Reproduction of the H. kuda is done primarily by the males. Eggs are fertilized by the male and are implanted in their pouches through an ovoviviparous process and it is the male who broods the eggs in its ventral brood pouch. There may be up to one-thousand eggs in a singular pouch, where the developmental process can last from twenty to twenty-eight days. Birth, however, depends largely on the monsoon patterns, lunar cycles, and water temperature. Males typically go into labor during a full moon.

When the fry are ready to be born, the male expels them with muscular contractions. He gives birth at night and is ready for the next batch of eggs by morning.