[melissa68]

David,

Wow....this is not an easy question to answer. I also do not envy your job of having to sex so many frogs - I think that your task will be a hard one.

The only way I have been able to determine sex with pumilio is by observing their behavior. Since all of these frogs have been 'farm raised' I think it will be a safe assumption they have all be exposed to the same environment, therefore my suggestion should not expose the frogs to something they haven't already been exposed to.

Place a group of frogs in a tank and watch for breeding behavior. When you observe the behavior, pull that pair out. Continue with this process until you have determined the sex of all the frogs. I know this is more time consuming, but I think it is reliable.

In addition, I have noticed with the pumilio we had (which you now own) the males seem to be more timid and hide more. There is also the size difference with the females & the males but I don't know how reliable that will be since the frogs will be stressed.

I have also been considering using another method, but I do not know how practical it would be. I have thought about taking pictures of a frog's toe pads at a high resolution and then opening the photo on the computer. You should be able to zoom in on the toes. If there is enough differentiation between the male\female toe pads in the pumilio, you might be able to use this method to sex the questionable frogs.

Good luck,

Melissa

Well, it appears that the pumilio shipment should be arriving as scheduled, and that I will be examining all of the imports. I have been contacted by many individuals (and so has Glen) that would like me to pick out their frogs. I am not recieving any compensation for this service, but am happy to provide it. I will not pick frogs for anyone if the frog does not meet my approval. This is not a guarentee of long term success, but I will do my best.

Because of this, many people have asked me to pick them out a pair or pairs. I can not guarentee that I can do this with perfect or near perfect accuracy. Which brings me to my point...

Does anyone here have good firsthand guidelines to sexing pumilio. I am looking for accurate information and suggestions. I know certain things to look for, and calling is a dead give away. If you have solid information please give me advice. Please do not respond if your are speculating or have heard something from a friend of a friend.

Thank you. I hope this will help promote the captive breeding of some outstanding, beautiful, rare frogs. Thank you for your time.

Dr. Frye

 

[melissa68]

Dr. Frye,

If you reread my post, I put a disclaimer in the paragraph before which stated:

Since all of these frogs have been 'farm raised' I think it will be a safe assumption they have all be exposed to the same environment, therefore my suggestion should not expose the frogs to something they haven't already been exposed to.

Maybe I didn't go into enough detail, but from what I have been able to learn about the 'farm raised process' is each frog is not raised individually, but in a group enviroment. I did not say, toss all the morphs in one tank and go from there, give me a little credit. If you reread my post, my suggestion is based on the assumption all contamination has already taken place.

I will not even consider mixing any of the pumilio together - that is asking for a disasterous contamination.

What I was looking for on this thread were good suggestions from people who have had good luck/skill sexing the frogs.

I think you are getting what you asked for. In addition, the use of a digital camera to take a closer look at physical differences is something that might help you out. I have already used the camera method on other frogs, just not pumilio. If you are not satisfied with our response, you might try making a post on frognet. I am sure there are more people on that list who have more experience, skill & luck with the sexing of pumilio.

Once again, I am not planning on sexing every frog there, but I will try to pick out animals that people request. If someone asked for a pair, I may be able to pick that out, and I may not. I will not guarentee the sex of these frogs. I will not even consider mixing any of the pumilio together - that is asking for a disasterous contamination.

What I was looking for on this thread were good suggestions from people who have had good luck/skill sexing the frogs.