Frogs

Poison Dart Frogs

Poison dart frogs (PDF) or sometimes just called "darts" are a group of frogs inhabiting rainforests of Central and South America. From Nicaragua in the North to Bolivia in the South, they can be found in tropical lowland and highland rainforests, from forest grounds all the way to the canopy. A few species even utilize man made habitats, such as banana and cacao plantations.

Their size varies from 12mm (e.g. Ranitomeya reticulata) up to 50mm (e.g. some Dendrobates tinctorius variants).

These diurnal animals spend most of their day foraging in leave litter, where they look for springtails, isopodes, mites, ants, spiders, and many more. Their most active periods are mornings and afternoons.

Poison

As the name suggests the frog skin can be poisonous. In their natural habitat, the frogs eat a wide range of insects, some of which contain toxins. The frogs use those toxins to produce their own poison, which protects them from predators and diseases. Captive kept frogs are fed mainly fruit flies and springtails, which do not have any toxins…therefore captive bred frogs are not poisonous.

Climate

23 -28C, with even lower temperatures for highland species. Humidity ranges from 60-100%, although it varies a lot according to the season. In dry periods the frogs hide in moist pockets, such as leave litter, mossy patches, nearby creeks, etc.

Husbandry

Another unique feature is the way Darts take care of their offsprings. Compared to other frogs their clutches can be very small, sometimes just 2 eggs. In order to ensure the safe development of their progenies, the parents guard the eggs, keep them moist and even transport the hatching tadpoles into tiny water containers, e.g. bromeliads. Some species even feed their tadpoles daily with unfertilized feeder eggs until metamorphosis.

Captive Care

Keeping those beauties in captivity requires a lot of dedication from the keeper. Temperature and humidity control is a must in order to keep them happy or even achieve offsprings. Too low temps, wrong humidity, insufficient ventilation, unbalanced diet are common mistakes, which may lead to illnesses, and eventually death. Too high temperature, even for a short period, is fatal.

Although these animals live in humid areas with a lot of rain, fresh air is essential. Stagnant air in the terrarium, stagnant water, too high humidity all day round will result in diseases and might be fatal. At JungleJewels we prefer double bottom tanks, with an inclined upper bottom. The excess water can flow easily into the front ditch and eventually into a drain. Our tanks have 2 areas covered with mosquito screen, one is just under the sliding door, the other covers almost the entire ceiling. This ensures a continuous airflow. Misting the tank can be accomplished by a handheld sprayer, pressure sprayer or even an automatic misting system with water tank, pump, and nozzles. The latter is particularly convenient, as in case many tanks have to be sprayed.

If you are prepared to do whatever is necessary, you're in for big rewards. Crazy nice colors, interesting behavior and an amazing concert…most of them are pretty vocal, some sing like birds, some chirp like crickets, some produce buzzing sounds.

Feeds

An important factor is their diet in captivity. Since we cannot provide them with the huge variety of feeder insects they find in the wild, we need to enhance their captive feeders. Most commonly bred are fruit flies (Drosophila), collemboles and isopods. Gut loading and dusting with vitamin powder help to avoid nutritional deficiencies.

Please inform yourself about the conditions these animals need and be sure you are able to provide them… BEFORE getting some frogs.