How to Care for Poison Dart Frogs

Many species of these colorful frogs are now available from private breeders and can be bought at reptile shows and on the Internet. They are fascinating to observe and don't take up much space.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ten gallon tank with screen lid
• Pea gravel
• Sheets of moss, bought or collected from wild areas where no chemicals are used
• Plants and plant cuttings
• Branches
• Lighting for plants
• Fruit fly cultures
• Frog vitamin supplement
• Water dechlorinator (available at aquarium and pet supply stores)

1. Cover the bottom of your tank with pea gravel. Plant cuttings and small plants in the gravel. Cover the gravel with moss. Add water to make a shallow layer in the gravel.

2. Add driftwood and branches for climbing and niches for frogs to hide in. Make sure that there are no sharp edges that will damage the frogs' delicate skin.

3. Provide fluorescent lighting for the plants, but make sure the lights do not overheat the tank--dart frogs prefer cool temperatures (under 80 degrees).

4. Mist the tank daily with a spray bottle and provide a shallow dish of non-chlorinated water that the frogs can climb in and out of. If too much water builds up in the tank, it can be removed with a siphon or turkey baster.

5. You should generally feed your frogs a small amount every day, although occasionally skipping a day will not harm them. Start with about a half teaspoon of insects per frog. You want to feed no more than they will eat in about five minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to experiment with tank covers to provide the right level of humidity - start with a screen tank and cover with pieces of Plexiglas if the tank dries out too rapidly.
• Poison dart frogs are not poisonous in captivity, because they lack the toxins come from their diet in the wild. However, as with all frogs, you should handle them as little as possible since their skin is delicate and easily injured.
• Do not overfeed crickets, as leftover crickets can annoy the frogs and even damage their skin.
• The most difficult part of keeping dart frogs is having enough food that's the right size for them to eat. See How to Raise Fruit Flies for Pet Frog Food and How to Care for Crickets for Pet Frog Food.