Reptile & Amphibian Forums

a few years ago i went to sea world orlando and being the aquarium freek i am came across a poison dart frog display that blew my mind! i thought they were fake....too colorfull!!! i thought it was an exotic impossibility and let it go. recently i have seen these frogs in my favorite pet store and cant get them off my mind! i want...no, need everyones input on how to put these beautiful specimens in my home! i have been reading and searching websites but,nobody knows more than somebody who owns them! i have aquariums out the yahoo but, i have just bought a 75 gallon wide that i think would make a killer habitat. please give me any and all information on how to make this possible! thank you1

Hi,

In my opinion your bet bet for starting out would be to start a nice 20 or 29 gallon viv. The larger tanks are nice but you really should start with only one species. All of the larger frogs are basically the same in care but some are more expensive then others. You should probably buy from a reputable breeder, not a petstore. Just don't mix species and then breed them because one of the worst fears on many froggers in someone creating an "new" morph of frog.

I have created a link page with links to a great amount of information, it is below in my signature. You can start there and by ready old posts here.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Where do you live? Maybe you have a local breeder or hobbyist who you can talk to and learn plenty from.

WM

The first time that I saw darts in real life was at an aquarium as well. I remember feeling just as you feel now, blown away by the fact that they are real and that they can even be kept in captivity. You are doing exactly the right thing right now: research. The more you learn in advance to getting the frogs the better off you and the frogs will be.

A 75 gallon aquarium gives you a lot of room to play around with terrarium design. In all honesty a 75 might not be the best way to start out. A larger terrarium is more work to maintain and is if mistakes happen they will be financially larger than if you start with a smaller 15-30 gallon aquarium. If you do choose to use the 75 gallon aquarium be prepared to raise the frogs that you purchase in small tanks first to make sure that they are large enough to handle finding food in a large terrarium.

Next to having the propper enviornment for the frogs, having a constant source of small insects availible at all times is the most important thing. Flightless fruit flies and 3 day old crickets are the most common feeders availible. Setup fruit fly cultures a good 2 weeks in advance to purchasing the frogs and make sure you have a reliable pet store or cricket breeder to buy or order very small crickets from. Other food items to look into are rice flower beatles, springtails and termites.

Keep learning as much as you can about them and things should go smoothly. If you have specific questions in the future feel free to ask. Good luck,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
3.2 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys scripta
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis