Care Sheet for Dart Frogs

Poison Dart Frogs

Introduction

Poison Dart Frogs are fantastic little frogs from the tropical rainforests of South America. There are numerous different species of poison frogs but all are relatively small and most are...

poisonous from one degree to another. A food rule of thumb is that the more colorful the frog, the more toxic it is. However, captive poison frogs lack the toxin found in their wild counterparts. This is believed to be due to the lack of a natural alkaloid they ingest through the insects they eat.

Choosing a Specimen

Dart Frogs are diurnal which means that they are active in the day so the frogs you look at should be active and alert. Make sure the cage looks clean with no mold growing. The cage should be very humid. Be sure to check to make sure what the frogs have been eating so you can be sure you are able to purchase the same things for them.

Housing

Even though these frogs are small, they enjoy a lot of room to move about, so a 29-gallon aquarium is a good starting tank. This tank is large enough to house 4 to 5 frogs. These frogs are mostly terrestrial with only a few species that venture into the trees at all. You can decorate the cage as much with live plants and such. This is a good idea because it helps to raise the overall humidity of the cage. A shallow water dish should also be provided. Even though these frogs don’t use standing water to lay their eggs in, they still use it in the mating process. Be sure that the water is only half as deep as the frogs are tall. The water should be changed daily if no filter is incorporated into the vivarium. A glass or plastic lid is a good choice because it will also help keep humidity up in the cage. Just be sure to drill some holes into it to ensure air circulation.

Heating and Lighting

These Frogs don’t require special lighting so a simple fluorescent light is sufficient enough to simulate a proper photoperiod along with keeping the vivarium plants alive. Temperature should range from 75-80 degrees during the day and down to 68 degrees at night. If you need to buy separate heating devices to achieve the right temperature use either under the tank heaters or ceramic heat emitters. Dart frogs dislike bright, harsh lights so a regular spot bulb wouldn’t do. Also be sure to not overheat the cage. Use at least two thermometers in the cage to be certain that the correct temperatures are being reached.

Water and Humidity

Humidity should be very high with 80-90% a good range to keep the cage in. To achieve this, you will need to spray the cage 2-3x a day. A glass lid, as stated before, instead of a screen lid should be used to help keep the humidity levels up. As in all cages that you need to maintain high humidity levels, proper circulation is a must. Improper air currents can lead to respiratory problems in your animals. If you don’t incorporate a pond into your vivarium be sure to have a shallow dish from which your frogs can drink. Clean this every day.

Food

Feeding poison dart frogs is probably one of the hardest this an owner has to do with these animals. The actual feeding is not the hard part; finding the right types of food is. These frogs feed on the most miniscule of foods offered on the reptile market. Flightless fruit flies, termite larva, and pinhead to ¼ inch crickets are just some of the commercially offered foods. All items fed should be dusted with a 1:1 ratio of calcium and vitamins.

Substrate

Since these frogs need high humidity, you cannot just put in ordinary reptile bedding. You should start off with a layer of rocks at the bottom of the cage with then a layer of potting soil so you can plant some plants in it. Be sure to have a way to drain excess water out of the bottom. If you have a cage with a hole already in the bottom this task becomes easy. Place sphagnum moss through the cage to help hold water for humidity.

Supplements.

Dart frogs need their food to be dusted with a 1:1 mix of calcium and vitamin powder. All prey items should also be gut loaded.

Supplies

29 gallon
Aquarium pebbles
Potting soil
Sphagnum moss
Food dish
Fluorescent bulb and Fixture
Live plants (pothos or bromeliads are good)
Water Bowl
Heat pad and/or Ceramic heater
2x thermometers
1x hygrometer
fake plants

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