Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My little tinc died today. I have to say I am not super surprised, but it still is very upsetting. I have had her since May and she has never really done well at all.

Word to the wise, never buy your darts on impulse from a pet shop. Knowing her background might have helped me help her.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I have to agree that buying from a pet shop is probably not the best idea, as pet shops tend to not be the most thorough at cleaning their cages before changing animals, leading to the potential of contaminating your darts with parasites. Further, most reputable breeders will help you out if you have an animal that fails to thrive, while a pet shop may only have a 7 day guarantee, if any at all.
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Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I would like to just say that it might not have been the pet shops fault for the loss. It might have been the breeders. I own a pet shop in Southern, Ca and I do everything I can to make sure that the animals have a good set up. Dont be so quick to blame the pet shop.

I am not putting any blame on the pet shop, for all I know they could have kept her perfectly. I am simply stating that buying from a pet shop there is no way for me to know her history, her bloodline, ect. It was unsure what tinc morph she was, in seven months she had now grown at all (which brough up the question of the possibility of her being at dwarf).

I will now buy from a breeder for those reasons.

I'm sorry your frog didn't make it, and especially sorry that none of us helped much in saving, it or diagnosing the cause of the problems. I'm glad you aren't discouraged about trying again.
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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

Thanks Patty. I espically appreciate, although there was no resolution found for my little one, the help and advice you have given me over time. I am not discouraged, although I am very saddened that she was not able to make a turn around. She never grew from the time I purchased her, I read and talked to everyone I could, sent pictures and emails to breeders, nobody really knew what to tell me. I think knowing her backgroud, which was impossible, would have helped greatly. I am convinced that she was a hybrid, possibly of a dwarf and some other tinc, bred by some small time breeder, and sold in bad health to this pet store. Her habitat and food were correct, I tried everything I could, and I feel horrible still. I eventually plan on purchasing 2 more leucs to keep my one little guy company. I swear he is sad and is down on the ground more now, hopping around and exploring the places that Zazu used to frequent. I used to find them sitting together many a times, almost if they enjoyed each others company. Maybe it is just me, and thinking that makes me feel better, but regardless I would like to get him some friends.

I also plan on sometime in the future getting some mints. I have fallen in love with them!

Could you tell me what breeder you use and reccomend? I would like to be very selective and careful this next time around. I plan on keeping my darts for a long time to come, and I do not want this happening again. It just breaks my heart.

Thanks again.

Ellena

Ellena-- You will love the mints!! I got mine (and four of the leucs) from Black Jungle. The rest I have purchased from Saurian. (Excellent delivery and guarantees, and all healthy frogs.) There are other very reliable and honest breeders, as well, so don't limit yourself to one recommendation. Look around and be sure to talk to Melissa (Quality Captives), and others, as well. It's just that I lucked out the first time with Saurian and tended not to change until Patrick didn't have what I was looking for and I found it at Black Jungle.

I'm adding another photo of a P. terribilis juvenile on top of the "Burping Frog God," when they were first introduced to the "Mayan Theme" tank. They are another frog that will not be the least bit afraid of you, know you are the provider of flies and will hop out to welcome you rather than hide. Although all darts use top to bottom areas, the P. terribilis seem to prefer feeding on the floor of the vivarium, so give them a lot of mossy open floor space.

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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

Mark, I think this advice was meant for dealing with large pet store chains, not individual owners, who give personal attention to customers, know the source of their reptiles and amphibians, and follow up with support and advice, just as a conscientious breeder does. The chains don't always have knowledgeable employees, especially when it comes to darts, and they can't always tell you the source or give details about the breeding lines. Unfortunately, individual pet stores with the personal touch, such as you have, are being crowded out by the huge chains, so we begin to generalize when we refer to "pet stores." Even individual pet stores owned by chains will have better managers and employee training than others, so one can't even lump these with the the inferior ones with the same name.

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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

Nicely put, Patty. Mark, I'm sorry about making the generalization . . . that was not meant to reflect poorly on you. Growing up, I had a friend who owned and managed a great pet shop, but he was eventually put out of business by the chains and Wal-Marts. Anymore, even the local "small" chains seem to manage their reptiles and amphibians poorly. The local "Uncle Bill's" had a 20 gallon labeled "dart frogs," with no darts in there. Looking on the floor, I saw 4 dried up carcasses that were being chewed upon by escaped crickets, dry as a bone. They had a standard fish aquarium hood on the tank with gaping holes everywhere. That is the type of pet store that I am used to seeing, and that was what I was referring to when I posted above.

Mark, take pride in being an exception to the rule. If you are that conscientious about your care, then I would most likely buy from you. However, as a generalization, I would still recommend most people find a reputable breeder to purchase from.
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Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense