Breeding a Skin-Brooding Amphibian: the Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa)

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Thanks for your interest in our blog.

I’m assuming the frog you have is the large species, Pipa pipa, as this is the one most commonly available in the trade – if you believe it to be another, please let me know.

I suggest you gradually raise the water temperature to 78-79F (over a 24-48 hour period) and fill the aquarium nearly to the top. Sometimes these frogs do fine in shallow water, but they are more comfortable in deep tanks…during field research I’ve seen them seined from 3-4 feet of water.

Until the animal adjusts to captivity (if it is an adult, it was likely wild-caught), you should secure a towel or other material between the screen top and the water’s surface, as the frog will likely jump at night and may injure its snout against the screening. Be sure to secure the top screen clips - these will hold the towel in place and prevent an escape.

It is safest to remove all gravel from the aquarium, as Surinam toads are very prone to impactions and often swallow quite large stones while feeding.

Give the frog as much cover as possible – plastic plants with weighted bases and others secured around a rock ornament or otherwise held at the bottom of the aquarium are best. The frog will push beneath them and hide. These frogs seem so “expressionless” that it’s hard to imagine their being stressed, but internally a great deal is going on. They are quite sensitive to change – a wild caught one will have been through quite allot by the time it reaches your tank, and will usually not feed until it feels secure and out of danger (i.e. able to hide). Do not use an aquarium light, and do not turn the room light on when the room is very dark, i.e. at night…the shock of the sudden light would be very stressful to the frog. A group of frogs I received recently for a public exhibit were so shy that I needed to cover the aquarium with dark material for 2 weeks…if you do this, be sure to remove the covers slowly when necessary so as not to scare the frog.

You’ll need a good filter, but must adjust the water flow so that it does not move the frog about. A partial water change, 20-40% every 1-4 weeks, depending upon filtration, is important. Use a test kit to check your ammonia levels frequently, including now – the frog may have passes an earlier meal…like all aquatic amphibians, Surinam toads excrete their wastes in a highly toxic state, and are very sensitive to high ammonia levels (such will cause them to cease feeding, and eventually to expire). There waste products are largely comprised of liquids and will not be visible. Be sure to de-chlorinate all water used in the aquarium.

Surinam toads take live food (or food moved before them as if alive) only. Favorite foods are earthworms, blackworms and small fishes such as guppies, platys, swordtails, mollies, minnows and shiners. Use goldfish no more than once each month, and vary the species fed as much as is possible. You can leave the fish in with the frog, as it will likely feed at night until it has acclimated. Be sure to adjust the fish to your aquarium’s water temperature (float bag for 20 minutes) so that they do not contract Ick or other diseases that might be transmitted to the frog (also, they are more likely to be consumed if they swim about normally). When using earthworms, introduce to the tank at night…worms usually survive 8 hours underwater, but add only 1 at first and make sure to remove it in the AM if uneaten. Once the animal begins feeding, vary its meals among all of the aforementioned food items.

Check the skin for grey or white areas, which would indicate fungus, and also for injuries…these frogs do not ship well, and often arrive in poor condition. Please write back if you observe any unusual marks, scratches or discolored skin.

I sometimes treat wild caught Surinam toads for parasites following a fecal test or cloacal swab, but am hesitant to suggest this until you try the aforementioned suggestions. However, it’s something to consider…please keep me posted; we can discuss that option next if need be.

Once acclimated, Surinam toads are wonderfully interesting aquarium subjects…they eventually abandon their nocturnal ways (at least where food is involved!) and should provide you with much to observe and learn about.

I hope this has been of some help. Please let me know how all goes, or if you need further advice.

Good luck and best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Jim, Frank Indiviglio here. Thanks for your interest in our blog.

The cottony patch is most likely due to fungus. Often a small wound allows fungus to take hold, but a wound is not always a pre-curser. Check for sharp edged areas in the tank in any event.

The only way to positively identify the fungus and the medication to which it is sensitive would be to have a sample sent out by a veterinarian for analysis. This would be the best route to follow if available to you. However, please be aware that amphibian medicine is not as advanced as we might hope, and such is not always successful.

If you decide not to take your frog to a veterinarian, you might try Methylene Blue. This medication is a good general treatment for amphibian skin disorders, including many types of fungi. Try baths of 1 hour in length each day for 7 days. Use Methylene Blue at ¼ of the strength recommended on the bottle for tropical fish (aquatic amphibians absorb medication over a much greater surface area – the entire skin – than do fishes) and work up to ½ strength by day 3. The medicine will stain the frog’s skin for awhile, but it is otherwise harmless (wear gloves as it stains human skin as well).

Be sure to give the frog plenty of cover in the soaking container, as it will be stressed by the change in its environment.

If this is not successful, a veterinary visit is your next best option, as other over-the-counter medications, while sometimes effective, are harsh and difficult to use with frogs.

Please keep me posted…we still have a great deal to learn and every new report is important.
Good luck and best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Frank, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.

Full grown female Surinam toads are significantly larger and broader than males.

A distinguishing characteristic of mature females is the raised, circular ring of flesh around the cloaca. This is readily visible if you view the animal from the rear (the cloaca is between the rear legs). Unfortunately, even the most reliable of references (i.e. Biology of the Amphibians, Duellmann and Traub) do not state whether or not this ring appears only when the female is ready to breed, or whether all females possess it once sexually mature.

As far as I can recall, all large females that have passed through my hands have borne this ring. In fact, this was also true of all of the apparent females in a group of 18 wild caught Surinam toads that I examined last week. But this could be a coincidence…please let me know if the ring is visible on your large animal when you have a moment.

Juveniles do not exhibit any sexual dimorphism.

Good luck….I hope to hear about your breeding success in the future! Please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Jim, Frank Indiviglio here.

Glad to hear the info was useful and congrats on having what sounds like a pair. Only the males call, so you can be sure of that one – also a good sign as that usually indicates that he has settled in and feels at home. Frogs break all the sex-determination rules known (and a few that we likely don’t know!) so there’s always something new to learn!

An indoor pond sounds ideal – the deeper the better, so that they can do their circular swimming motion when breeding, but sometimes as little as 15-24 inches of water is enough (although only a few eggs will attach).

I actually prefer to leave the female in the enclosure in which she has bred – less stressful, no need to worry about minute water chemistry changes which may affect the eggs. If you do move her, a 20 gallon tank would be needed at the minimum; 30-55 gallons would be preferable.

Please bear in mind also that they can leap out of the water at night – this is less likely in a large pool than an aquarium, but a cover is a good idea if practical.

The move to a large pool may spur breeding…if not, please let me know and we can discuss manipulating water levels.

Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio

Hello Jim, Frank Indiviglio here.

Unfortunately, a swelling such as you describe is often related to gas produced by a bacterial infection. The problem could conceivably be lung-related, but bacteria have been involved in all the cases I’ve run across. However, the fact that the frog is eating is a bit odd, most often they do not when suffering a bacterial infection.

In either case, the animal will need veterinary treatment. You should be sure that your veterinarian has experience with amphibians…not common, unfortunately. I have a few lists on hand if you do not have someone in mind…please let me know if you’d like me to try to refer someone.

If you have the frog in low water, be sure to cover it as it will try to escape at night…also provide floating plants as shelter.

If it will be some time until you can see a veterinarian, please let me know as there are a few steps you can take while waiting.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Mikhail, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog and the kind words. What zoo are you working with?

Surinam toads have been bred in water as shallow as 24 inches, but many of the eggs fail to implant on the female’s back at that depth. I’ve had my best results in a custom made tank of 48 inches in depth, although others have reported success at 36 inches. The extra water volume and depth also serves to bring the animals into breeding condition, it seems; perhaps mimicking the natural situation – a water level rise as the rainy season begins.

A pair in amplexus swims to the water’s surface and, once nearly there, they “flip” so that their abdomens face up and their backs face the bottom of the aquarium. At this point the female lays an egg, which lands on the male’s abdomen. He fertilizes it and helps maneuver it onto her back, where it lodges in the now spongy skin. The pair then head down to the bottom of the tank in and then circle back up, repeating the cycle. The whole process takes several hours, until the full clutch (often 75-100 eggs) is laid. This unusual strategy explains the need for a deep tank – without such, they seem not to have enough space to complete their circular “dance”, and most eggs wind up on the bottom of the tank. Some frogs will not try to breed without a good deal of space.
Temperature changes seem not to be vital, especially if the males are already calling. If they are not, you might try keeping them in shallow water (8-10 inches) for 2 weeks, then filling the tank to its maximum depth with water that is 2-4 degrees (F) cooler than that they are held in. When keeping them in low water, be sure to monitor ammonia and such carefully, as it will concentrate and build up high levels quickly (I apologize if that is obvious, but I missed the importance of that once).

Please let me know how all goes…I’m interested to hear other’s results, as there is some variability in their requirements, and we still have a lot to learn about related frogs in the genus.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Mikhail, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for the feedback…I would appreciate hearing how all goes with the frogs. If the males do not begin calling (metallic click) after awhile, then it might be a good idea to put them through a low water-high water cycle.

If time permits, could I trouble you to post an occasional comment concerning what type of reptiles and amphibians are in your collection? I and our readers are also interested in insects…I’ve done some work with the Tama Zoo in Japan and with insect collections here in the US as well, and would be very interested knowing about your collection. And of course please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Kathy, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog and sorry to hear the bad news.

Fungus can spread quickly but does not usually result in rapid death as you describe. Adult Surinam Toads are nearly always wild-caught; the stress of shipment to the show and then to your home may have depressed their immune systems and allowed an internal bacterial infection or other problem/parasite to explode in numbers. The rapid shed cycle you mention on one of the remaining frogs (if it is skin you are seeing) is a common response to fungi and parasites; the fungus may, however, be secondary to a more serious ailment.

Methylene Blue is the most effective step you can take at home. If they do not improve, a vet visit is advisable – please let me know if you need help in locating a local herp-experienced vet.

Another point to keep in mind, and sorry if this is obvious, is that ammonia can spike rapidly in a tank that is clean and filtered but has not had time to “cure” and buildup a population of beneficial bacteria. Rapid sheds and quick death are typical in ammonia poisoning. Nutrafin Cycle and zeolite-based ammonia remover should prove useful, especially when first setting up the aquarium (I, however, use both continuously with all fishes and aquatic amphibians).

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog and sorry for your trouble.

They sometimes pass stores; if possible, remove any other stores so that you can tell if the swallowed one has been passed with the animal’s waste products. Do not feed the toad for the next week.

If the stone doesn’t pass within 5-7 days, then you’ll need to take the frog to a veterinarian for radiographs. Please let me know if you need help in locating an amphibian-experienced vet in your area.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Astrid, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your post…great questions. When I first bred these frogs, I couldn’t imagine the skin would ever heal after 100 good-sized youngsters had pushed there way out! But it did – the holes sealed overnight; the area remained discolored for a time, but the skin was perfectly intact.

Biologists are studying frogs’ abilities to re-grow limbs, survive freezing, and produce unique chemicals, in hopes of applying this research to injured/ill people (we actually have pain killers from frog skin chemicals already)…I hope someone is looking at Surinam Toads as well.

Unfortunately, we do not know how many times a female can reproduce. As far as I know, there have been no in depth studies of wild frogs. The longest-lived captives have survived for 8-10 years, and they take quite awhile to reach maturity, so it would seem that a female would reproduce more than once. However, captive breeding is not yet regular enough for us to make any predictions. It seems like a traumatic experience, but then again they heal quickly – perhaps you will be the one to find out for sure!

Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Reg

Thanks for your interest. It’s easier to use a deeper tank, but some success may be has in 2 feet of water; all eggs will not likely attach, as the pair’s circular swimming loops will be shortened. Deeper water may also stimulate breeding, but I’ve had frogs come into breeding condition in low tanks. It probably would be best to isolate a single pair if you use that tank, as others may interfere as they move about, rise to surface to breathe, etc.

Sometimes females will come into condition spontaneously. If not, you can try conditioning them by dropping the water level for a few weeks and increasing temps a bit; then re-fill with cooler water…let me know when you’re ready and I’ll check my notes for specifics.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Reg

My pleasure to hear from you…not many people work with these fellows, so I’m always glad to hear about your efforts, and to help if possible.

I was lucky in being able to have a tank built for the frogs…it was plexiglass, about 4 feet in depth.

Another thing to watch for in shallow tanks that are filled to the top is jumping, esp among new animals. Covering the inner side of the screen top with a towel helps.

I don’t breed them now, but over the past few years have been working freelance with a group that I obtained for a public aquarium in CT. Quite a few health problems at first, medication and all threw them off so we didn’t try to breed them. Some of the males call, but females not responding.

Those at the Bx Zoo bred in spring, but I know of others that have bred at other times. A “drought” followed by high, cooler water may stimulate them at any time. In Venezuela they appear to breed during the rainy season, which starts in May; breeding may vary further south.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Reg

Good question. I’ve not read anything on calls as communication, other than for mating, but they and Af Clawed Frogs will sometimes call in response to a pen tapped against the tank, so perhaps they respond to other males.

Male frogs also have a “release call”, for use when they are grasped in amplexus by other males. “Centers” for sex and foods must be wired closely together…if you feed a group of Fire-bellied toads, males will often grasp others….seems to be amplexus, although perhaps just dominance?..lots to learn, please keep me posted on what you see.

However, it could also be that they are more or less always in breeding mode in captivity, where water levels, temp, pH, daylength etc. does not vary as much as in the wild. When conditions are ideal, some mammals, fish and birds (house mice, keets, etc.) that normally breed seasonally will reproduce year round; some evidence of this with herps as well.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.