Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Arnt terriblis poisenous? as in naturally poisenous?

Sorry if this sounds dumb but doesn't touching them get you sick/dead?

thanks...
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0.2 Cats (Moora and Twitch)
0.1 Dogs (Maria)

Wild dart frogs are poisonous and P. terribilis is the most lethal, being one of three that can kill a human. When captive bred, the dart frogs are not poisonous. Also, when caught, they would lose their toxicity after a period of time. What gives them their poison is still a mystery, but I have read about it being in their diet. If you purchased a captive bred dart frog you would have nothing to worry about, but they still are not to be handled.

They are indeed not poisonous when captive bred. The admonition against handling them is for their own sake, not yours. That means you don't pick them up with your bare hands or pet them, but provide a habitat and enjoy them. The P. terribilis are the most delightful of all frogs to keep, because they don't know they are no longer toxic to predators, so aren't the least bit afraid of you when you invade their tank for some sort of trimming or clean up. They will also hop out to greet you and look up at you when you're supplying a new bunch of fruit flies. They seem to be among the most intelligent darts.

It is true that in the wild, a P. terribilis has enough toxin in its skin to kill 20,000 rats, or 8 adult humans, or whatever. I've never tested this out personally, because for the frogs' sake, not mine, I've never grabbed one with my bare hands.

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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