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DART FROGS (this page is still in progress) Dart frogs make great pets. They just do! They are hardy, and easy to keep with some simple husbandry. They come in almost every color of the rainbow, and if you can keep them just right, they will reward you by singing and calling. Eventually you will develop the skills to keep them comfortable enough where they will breed for you. I have personally found keeping and breeding Dart frogs to be a rewarding hobby. If you do your research enough I think that you will too. Dart frogs are not for everyone but if you are a person who can enjoy an animal in it's habitat and has the patience to practice effective amphibian husbandry then these may be the perfect pet or educational tool for you. Dart frogs are along lived species (there is a report of an auratus in Germany that is 30 years old!), data is still being collected as to how long the average species lives. These frogs are diurnal and are out during the day, when you turn in for the night, so do your frogs. Dart frogs come in almost every color of the rainbow, very few have every color (Red forms of D. ventrimaculatus can) but most display just a few very beautiful, and bright warning colors. Despite this fact, in captivity, dart frogs are NOT TOXIC, and quite HARMLESS. For the most part dart frogs are not too expensive a pet. I would equate their prices similar to that of salt water fish. Availability We have been lucky enough to collect a few pairs of these wonderful animals which have been kind enough to breed for us. Here is a small selection of what we have to offer. We are currently NOT shipping any animals due to weather.
*Prices vary due to age, and sex of animal*
Caring for your new Dart Frog Dart frogs are wonderful animals to keep and breed and we have been enjoying ours for many years. they are active during the day. They sing and climb and act very well as they would in the wild. They com in every color of the rainbow and make wonderful, therapeutic pets. Keeping a dart frog is not as hard as one would think. They need a few basic requirements and they will do fine. Well you did it, you bought your first dart frog, but now what? In order to keep your animal healthy, you need to keep it happy. Keeping your frog happy is easy to do. Here are some basics, but remember, conditions vary with species so ask your breeder what they recommend. Housing: Your frog needs a place to live. There are many choices available to you from an elaborate set up that looks like a slice of the rainforest, to your most basic set up which will provide the safety, and conditions your animal needs to survive. To start, we recommend a basic set up. You can get fancy later after your frog has adjusted to their new surroundings. We cannot recommend enough the value of a standard 10 or 18 gallon fish aquarium. You can pick these up almost anywhere. For 18 gallon tall tanks we go to PETsMart®. You can pick one up at any reptile/amphibian show, or your local pet store. If you are local in the Pacific Northwest you may want to contact Darren Meyer of http://www.ribbitrecordings.com/index2.html He makes some of the most unique custom tanks I have ever seen. His prices are fair, and his work is top notch. Avoid the plastic “critter keepers” they may be good for transporting your animals, but not for long-term housing. The single most important condition after a tank is your lid. Be sure to get an appropriate lid for your animal a sturdy glass lid will serve you well. No exceptions. Do not get acrylic or plexiglass, or wood. Get a glass lid. A well fitting glass lid keeps your frogs inside, and traps moisture which your frogs desperately need. They also keep fruit flies in, see FEEDING. As far as numbers of frogs per tank there are a few rules. A good rule of thumb that hobbyists have been using for years is the 5:1 rule. Five gallons of tank space for every one frog. So if you have three frogs, go for a 15-20 gallon tank. Also, for your tinctorius group frogs, I cannot recommend enough the importance of keeping these in pairs. We have lots of customers that have trios and quartets without any problems. I have other breeders who disagree with me on this point as well. Our experience has been that females will fight over the breeding rights to a male. Males do well in pairs, and females do well in pairs, but add in an extra of the opposite sex and things change quickly. There is stress induced with breeding and feeding competition that can lead to the demise of a frog. So if you can avoid it, why not avoid it? There are some frogs that do very well in groups however. Dendrobates ventrimaculatus is one such frog that does very well in groups. We are breeding ours in a 3.2.0 set up. Talk to your breeder or e-mail us questions about what we recommend as far as groups or pairs as a species. Temperature: You want to simulate a rainforest setting for these frogs. So temperature and humidity is the key. Feel free to let your temperature fluctuate in the tank, but be careful. Most dart frogs like a mid 70’s F temperature. We keep ours at 74F almost consistently, with a drop at night to 68F. You do not want the tank temperatures to drop below 65F or go above 85F for any long periods of time. Some frogs can handle this easily, others can not. Dendrobates reticulatus enjoy hot temperatures in low 80's, while Dendrobates imitator prefer high 60's. Once again check with your breeder for what they recommend. We also DO NOT recommend under tank heaters, or ceramic heaters for regulation your frogs temperature control. The best heating we have found is to heat the whole room at the temperature the frogs require. We use space heaters when needed, and air conditioners when needed to regulate the frogs temperature. Water: This is a big one. Your frogs need water. They do not need drip walls or rushing streams although your frogs may appreciate them. But they do need a good supply of water from a source. This is easy to achieve with daily misting or a spray system. We use Marty's http://www.mistking.com/ products and he has many kits available to allow you to set up a series of misting nozzles on a pump to provide that daily misting that your dart frogs will need. I also use a hand pump and mist my frogs as well if the misting heads are not getting to everywhere I need. It is a good way to check for eggs and to see how the plants and frogs are doing. Keep the humidity in your frog tank between 65-100%. Condensation on the walls of a tank is a good indicator that your humidity is appropriate. Be sure to spray your frogs every day or every other day. After a while you will understand how much and what your frogs need. You can put a water pump in the tank and with a false bottom, create a waterfall that your frogs will be sure to enjoy. A small shallow dish or bowl can also be offered but make sure the water is clean and changed regularly or daily. Furniture: Every home needs furniture, and frogs are no exception. They love to climb and hop on all different kinds of things. And just like us, they need their privacy too, so be sure to give them some places to hide. Substrate is very key in promoting the health of your frogs. You want something clean and benign. I used to use potting soil. The plants loved it and I noticed that micro fauna (little bugs and worms) would come out of it for the frogs to enjoy. It does tend to get a little stinky. I then switched to coco fiber. It is clean, and smells really good. The plants take root very well in it, and it doesn't seem to harm the frogs. They don't ingest it while eating and it doesn't stick to their skin. As an added bonus it tends to house springtails well, and has a pleasant tropical odor. There are a variety of plants that are compatible with your frogs. But don’t stop there. A large stone or two provides a great place for your frog to hang out. We also like to use some cork bark as a hiding place as well as a coconut hut. We also like to use a good stick or branch in the tank for the frog to crawl around on. African Bog wood or Swahalla wood is an excellent choice. It is sturdy, free of sharp edges and resistant to rotting. It makes a nice structure to mount a plant too. Finally, don't underestimate the importance of leaf litter. Frogs often live their entire live in leaf litter. It provides protection, helps with trapping moisture, and is a great place to allow for insects to hide for eating. Magnolia and/or maple leaves are great substrates check out the web, there are many places that sell them. Food: It may sound easy, but one of the first things people get wrong is feeding their frogs too much or not enough, or the wrong food entirely. Fruit flies should be the staple of your animal’s diet. Don’t forget to vitamin dust your flies either. We use and sell a great pair of products called Rep-Cal (which is a calcium supplement) and Herptivite (which is a multivitamin). Use a 50:50 mix of these supplements and that will be all you need to keep your frogs healthy. Your frogs need supplements in order to stay healthy. Feed your young frogs every day, and your adults 3-4 times a week. You also want to mix up your frogs diet 2 or 3 times a month with a one time feeding of pinhead crickets, rice flour beetle larva, small waxworms, and termites. The change will keep the frogs entertained, frogs use different strategies for eating different insects. Variety will keep them at the top of their game, and will provide them with a balanced diet. Lighting: Your frogs need a regular 10-12 hour light/dark cycle. This for bioregulation than a need for direct UV, or full spectrum, light. Keep your frogs in a light/dark cycle 12 hours a day seven days a week. There are many electric timers out there that are easy to program and do the job well. Also, be aware that lights kept on longer than 12 hours, or even overnight will not be harmful to your frogs schedule if this is an occasional occurrence. However constant 24 hour light will be harmful/stressful to your frogs. Being diurnal your frogs are awake during the day, and like us go to bed when it gets dark. Our frog room uses a variety of lights but more importantly they are for the benefit of the plants in the vivariums than for anything else. We do not recommend using lights for temperature control. Any Home Depot/Lowes will have an 18"- 48" inch light for you to put a full spectrum fluorescent bulb. Any standard shop light will do fine but I have had experiences with ballast failure. We are currently trying 55 watt full spectrum kits from UH supply. These are bit pricey but the amount of light is bright, and they have a reputation of lasting a long time. Some heaters for reptile and amphibian tanks come in the form of light bulbs. Frogs adjusts their behavior based on these photo periods so be consistent. Shopping List 1) Window screen (NOT aluminum) 2) Egg crate (the plastic square stuff you get in the lighting department 3) PVC pipe fittings 4) orchid bark, moss (NOT sphagnum, I personally have had bad luck with that), or super soil. 5) Plants, bromeliads, pothos cuttings, etc, 6) Live green pillow moss 7) 10 gallon aquarium (Petco, Wal-Mart etc.) 8) Cut lid glass can be purchased at Home Depot and cut to fit (I use plexi glass because I like it better). 9) Electrical tape for door hinges and handles. 10) rocks (aquarium or back yard, either way rinse them really good).11) A good light source (I prefer a fluorescent shop light). 12) Hand mister sprayer. 13) Cork bark, optional, but good “furniture”. 14) Silicone, clear bathroom type I. Allow 24 hours to dry before adding animals. Optional but good for placing cork backing, making repairs, gluing door handles etc.
Feeding your new Dart Frog Shipping and Policies We have shipped a lot of frogs in the past few years, and although we appreciate the various shipping companies out there, we have had the best luck with FED EX. We will only ship Fed Ex Express which is a next day overnight service. In order to ensure the safety of the animals we have the package held at the nearest Fed Ex location. The frogs will need to be picked up within 2 hours of their arrival. You can track them on www.fedex.com. Fed Ex KINKO's stores DO NOT apply. As they tend to have lax delivery times. Overnight shipping is the easiest way to ensure that your animals arrive safe and on time. It is not expensive, and in the long run the frogs do fine. We package your frogs individually in a Styrofoam insulated box. This is the only additional cost in shipping. Our cost of the box is $5. There are places where frogs just can't handle the heat or cold. We constantly check weather forecasts for the 10 days up to and after shipping. We will not ship if the weather poses a risk to the health of the frog due to heat or cold stress. This is only a problem a few days out of the year, but there may arise a weather condition that will not allow us to ship. Should the worst happen. Do not panic. We guarantee live delivery unless other arrangements have been made. We do however, for record keeping purposes, request that the box and the entire contents of the box be returned to us. We also ask that the recipient pick up the package in a timely manner. Our live delivery guarantee will be void if pick up takes over 3 hours after delivery.
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