates with a different frog?


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## D3monic (Feb 8, 2010)

you could try a little Meth blue mixed in with the spring water, it will help keep the eggs from molding. A small drop goes a long ways.


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## CleanLine (Sep 8, 2009)

Mike - I've thought about that, even went looking for it last month but honestly the eggs aren't molding until after the embryo is dead. It is like they go from the nice dark charcoal color to a lighter grey for a day or so before the egg starts to mold. I'll give it a go...it can't hurt.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I would add a supplement containing retinyl palmitate to the dusting regimen first. Often insufficient levels of vitamin A can cause poor hatching. 

Ed


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## GregF (Sep 13, 2009)

Ed, can you give me an example of such a supplement? And with what frequency?

I have a female cobalt, and have yet to successfully get a tadpole. Most have gotten to about 12 days, before turning gray.

She just started laying again, after a 5 month break, and I want to be ready.


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## GregF (Sep 13, 2009)

Would it be acceptable to add an equivalent amount of retinyl palmitate (compared to the amount of beta carotene) to an existing container of Herptivite, and give it every day? Or is that too much? Or would it be better to give a single feeding occasionally which contained a larger amount of retinyl palmitate?

Indirectly, I'm asking how many IU's of Vitamin A does a deficient dart frog require?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I wouldn't suggest adding it to another supplement as vitamin A as retinly/retinol competes for uptake with D3, and E. Changing the ratio in a preformulated supplement is going to increase the risk that you will cause conditional deficiencies of other vitamins. 

Either add another supplement that contains A (like the Repashy products or Herpetal) or somewhere between once a week to once a month, use a human grade dry vitamin A supplement. The dry vitamin A supplement will have to be ground up and dusted on the feeders. When I use it, I've been using a morter and pestle to grind up the vitamins. 

Ed


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## Woodsman (Jan 3, 2008)

I used to use the Repcal and Herptivite and had some health issues with the frogs as well as eggs. Now I use the repashy ICB plus calcium daily mixed with the Superpig (color enhancer) and egg hatch rate has improved greatly (though there are always going to be duds and bad clutches over time).

Good luck! Richard.




GregF said:


> Would it be acceptable to add an equivalent amount of retinyl palmitate (compared to the amount of beta carotene) to an existing container of Herptivite, and give it every day? Or is that too much? Or would it be better to give a single feeding occasionally which contained a larger amount of retinyl palmitate?
> 
> Indirectly, I'm asking how many IU's of Vitamin A does a deficient dart frog require?


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