Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just finished building a terrium like the one at Black Jungle. It's about 48 inches tall and I would like to add both terrestrial darts(P. terribilis) and some arboreal ones. Is this ok and any suggestions on larger arboreal darts. I though about imitators or retics but they are WAY too small. Are pumilios the largest arboreal darts?

Luecs are somewhat arboreal

Having both leucs and pumilios, both of these species are mainly arboreal, but spend a great deal of time on the forest floor looking for food, even sleeping there. Most people, meaing the majority, will stress the importance of not mixing species as these frogs would never see each other in the wild.
Rob

That's kinda why I was interested. I understand the cross breeding thing, but will leucs, tincs or teribilis really breed with a pumillio? Reason I asked was I saw the vivarium site where the guy built a 6ft tall viv in a closet and he had several different species of dart frogs housed in there.

It really isnt the interbreeding with these species, its the size difference, with the pumilios being about half the size and one quarter the weight of the terribilis. Zoos often keep a bunch of species together with plently of people on staff to deal with any problems they might have. You can do what you want, but I personally wouldnt risk having a $60 frog kill a $100 frog.

Rob

I was just thinking that maybe they wouldn't interact much. I guess in a closed environment they don't have much choice.

D. fantasticus are among the larger arboreal darts, but they're still pretty small compared to the P. terribilis, D. leucomelas, the tincs, etc. In my experience, all those I have utilize both the upper and lower regions of any terrarium. When you think about it "arboreal" isn't really a term one can apply to a terrarium situation, because there isn't a lot of difference between upper and lower regions. In the wild, there are many meters of difference between upper and lower regions.

While zoos and special shows mix for display purposes, it's safer and easier to keep track of each speci on an individual basis. There are differences in aggression, shyness, and voraciousness in eating that are simply too difficult to keep track of and control in a mixed tank. Some of the larger frogs like the tinctorius, leucs, galacs and P. terribilis are virtually eating machines. It's not a question of cross breeding. The arboreal thumbnails have such different breeding habits from the others that cross breeding would be highly unlikely.

As someone mentioned below, I wouldn't dream of putting tiny $150.00 (very territorial) D. pumilios in with big fat $35.00 P. terribilis that wander around anywhere they please. Some darts are groupies among their own species, while others get along well only in mated pairs. My advice would be to try a couple of different species in separate vivariums and get some experience with them before even thinking of mixing them. You probably won't want to.
-----
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

Pumilios are highy territorial, they will extremeley stress out the other frogs in the tank.
-----
As of 2/16/04
1.2.3 Leucomelas
1.1.16 Green and Bronze Auratus
0.0.2 Imitators
0.0.1 Vents (more soon)
0.0.2 Nicaraguan Green and Black Auratus
0.0.3 Citronella Tincs
0.0.2 Powder Blue Tincs
0.0.2 Yellow Back Tincs
1.1.0 Surinam Cobalts
0.0.3 Bastimentos Pumilio (on waiting list)
0.0.3 Red Pumilio (on waiting list)
0.0.4 Green Pumilio (on waiting list)