Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I am new here. I have been thinking about getting dart frogs and looking around to find out what it takes to properly care for them. Right now, I am trying to figure out how to set up a vivarium. I wanted to get the naturalistic terrarium from Zoomed or the similar model from Exo-Terra with glass top added. Maybe 18x18x18. Does anyone know if these are appropriate for dart frogs? I was concerned about the front door; would they escape from there? Also, I read someone talking about gaps in these tanks. Should I be concerned about that?

Also, with Zoomed one, I can get a light fixture that goes inside the tank. Is this a bad idea, with high humidity?

Are there any sites you recommend with info on starting up a vivarium and caring for frogs? I've been reading black jungle and saurian.net.

Thank you

The Exo-Terra's are great. They need to be sealed well to avoid fruit fly escapes, not frogs. They can't get out the front door so long as its closed. Dendroboard.com is the best site I know of for dart frogs. Their forum has a lot of sticky threads that answer basic beginner questions. And the search function usually works for me. Beyond that most any post is eventually answered by more than one person, I think it gets a lot more traffic than this forum.

I checked the dendroboard.com. It's great. Thank you so much.
I have another queston. I want to have a little waterfall in the tank. Do frogs use the water in the pool, or do they need another water source, such as a little dish, that is changed regularly?

Thanks!

While pools and waterfalls are always a nice feature, most dart frogs in general don't require any water source aside from misting and the high humidity appropriate for them. They don't "drink" water, but absorb moisture through their permeable skin. On the other hand, it's good to give them the choice of a shallow water dish, and most of mine do seem to enjoy and utilize water falls and shallow pools. Let's say it's very good to have but not absolutely essential.

On the other hand, when breeding obligate egg feeders such as the pumilios and other egg feeders such as thumb nails, these do need a source of water for depositing and caring for the tadpoles. These can be "tank" bromeliads such as Neoregelia that have leaf axils and central vases that hold water, or some people install film canisters at an angle.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

Thanks, Patty