Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a dendrobates tinctorious 'infre-alanis' poison dart frog. she is currently residing in a 55 gallon vivarium. i was wondering about placing a small day gecko in the vivarium as well. what would be a suitable species tp accmodate with her? i understand that there are many people here that are very much against mixing different species, much less other geographic regions. I figured having two species that wont inhabit the same areas in the tank, should do fine if all their care parameters are met. I do have a qurentine tank setup for the gecko so once s/he does arrive and s/he will be there for many months just so we dont give anything to the frog. I am not new to keeping dart frogs as this one is 6 years in my keeping. Any advice would be hot.

thanx

ashley
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"I’m scared of those nasty big-eyed grey aliens, too. I think it’s that I don’t understand their motivations. I am confident of my ability to out-think, out-con, or if need be, tire-iron-upside-the-head demonic forces, ghosts and goblins, things that go bump in the night, etc. It’s the notion of something that doesn’t have any desire to talk to me except via anal probe that freaks me out"

Day Geckos (genus Phelsuma) are at least twice the size of a D. tinctorius, up to 5 times the size depending on the species. They require much different conditions than a D. tinctorius, such as warmer temperatures (above what is recommended for darts during the day in particular,) different food items with different vitamin, calcium/phosphorus ratios. They are active and all over the place, while the tinctorius would be territorial. I would certainly keep them in separate vivariums.
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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
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

I agree with Patty on this one, but am also a fan of mixed species vivarium. (albeit, I'd look for some south american species to keep things cosure, a personal preference).

Patty mentions some differences in husbandry which should not be shrugged off. While a 55 gallon aquarium is rather large for dart frogs, providing a temperature gradient that is both beneficial for dart frogs and the phelsuma, and also allowing adequate room at each temperature may be difficult in this size of enclosure. Of other concern is that phelsuma have variacious appetites, and chase anything that moves. Depending on the size of your darts, this could be deadly. Even larger darts may get injured by a pesky, yet beautiful phelsuma. When choosing your lizard, find one that prefers cooler temps (if there is one) and a smaller species like a peacock or lined day gecko. Definately stay away from the goldens and giants.

Good luck with your setup, and consider looking into some south american fauna. You may just end up with a rare and interesting little lizard that suites a frogarium better