# My Step by step Method to Breeding Phyllomedusa Bicolor



## Amphib (Mar 15, 2018)

Hi everyone,

I thought id leave something for you Phyllomedusine lovers out there, encase anybody fancied having a go at breeding these awesome frogs.
Its been 5 years now since I attempted to breed. I was lucky to get a spawning first try but unfortunately it was a bad batch of eggs. 
I get a lot of emails from all over the world asking how to go about Breeding this species, so I thought it would be best to leave it as a post for people to visit.

This was wrote awhile back now but hopefully makes enough sense to all.
Feel free to ask me anything regarding these frogs and their breeding.

Enjoy!!

My step by step approach to breeding Phyllomedusa Bicolor.


Before attempting this idea, I made sure there was 3 females and 7 males in hope that 3 pairs would successfully Amplexus. 
I separated the females into 3ft high tanks well ventilated and moved into a different location away from the males. I wanted my females to be relaxed as possible with no chance of hearing of seeing any males for at least 3 months ( Dry phase)
Females are hand fed with vitamins to keep up the weight throughout. 
Males also were put into a 3ft ventilated tank and fed mainly Brown crickets/ black crickets/locusts/odd pinkie mice, as were the females also. All feeding was done by using Tongs to keep insects from roaming around the Vivarium's causing any stress to the Bicolors.. Keeping Bicolors stress free was my main aim throughout this whole idea.


Assuming a Rainchamber has already been prepared or being prepared, you can start to slowly bring the Bicolor into a " Dry Phase" which will cause the frogs to hibernate and will last upto 2-3 months.
My starting Temperature for both sexes was 80-85f with a 90-100f basking area much like a chameleon set-up and night Temps would be 70-78f and humidity 70-80.


"Dry Phase"
The first month of the dry phase I gradually lowered the temperature in the Vivariums to 75-80f and a humidity of 60-65. No basking lamp needed at this point. I fed each Frog 6-8 Crickets every 2-3 days or sometimes fed them a small pinkie mouse every now and then. 


The second part of the Dry phase, I lowered the temperature again down to 70-75f with a humidity of 50-55.. At this point I made sure the Vivariums had NO substrate at all.. There was a water bowl present incase the frogs needed it, but its important to make sure no drops of water are on the Vivarium Floor as this can cause humidity if a Vivarium has under Tank Heated mat.
The frogs you will notice aren't moving much at all and will appear in a deep sleep over the next few weeks of the 2nd month dry phase. They might find it hard to respond to hand feeding at this point but nothing to worry about as fattening of the bicolor in month 1 will last them sometime. Its important to keep trying steady hand feeding without causing too much stress. 
By the end of month 2 the frogs should be nice and plump and in a Coma almost. 


Final Dry phase.


Vivarium Temps can now be put down to as low as 67-70f ( 12 hour daylight) with a night drop of 60-65f (12 hours) with NO humidity.. The frogs should be fast asleep throughout each day and night of the final month so its best to take out the water bowl as it wont be needed. 
You keep them like this for 4 weeks. It wont be easy to hand feed as they wont respond.


"Time to let it Rain"


Okay!! here comes the fun part. Its been 3 months of Dry phase and the frogs have all fattened up ( especially the females) and you have set-up the Rainchamber. I used a Plastic Tomato tent ( greenhouse) standing 7-8 feet high, 5 feet wide, 5 feet deep.










As you can see I Used cheese plants as they provided strength to hold the frogs while in amplexus. A garden pond was used at the bottom. Plants were raised above water on stones to keep them from over soaking. A fish tank filter was used also.
I found a huge Shower head which I set up in one corner of the Rainchamber which managed to cover the entire tent with decent spray.. Also had a mister at different volumes spraying throughout.. 
This picture doesn't show the final set-up but you can imagine what it would look like.
You don't have to use this particular set-up, I just found it all extremely cheap at the time! Most costly was the cheese plants.
Design your Rainchamber however you please and have fun with it!!!!


So at the end of the 3rd month I slowly started to UP the temperatures of the Vivarium. this was done over 7 days very gradually with gradual humidity increase.. 
I then played Tunes of thunder and rainfall/ frog singing to get the frogs prepared for breeding.
After 7 days I placed the FEMALES into the Rainchamber WITHOUT RAINFALL to settle ( 7 days) While the females settled in the Rainchamber I misted the males constantly for 7 days prompting them to call out. I noticed the females became energised always routing around the chamber. 


( introduce Females to chamber for 7 days to settle, and through that 7 days set the males off singing)


After 7 days I set the rain going at various paces throughout the day every 15 -30 mins the rain would have a different volume.
I then introduced all 7 males... 
I used infra-red lighting and placed a dark sheet over the Chamber for 2-3 days and paid close attention to the males fighting/wrestling for females which didn't take long at all.
Once the males had fought and successfully amplexed a female I took away the 4 remaining males and left the 3 pairs to go about their business. 
2 females were unsuccessful in spawning but 1 female managed to do so. But disappointingly the batch of spawn didn't have any success for what reason I don't know? I was gutted!!!


I Took the females away and back into their original Viviarium once the males had finished with amplexus. The males I allowed the free roam the rainchamber now set back to a normal heat and humidity with 12 hour daylight and 12 hour night light.


The leaf ( cheese plant) Was cut at the stem and suspended above filtered water in a fish tank. I waited days but nothing was happening only that the eggs were becoming off and falling into the water.. there were numerous white and brown looking eggs.
Perhaps I wasn't experienced enough for rearing the spawn? But either way the method worked for me.


This is idea I thought up with the help of Andrew Grey of Manchester Museum an expert in caring and breeding of Phyllomedusine species. I believe Andrew wrote an Article about the Breeding of the Phyllomedusa Bicolor, which I have somewhere, if I can find it :/


I hope this gives helps with the future of breeding this species. Phyllomedusa Bicolor are by far my Favourite Frogs and I always wanted to be the first in the UK to successfully breed them but I came up short I'm afraid. Nether the less it was fun and I learned so much about them along the way.


Excuse my Grammar Etc... 
If any questions need to be asked regarding this method or any help is needed please feel free to contact me [email protected]


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## Scubadiver (Jun 13, 2014)

I remember this project. This is your thread here correct?

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/amphibians/963005-rainchamber-pics-warning-very-pic-7.html


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## Amphib (Mar 15, 2018)

Hi,

Yes correct that is my thread.
I haven't been around for a long time but I keep getting emails asking me about the breeding of this species, so thought id just make a thread and send people links to find it.

Thanks


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## Scubadiver (Jun 13, 2014)

Interesting. In your last comment on that thread you said that you never switched the rain on and the frogs all went to Manchester Museum.

Now you are saying that they spawned but the eggs weren't fertile? Could we see photos of the nest?


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## Amphib (Mar 15, 2018)

Hi,

What I failed to mention was that in-between donating the frogs to Manchester museum, I had to move the animals to a different location due to House move.. I got the frogs set-up and had 0ne attempt with the rain system. I did infact have 1 female spawn and had pictures of the batch of eggs on a Phyllomedusa Bicolor Care sheet comment box where I linked to the pictures.. But like all my other pictures everything has disappeared and I don't understand why? I had hundreds of pics even videos of the Rainsystem. It's been a long time since and the only pictures I have are ones I took previously now on google images stolen by every Tom, Dick and Harry using them for websites or selling purposes. 

So yes it was a failed attempt but worth it.

Thanks


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## Amphib (Mar 15, 2018)

I don't know why I mentioned that I hadn't set off the Rainsystem? Perhaps I was disappointed due to plenty of people counting on me to pull it off. Still young back then you see.
But yes I did indeed get a spawning but Obviously something went wrong. Those frogs were awesome! 

Thanks


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