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POISON DART FROG
Poison Dart Frogs are small brightly colored frogs from Central and South America . There are over 100 species, their bright colors indicate that they are toxic. All species are diurnal, which means day active. Most of the frogs of this group are not poisonous enough to be a threat to humans. Only three species could cause a serious threat, and they are Phyllobates terribilis, Phyllobates bicolor, and Phyllobates aurotaenia. The toxins they release dull nerves and produce heart and respiratory failure. The skin of an adult P. terribilis has enough batrachotoxin to kill 20,000 mice and adult P. bicolor are so toxic that .0000004 ounces are enough to kill a human being. Most of the frogs would only cause a serious health risk if ingested. When the frogs are kept in captivity, they lose their toxicity. The reason for this is not completely understood, but it is believed that the frogs obtain alkaloids from the insects they eat and the insects obtain alkaloids from the plants that they eat. Being that the frogs do not have a source for alkaloids in captivity, they cannot generate the toxins. Maximum size Varies on species anywhere from ¾” to 2 ½”
Lighting Fluorescent lighting that comes fitted to most fish tank and various hoods are ideal. The light source needs to mimic their natural environment and should be on approximately 12 hours of the day all year round. Temperature/Humidity Different species of dart frogs require different temperatures. Most of the common species need a temperature in the high 70’s to low 80’s. Dart frogs need high humidity; most species do well between 80% to 90% humidity. The easiest way to achieve the desired humidity is to use the correct moisture substrate, living plants, and by spraying the tank contents daily with fresh clean water. Don’t spray the frogs directly, just the plants, rocks, logs and wall. A hygrometer in the tank will help you to keep an eye on the humidity level. Food Dart frogs are small frogs that need tiny food. Vitamin-mineral (D3-Calcium) supplements should be given to fast growing babies twice weekly and to adults about once a week. Rep-Cal and Herptivite are good products used together to dust food. Fruitflies The number of food items that are fed per frog each day depends on the size of the insect and the size of the frog. A large Dendrobates tinctorius can eat 40 pin-head sized crickets in one day, but if you use larger crickets you won’t have to use so many. Normally between 10 to 20 insects can be offered per frog every day. Water The water used should be dechlorinated, whether by letting it sit for 24 hours or by using a product like Amquel to remove the chlorine. Housing/Habitat Dart frogs need a tropical terrarium with live plants. It can be as simple as a 10-gallon aquarium with soil, a few plants such as philodendron, pothos, any kind of ivy, schefelaras, and a shallow water dish. A good rule is one adult frog for every five gallon of cage space at a minimum. The lid should be tight fitting, one of the most common mistakes made is to give your frogs too much ventilation. Dart frogs do not need ventilation, at least not beyond opening the lid every couple of days. Calcium Deficiency in Dart Frogs Causes of this problem are several from failure to use any supplementation on the food to using an inappropriate supplement to dust the frogs’ food. Having calcium in the diet does not assure its’ availability in a usable form to the animal. This is because certain other ingredients in the diet may bind with calcium, and render it useless before it can be taken into the bloodstream. One such ingredient is phosphorus, which is common in vitamin supplements, and in live insects. In the case of some vitamin supplements that also contain calcium there is enough phosphorus in the supplement to render the calcium useless. The solution is to offer your animals a calcium supplement that contains only calcium (and the vitamin D3 required by the body to use it). In addition you should be offering a good vitamin supplement. Both Rep-Cal and Herptivite together has a good array of vitamins and minerals, and does not contain any vitamin A, which is an easily overdosed vitamin. Instead it contains beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A, meaning the body can make its own vitamin A from the beta-carotene. Symptoms of calcium deficiency include hind limb paralysis, complete paralysis, hind limb spasms, seizures, and skeletal deformities. |
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