Auratus do very well in groups, regardless of sex,--unlike tinctorius and azureus, which decidedly don't, and are best kept in male/female pairs. Auratus are usually available in different color morphs--such as green and black, blue and black, Ancon Hill, bronze and blue or green, etc. There are several fancy names for each. Each color morph comes from a different original population in the wild, even though they are all the same species. So one should limit each group to the same color morph--more for ethical breeding purposes than whether they get along together or not. Some color morphs appear to be more shy than others, as well. So different color morphs may not thrive together as the bolder ones may intimidate the more shy types. Experiences with their various personalities vary, so this is not written in stone. But ethically, serious breeders hobbyists try to keep the various population origins as pure as possible.



A captive bred dart frog is much preferable to a wild caught animal for a dozen reasons. The wild caught have been more stressed with importation and may shortly succumb to parasites, or other diseases, so only people with the faculties and facilities to get them over this for captive breeding purposes should be handling them at all. The wild caught frogs have not had time to lose their skin toxins, which may or may not be an issue with auratus, but may be a concern with other very toxic species. They may be from people who are collecting and exporting them illegally, which is part of a serious conservation issue. Any dart frog designated as wild caught, should only be obtained through a licensed importer/breeder with a solid reputation--never from a big pet store outlet or casual offer.



I hope this helps, but if we haven't answered your question, you can give a few more specifics about your concerns.



Welcome to the hobby, by the way. It's an addictive, very enjoyable one, and with a few general requirements, darts in general are very long-lived and not a lot of work to keep. My own original group of blue auratus is over 8 years old now, and my original orange galacts are still breeding after 10 years.
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Patty

Pahsimeroi, Idaho



Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

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