Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

I haven't kept PDF's before but would like to get some soon. Before I do I want to research so I avoid the impulse buy that I'm so familiar with lol. I was wondering what kind of frog to start out with. I'd like a species that's brightly colored/patterned, has a bold personality, relatively easy to care for by PDF standards, not too expensive, not too small, and also not too hard to breed. Let me know what you think!!!

-Joe Blecha-

well i would saw tinctiorios, azerous would be good ones to start with. i spelled their names wrong just so you know. i suck at spelling, thats how every one knows me

tincs come in a variety of shaped and patterns, and azerus is blue with black spots. check out this link. youll get pics, prices, and care sheets.
the dart link

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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making

Did glasscages.com ship your tank to you? How much was shipping?

Derek
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P. sauvagei

yup shipped it right to my door via ups. hes in Tennesse and im in West Virginia (probibly explains why i cant type). and it was $11 to ship and id say the cage is a good 8lbs. but im not good at guessing weight. check my link again i just finished a canopy for it and im going to have my mother stain (polyurethane) it. (she has stained 3 kitchens and is good at it)
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making

What you should probably get is a few Dendrobates Leucomelas. They're BRIGHT yellow and black and are very bold..I think they're the perfect begineer frog besides auratus. If you want to spend a little more tincs are nice too.
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HERPTILE, n. A completely illegitimate term that has been used recently in amateur literature as a short-hand reference to reptiles and amphibians. It is also occasionally used in professional literature by authors who apparently lack a classical background. --James A. Peters / Dictionary of Herpetology

You may get more diversified answers than you need. My personal favorite for your specifications, although I haven't tried the azureus yet and am just getting my first leukomelas next month, would be the pumpkin orange (splash back) D. galactonotus. They are bold, active and amusing. The red form is very expensive and more shy. My blue auratus are especially shy and retiring, but this may only be the particular color morph and breeding line. They are hardy enough, but one wants to see one's first frogs occasionally and not have to hunt for them to make sure they are all still alive and feeding, or feel like hiring a frog psychologist for a consultation.

Don't be put off by the size of thumbnails like vents and imitators. They may be tiny, so a bit scary, but mature faster and breed sooner than the big guys, and are just as bold in their miniature way--actually pretty easy to keep and great fun to watch as they go about their froggy business.

You are obvously one of the people that are going to be thoroughly prepared ahead of time. That's great, and that is what will make you succeed with just about any of the recommendations you will get from us.

One warning: You will catch a disease from your very first frogs, and that's an obsession with them. It's not fatal, only chronic.

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

I just aquired my first PDFs and I went with the Colbalt Blue Tinctorius from Saurian.com-a great source for frogs. I chose this type for colorfulness, hardiness, boldness, and prolificness. When mine arrived, they were pushing at the lid wanting out-VERY active. When they were introduced to their 29 gal bowfront(you can see my set up in Amphibians section of Photo gallery under shopaholic's photos), they explored every inch of the tank and claimed it theirs! A few times a day they might go behind a leaf, but mostly they just sit out where I can see them(actually, I think they are out there really to see me). See, I feed them by tapping on a culture of FF(to get them off the top) and then dump them into another container with the vitamins in it. When my tincs hear me tapping they position themselves around the spot where I put the flies. They learned this sound in just a couple of days. Now when they see my silouette in the room, they come to the front of the tank and look to see if I mean to feed them! They are sooooo fat and so easy to feed-they've taken ff, whiteflies, moth worms,crickets, and springtails without a problem, only turning their noses up on bloodworms. My next PDFs will either be Vents or Imitators. Patty, was right, you'll get a bug that you won't be able to shake-I got the bug major time. I am planning a custom display cabinetry holding about 8-10 tanks complete with misting, draining, lighting for a collection of different PDFs.
Welcome to our passion-when you get yours, you're bound to be a "lifer"!

Hey all,

I cannot thank you enough for all the info. I have never gotten such a quick response in any other forum, I'm impressed. Not only that, you all were very friendly and polite in your responses. I can't tell you how welcome you've made me feel (as funny as that sounds). I'm excited to continue using this forum and will let you know which species I get.....first (lol, I know I won't be able to have just one).

-Joe Blecha-