Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
Im a newbie, and am reasearching the possiblity of getting 1 or 2 leukomela dart frogs. I know that they are much less toxic in captivity, but do they still represent a danger? Do they leave a toxic residue on objects in the vivarium? What precautions should one follow when cleaning? Thanks!

The CB dart frogs are not toxic. You will put them in a habitat that that is more or less self-sustaining and biologically balanced with plants and the substrate. Plants and soil organisms live off frog poop and it gets recycled. Once a year or so you will want to manage your broken down substrate by either adding or replacing some of it, but other than that, all you do is feed the frogs, manage the plants, mist, and clean the glass when it needs it. You are not obliged to continutally "change their diapers" as one must do with most other amphibians and herps. Read the care sheets from the various sponsors and people on the forum. There is a lot of information about setting up your tank, including water features, lighting for the plants, ways of maintaining humidity and rain forest misting. You can go as simple or as fancy as you like. With the right temperatures and humidity, your frogs will survive and prosper in a terrarium situation with a minimum of disturbance. I think the dart frogs are the easiest to care for in spite of a reputation from the past of being "difficult." The leuks are among the most adaptable of all, and are delighful clowns with a decided ambition to eat every moving insect in sight.

Captive bred dart frogs are in fact much less toxic than many commonly kept toads and frogs that may contaminate their own water bowls and require continual cleaning an maintenance.

Take your time. Read everything and build your basic vivarium/terrarium. It can be either high tech and automated or very simple requiring hand misting and sumping excess water with a turkey baster. Both ways work. My own vivariums are somewhat in between.

The frogs are in more danger from you if you handle them than you are from them.

The photo is the center section of a 72 gallon bow tank that now contains my own D. leukomelas. There is a water fall on the left and a gentle stream on the right, both pumped from the shallow pool. The leuks like to play and hunt in the water, that is now more shallow from adding more large smooth stones, but they also sleep up in the bromeliad leaves. I trim plants, feed the frogs, mist the plants and frogs with a hand sprayer, add water to the pool on occasion and and siphon out the excess from the drainage layer. That's it. It is a mini-environment that largely takes care of itself. You don't even need a water feature. I just like them and so do the leuks and my galacs. Arboreal frogs will ignore water features, preferring the water in the bromeliad leaves.

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos

Here's another combo I did for my D. galactonotus. It's a paludarium that includes and aquarium separated from the land by glass barriers, with two waterfalls-- one in the center and one into the right hand pool. The frogs live in the land sections and go back and forth from one land area to another via branches of Mountain mahogany. They also have egress from the aquarium in case of an accidental dunking. They have been known to accidentally fall into the aquarium and need a convenient place to get out. They can swim well enough, but don't do it on purpose. This was made from a 135 gallon fish tank.

The aquarium and river runs contain a variety of tetras, an algae eater for each section and some platys. I do partial water changes rather often, but otherwise, the whole set up is balanced with lots of water plants, and denitrifying bacteria inoculated into the pump system tubing. (Also very simple)

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
3 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
4 D. leukomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos