To learn more about keeping poison dart frogs as pets, please visit our poison dart frog care sheets. Dendrobates leucomelas, known as the Bumble Bee Poison Dart frog, or Leuc, in the trade, makes another great beginner frog.
Dart frogs are very sensitive to temperature changes. They can tolerate a short term temperature fluctuation between 65 — 80 degrees, but for most dart frogs, the ideal temperature range is between degrees. There are several smaller species of tree frogs lemurs, bird poops, hourglass, and clown tree frogs, all arboreal and active at night that can do quite well with some dart frog species terrestrial and active during the day when set up properly. They make good grow out tanks, and could be set-up for a month old frogs for a few months until you can get a larger tank set-up.
Poison dart frogs in general are pretty decent swimmers. Most times if a dart frog drowns it is because it had a underlying medical issue and was already sick. These separate, distinct populations do not breed together in the wild, but may readily do so in captivity.
Breeding of two different populations of dart frogs is called crossbreeding, and the resulting offspring are called crosses. Blue poison dart frogs are poisonous due to their diet. In the wild, these frogs secrete a powerful toxin through their skin, although most that are bred in captivity aren't fed a diet that allows them to retain their poisonous abilities, leaving most of them full of color but not toxins.
Caring for them at home starts with creating a tropical environment. Poison dart frogs are small, so they don't need a bunch of room. A gallon aquarium tank makes an ideal housing environment for one to two frogs, for example.
Younger frogs might feel more comfortable in an enclosed environment rather than a glass aquarium open on all sides; taping paper to three sides of your tank can help them acclimate. Add a few inches of sterile potting soil to the bottom of the tank, or use small aquarium gravel and sphagnum moss. Decorate with natural elements such as rocks and pesticide-free leaves. Poison dart frogs do best in temperatures of 72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. These higher output lights will make it possible to keep many of the more interesting plants included in frog habitat products , such as bromeliads and miniature orchids.
One draw back to adding high-output lighting is that these bulbs produce more heat, so cooling fans may be needed to keep tank temperatures within range. Be sure to avoid incandescent bulb lighting, as it is likely to overheat the tank. Poison dart frogs do well on many types of substrate. Several soil mix recipes exist, but my personal experience leads me to the conclusion that a nonorganic substrate is ideal in the wet conditions of a poison dart frog terrarium.
Organic substrates rot or sour fairly quickly, and this can cause the tank to take on a swampy smell and begin to culture fungus gnats. One of the worst substrates in this regard is ground coconut husk, which rots in a matter of months. This substrate looks natural when the tank is decorated with plants, dried leaves, cork-bark hide spots and patches of moss. Poison dart frogs are strictly insectivores, and will only eat small, live insects.
Frogkeepers use a variety of insects, but the two most common types are flightless fruit flies and crickets. I strongly recommend flightless fruit flies as the primary food source for your poison dart frogs.
Culturing them is fairly easy and should only require a few minutes of work every couple weeks. Supplies to culture your flies are fairly inexpensive. Crickets are also a good food source, but challenges can make them impractical. For example, very few pet stores carry crickets that are small enough for poison dart frogs.
Crickets also grow rapidly, and thus quickly become too large for poison dart frogs. Many beginners are unsure how much food their dart frogs should be eating.
Because poison dart frogs eat tiny food items, they need to eat lots of them. Feed juveniles every day, whenever possible, and provide about twenty or thirty fruit flies per feeding. A young-adult poison dart frog is capable of eating 50 to 75 fruit flies in a day, and it should be fed this amount four or five days a week.
Once your poison dart frogs are established and doing well with fat bellies, you can leave them for several days without worry of them needing to eat.
Poison dart frogs, like all frogs, do not drink water; they absorb it through their skin, from their surroundings, both from the air in their terrarium, and small water pockets and droplets on leaves and other surfaces in the tank. High humidity is a key to keeping these frogs happy, which can be measured using thermo-hygrometers. High humidity in the tank will keep your poison dart frogs hydrated and active.
No water bowl is needed for a poison dart frog terrarium. Dart frogs come from areas near the Earths Equator, you should try to mimic the day and night cycles for the best health of your exotic friends. The sun is up for 12 hours in the amazon. There are many type of timers available on the market to help you achieve this.
Most of your light requirements will be for you live plants you choose. You will find lots of great information at your local Hydroponics store. It is surprisingly simple to maintain and care for your Dart Frogs, once you have the basics in place, outlined above. That said, it is not completely maintenance free. Expect about 30 minutes a week for the hands on stuff.
Feeding can be done once a day or so. You will have to make Fruit Fly cultures weekly or find a stable supplier occasionally trim back overgrown plants, clean the front of the vivarium glass so you can see inside.
Otherwise keep a daily misting schedule and stick to it. The long term maintenance cost of keeping a Dart Frog is very low. However depending on what you wish to do for your initial start-up will vary. In some cases you can use an old aquarium and do some minor retrofits to create a long-term home for you froggy friends. If your budget allows, some people have built entire rooms dedicated to the keeping of Poison Dart Frogs.
It is not uncommon for the vivarium, and its set up to be the most expensive part of the hobby. With lights and optional misting systems adding to the initial start-up costs. Start simple, and work your way up. Most Dart Frog keepers have more than one vivarium in their home. Keeping any animal as a pet is a large responsibility and can be very rewarding. You should make sure to do as much homework as possible. You really cannot be over prepared!
Visit our other Education Center , or contact us for other questions you may have. We also recommend talking to other keepers. A great forum dedicated to the keeping of Poison Dart Frogs in Canada is www. You must be logged in to post a comment. Jungle Jewel Exotics is located in Calgary Alberta and was founded by Lucas and Dawn to preserve and expand the amazing hobby of amphibians and reptiles in Western Canada.
Currently working with over thirty five species and morphs of dart frogs plus other enchanting species of frogs.
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