Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that pretty much all frogs are poisonous if you EAT them, but are poison arrow frogs dangerous to TOUCH? My boyfriend and I have been having an argument about this for some time now, so if someone could PLEASE let me know, I would love to get this thing over with. Thanks!
~Angela

In the wild i would prefer not to touch a p. terriblis or p. bicolor. There poisons can cross a dermal layer into your blood. However in captivity they lose their toxicity infact you could probably even eat a captive born dart without harm.

Darryl
Dart-Frogs.com

Phyllobates Terribilis is the only frog you would ever have to consider being poison's to the touch. The other 2 P.Bicolor and P.aurotania have the same steroidloid alxeloids that Terribilis do but in their number are far less. Terribilis is the only frog that is kept alive when the poison is added to the darts. The native usually take and hold a toe or hold the animal down with a leaf then rubs the dart over them..(notice I said dart NO one use arrows). Bicolor and Aurotania have to have the poison roasted from them. It is also said that if you did touch a WC Terribilis the toxins burn your skin. Terribilis is the one and only frog that should ever be consider dangerous if WC are ever to be brought in (though their mere thought of owning a WC Terribilis makes me day dream).
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Brian Ferriera JR
Plympton, Ma

P. Terribilis (orange)
P.Bicolor (soon)
D. azureus
D. ventrimaculatus
E. hahneli
D. tinctorius (Oyapok )
D. Fantasticus
D. leucomelas
D. castaneoticus (soon)

Certainly I am no expert, but I did read all that I could as my 10 year old was going to be involved in the hobby with me. There are only 3 that are very poisonous that one could die from just a touch. The name Poison Dart Frogs supposedly came from people using the secretions on arrows then using the arrows as weapons. Some readings told me that Terrabalis(sp?)could Kill 3 grown men with one touch. But still other readings said that it was not nearly that poisonous. In captivity, the frogs do not have the toxins that they natually have in the wild. Researchers seemed to believe that it was because they did not have access to certain insects that would allow the frogs to produce the toxins when the diet consisted of these insects. I certainly have touched my Tinctorious, Imitators and other known toxic frogs and I have yet to start seeing stars...if that was what you were worried about. Now, if you got your hands on some Wild Caught ones, thats a different story.

One prevalent theory is that the wild frogs live on a diet that includes species of tropical ants that contain the chemicals necessary for the production of their toxin. In captivity, the frogs usually refuse to eat our "northern" ants, whether or not these might contain the necessary chemicals. In any event, the toxin is gradually lost in captivity and captive bred animals are not toxic. Handling the frogs is worse for the frog than for you, so most of us avoid picking them up unless it is necessary, but don't hesitate to dive after an escapee.

So much opinion has changed over just the past few years, that you may still find relatively recent literature warning against touching any of these frogs, but I don't believe any of us have as Maggie points out, experienced any ill effects from handling them.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho