Reptile & Amphibian Forums

New to darts. Are there any other animals in which they are compatible with that can be kept in same vivarium, say geckos? And if so what species? Thanks, derrick

I don't mix even different dart species together, let alone with other genera. It's an ongoing controversy, because some very experienced breeders and keepers do mix them very selectively with some success, if they have a lot of room and the animals require the exact same temperature, humidity and food requirements, and are small enough not to eat the dart frogs, nor on the other side, be intimidated by them. The people who do this have a lot of experience, and some large facilities to work with. Depending upon the species, dart frogs tend to be territorial, sometimes to the extreme, so there are certain species that can be kept only as mated pairs. Others are groupies, and do get along in groups, sometimes better than they do otherwise. In general, if you have to ask, don't even consider mixing them with anything else, even if the particular animal comes from the exact same territory as the dart. There is a lot of difference between a confined tank of 20 to 80 gallons or so and an entire rainforest environment, where the animals can find their own comfort level in meters and miles, not mere inches.

I would recommend starting out with a group of something like Dendrobates leucomelas, or a few auratus, galactonotus, or even a few Phyllobates terribilis. Build your vivarium with a false bottom, maybe a water feature, (or just a drainage layer) lots of the smaller tropical plants like pilea, peperomia, bromeliads, small ferns, selaginella, mosses, etc. Look up the various care sheets that are available on the specie you chose to start out with. Plan on having at least 5 gallons of tank space per frog. If you chose the competitive frogs that don't tolerate groups, such as the tinctorius, azureus, etc. purchase them in mated pairs and put them in a 20 gallon planted tank, as a minimum. Save getting the thumbnails such as imitators, reticulatus, fantasticus, etc. and obligate eggs layers like pumilios for later, when you will have become addicted. While the imitators and their close kin are really as easy as the larger frogs to keep, they are intimidatingly small, yet utilize a lot of space, especially in upper regions of the tank.

But when beginning, please do not even consider mixing with anything else. Learn about one thing at a time. You will have enough to do with just this. I promise you that four D. leucomelas, or galatonotus, or P. terribilis, in a 20 gallon set up, whichever frogs you chose, will be so entertaining on their own, you won't even consider mixing them with a gecko.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus