View Full Version : Poison Dart Frogs....I have some !!!
I wasn't sure where to post this because there aren't any threads for amphibians or viveriums...so I put it here.. :p:
I have been saving up and waiting for these little guys and finally we went and got 3 of them today !! :dance: :dance:
Here's some pics...I took ALOT of them..but these are the best....
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_6134.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_6136.jpg
Here's one of their new home...a 20 long I just setup today....
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_6170.jpg
These little guys/gals..(whatever!)....are fantastic ! My daughter picked out a green and black auratus..but I haven't been able to get a good pic of that one yet as it's a bit smaller and more shy.
If this store wasnt' within driving distance from me...I would never be able to have them...it costs like 70$ just to ship em !! Everything in the store was on sale and we got the green and black for only 25$...they usually goes for around 40$.
Had a fun day....now I have to go clean up a big mess !! :dance: :dance:
My son would love those. I wasn't aware you could purchase any. Good luck with them. They're beautiful.
Lila
Larissa
08-27-2005, 8:07 PM
they are really, really cute. however, how does the poison thing work? can you touch them? could they be dangerous?
Kasakato
08-27-2005, 8:18 PM
How much where they? If they sting a human what will it do?
Poison dart frogs are not poisonous when bred and raised in captivity. They get their poisons from ants that they eat in the wild. If you catch one in the wild...and they don't get those ants to eat...the poisons eventually wear off.
These frogs I got are bred and raised right in the store where I purchased them from. The Green and Black auratus was 25$....I'll post a pic of him when I get a chance to get on the puter with the photoshop program on it..lol...my daughter is playing right now... :rolleyes:
The Oelemari...the one on the left in the pic of the two....was 45$ and the Citronella was 50$. The price had been reduced before the sale...and they took another 5$ off on top of that. The ultimate time for buying these fellas..glad I waited ! The G&B usually goes for like 40$ !
These little guys are just as much fun and personable as a betta ! The Citronella especially...comes right up to the front of the glass when I come over to stare....lol...He's the largest of the 3 and is probably more used to being fed..where the G&B is the smallest and very shy.
They have some more growing to do though. They are about 2-3 or 4 months old and don't reach maturity till around a year. I hope we do well with them ! They can live up to 16 or so years. :)
Larissa
08-27-2005, 9:07 PM
they are so cool!!!
Watcher74
08-27-2005, 9:43 PM
Back when I lived in Virginia Beach they sold them for $120 a pair at Animal Jungle! And you had to purchase at least a pair of them.
Great price and way cool!
They must have been about a year old if they knew they were pairs....you can't tell with these little guys/gals for at least a year.
I would have liked to get pairs...but they don't sell thier adults..they are thier breeding stock....just the froglets. I would have to buy at least 3 of the same kind in order to have a 75% chance of getting a pair....hhmm...too much..and not to mention if you get 3 females....they fight to the death once they mature...:eek: I wanted a variety so I went with one of each of the ones I wanted...though...there is one more I would like to have, but I guess that'll be for thier sale next year ! :D
Dangerdoll
08-27-2005, 10:12 PM
these are undoubtably the most beautiful of the frogs. I just saw on X-treme today on the Animal planet that the Poison Arrow (dart) frog has the deadliest poison of all animals... when in the wild. The poison is from the insects (ants) that it eats. They said in the wild, the equivelant to 3 grains of salt would kill a person. Congrats on them Emg, they sure are nice looking!!
Thanks Doll ! I'm loving these little guys !
Here's a decent pic of the Black and Green...he finally came out of hiding !
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/greenandblack.jpg
Here's a few more pics of some closeups of each side of the 20...really need a background for this...
This is the right side where my daughter has decided the Citronella should be.. ;)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_6172.jpg
And this side belongs to Oelemari...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_6171.jpg
Sorry for flooding with all these pics...lol....I can't help it !
We haven't named these little guys/gals yet....it'll have to be something that is more or less gender neutral...as we don't know their sex yet...lol....also waiting to see if they have thier own personality.......any suggestions ? :D
jaylin
08-27-2005, 10:53 PM
I saw that on animal planet too!
I thought it was beetles, not ants. The poison is batrachotoxin, which is a powerful neurotoxin that shuts down the respiratory as well as other systems. *gasp* *choke*
They are beautiful little frogs though. Gratz on the new additions!
jaylin
08-27-2005, 10:55 PM
How much where they? If they sting a human what will it do?
And Kadakato ... the frogs do not sting. They secrete. All you have to do is touch those little suckers.
In the wild yes...but not captive bred ones...they don't get the ants/beetles....just fruitflies... ;)
jaylin
08-27-2005, 10:59 PM
Yea, but after watching that thing on tv, I'm not sure I'd be willing to test that theory. :)
lol...Actually, it's not a theory, but a fact.....but, I hear ya...however... these fellas have been breeding them raising them and handling them for years....they're still kickin around...and we aren't planning on doing any handling of them if we can help it...not so much for our protection as their's...the oils and salts on the hands are not good for them.
jaylin
08-27-2005, 11:37 PM
I am jealous though. The colors are spectacular!
sky.eyes.woman
08-27-2005, 11:57 PM
Wow, Emg...those frogs are beautiful! The terrarium looks nice too! :thm:
I've been thinking about getting some sort of reptile for this 30 gallon cube tank that's been sitting around empty for months, but I can't seem to make up my mind and had considered getting some Dendrobates Azuratus (sp?)...you know, the blue and black ones? I dunno. There are lots of reptile shows going on around here and you can get them really cheap at one, but I'm sort of afraid to go because I know I'd be coming home with SOMETHING! :D
I saw some of those blue and black ones today...very nice. they're the same as the black and green...only....blue...lol...
Man, I'd go to one of those shows in a heartbeat. If you do go, look for the folks from BlackJungle...thier frogs are home raised. One of the fellas said that most of the frogs you find at some of those shows are not captive bred. You can tell if they're selling them as adults, it's a good bet their wild caught..though not poisonous either because the lack of the poisons in thier diet. But they proabably aren't as hardy. So if you do go..and you decide to pick some out...choose the little froglets..those would be captive raised for sure.
Here's a link to a post of thier schedule..They're going to be in Atlanta in Oct.....these guys do alot of traveling..
http://www.blackjungle.com/shows.htm
sky.eyes.woman
08-28-2005, 12:15 AM
I just can't decide what I want to get...I'm also leaning toward getting a Uromastyx, every time we get one in at work I'm always holding them and petting them because I just think they're so cool. Or maybe a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, veiled chameleon...hmmm...:huh:
Lol...I had to look up uromastyx....pretty cool !
I would say, that if those are what really peeks your interest and you like them so much...get some of those ! I picked dart frogs because I just couldn't get enough of looking at pics of them...and I remember seeing one of the citronellas in a zoo once...and wishing really bad I could have one....lol....see...wishes do come true ! What a blessing ! :D
FreddytheFish
09-05-2005, 7:13 PM
your frogs are awesome!!! i saw some on vacation in Costa Rica, but i didn't know that u could buy them! i have an empty 10 gallon tank and was wondering what to do with it, do u think i could get some of those little guys? what equipment do they need? do u know of any websites where i can learn about them?
beautifulfish
09-05-2005, 7:25 PM
I love frogs! They are awesome! I would get some more but no money and no room! lol..anyways..how much does it cost to set up a small terrarium? How big of a tank do you need? and are they easy to take care of? And do they get out easily?oh...and do they need a certain type of lid?
Freddy....here is a couple of web sites with some info on dart frogs...but I would do more searching as well. There is plenty of info out there to be had.
www.blackjungle.com
http://dartden.com/index.php
I bought my frogs from BlackJungle..because they are within driving distance and I saved a bunch on my car insur....now WAIT....on SHIPPING.... :joke: by getting them there.
BeautifulFish...you do need to have a closed top so they can't get out...they will climb up the glass....and in my opinion...viveriums aren't as expensive or as diffficult to keep as aquariums are. First, you don't need a filter, heater or...water changes...lol..unless you do a water viverium..but those aren't necessary. My tank is a 20 long and I think that is a good size, but you can do a 10 up for them. Right now I have the G&B in a 5 gallon because it's so small. When they're little it's best to keep them in a smaller space so they can find thier food alot easier. They eat fruitflies...flightless.
These frogs are very sensitive to heat. You want to be sure thier tank is NOT in direct sunlight. It doesn't take them long to succumb to high temps. They can tolerate cold alot more than heat...though even extreme cold temps are not a good place for them.
I would recommend doing lots of research before buying one..because they can be expensive. But they sure are a very cool pet ! :cool:
beautifulfish
09-05-2005, 9:15 PM
thanks for your info! I am trying to get Haakon to buy frogs, lizards, mice, rats, or SOMETHING! lol..I know that I just got a new greyhound but I just love pets!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He says that we don't need anymore ecspecially with the new babies arriving! Someday though... :joke:
babIES ?!
Are you speaking of Human babies...or...some of your animal friends..lol...
If it's the two of you expecting....babIES....as in...more than one at the same time...then I would definitly hold off...lol....your hands are going to be full in no time at all....you aren't going to be wanting to dust and feed fruitflies between changes I guarantee it ! :)
Congrats BTW... ! :clap:
beautifulfish
09-05-2005, 9:24 PM
lol.. EMG! WEll I have a post about my visit to the doctors today under twins if you wanna read it:D
Guess I haven't gotten that far down yet....lol....what a surprise that must have been....lol....I'll have to go read about it ! :dance:
FreddytheFish
09-05-2005, 9:31 PM
thanks for the sites. yeah, before u make any kind of commitment to get a pet, u have to do lots of research. but they sure are cool
coolfool
03-04-2006, 4:23 PM
Hi,
I am thinking about getting a couple of the poison dart frogs. Do you know what their life span is? Do they have any interesting traits or habits? Are they fun to watch?
Thanks!!
Yes, PD frogs are very interesting and fun to watch. But it depends on what type you get. There are very small ones that are pretty shy and like to hide if they see you....there are others that are larger and not shy at all and will show up anytime they see you because they just KNOW you're the chuckwagon...sort of like most cichlids.
Of the 3 that I have, the tinctorius "Citronella" is the most bold. Not a shy bone in his body. They are also one of the larger variety when fully grown. My tinctorius "Oelemari" is beginnig to be less shy. He won't run back under the log as soon as he sees me anymore, but he's still a bit more skittish than the "Cit". My auratus "Green and Black" is VERY shy...rarely if ever comes out of hiding...and when he does, he scoots right away as soon as he sees me.
Dart frogs can live up to 16 years that I know of...they can be pretty long lived if properly cared for.
They are easy to keep...you just have to maintain a high humidity in the tank you keep them in...and make sure you keep up on the food supply. I feed mine flightless fruitflies and I have to make sure I always have a batch on hand that is ready to feed. It takes a few weeks from getting a culture going, to when it starts producing flies...you have to keep up with it. I've come close a few times by putting off starting another culter...but so far I havn't completely run out. There are other things you can feed them, but my experience has only been with the fruitflies. I powdered them with vitamin suppliments before feeding them to the frogs.
They are VERY suseptible to death due to overheating. Do not keep them anywhere in direct sunlight or where the temps get much warmer than 85...they die quickly in high heat...but can tolerate cooler temps a bit easier.
Hope this helps you decide.....they are a neat critter, but do some serious research before you purchase any ! :read:
Teelie
03-04-2006, 7:41 PM
They are very nice. One day I'd like to keep some but I've literally run out of places to set up aquariums. Well anything bigger than a 10 gallon and I wouldn't want to put them in anything short of a 20 long or a 30.
Actually, a 10 would suit some of these frogs quite nicely. I wouldn't think twice about setting up a 10 for 1 dart frog. I don't know if I would keep a pair in a 10 though. I have the young G&B auratus in a 10 for now, until he's big enough to go in the 20 tall up in my daughter's room.
You could easily keep a pair of the smaller types in a 10, but it would have to be heavily planted, they usually like to stay hidden.
Teelie
03-04-2006, 7:55 PM
My thing is I'd want more than one. :laugh: I may break down and see about setting up my spare 10 on my desk if I can find the time and convince my girlfriend. We have some cats which might find a new "toy" interesting to play with.
Thought I would post some updated pics of my frogs. They've grown some since I posted the ones on the beginning of this thread...these are thumbnails, click on them for a larger pic....
The "Citronella"
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC01358.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC01358.jpg) http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC02390.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC02390.jpg)
The "Oelemari":
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC01377.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC01377.jpg) http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC01362.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC01362.jpg)
The divided 20long I keep the "Citronella" and "Oelemari" in. I need to replace the moss in these tanks as soon as the weather warms up some. It's the kind of moss that needs a dormant period..which would be "now" if I hadn't brought it in here...lol.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC02255.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC02255.jpg)
The 10 gallon I have the G&B in:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DSC00925.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DSC00925.jpg)
My G&B...he's hard to get pics of:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/th_DCP_7535.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_7535.jpg)
Lol on the cat toy thing.....you would certainly want a tight fitting lid...glass lids work very well for these frogs....keeps the moisture in. You would want whatever lighting you use, to be up off the lid though...to prevent it getting too hot in the tank for the frogs, especially in the summertime.
I juryrigged my striplight over the 20long by using cardboard propped under each end of the light. It holds the light a good 3-4 inches above the top of the tank.....seems to work fine.
Teeli...where abouts are you located ? I'm in Ct and there is a store nearby which specializes in Dart frogs and tropical plants.......could save ALOT !!! on shipping if you could pick them up at the source....it can cost up to 70$ just to ship these babies !!
Teelie
03-04-2006, 8:19 PM
My new 55g has glass lids, which is a first for me and they definitely hold the moisture in better than the plastic lids I'm used to using. My tanks with the plastic lids need topping off at least every few days but that 55 hasn't lost any noticable amount in two weeks.
The lighting might be a little more difficult but I'm pretty resourceful so I should be able to find some way of raising the lights high enough. :D
Teelie
03-04-2006, 8:21 PM
Teeli...where abouts are you located ? I'm in Ct and there is a store nearby which specializes in Dart frogs and tropical plants.......could save ALOT !!! on shipping if you could pick them up at the source....it can cost up to 70$ just to ship these babies !!
I'm in Louisiana so it's a little out of the way. There's a PetCo here that sells some frogs but I don't know if they have poison darts, or the conditions of the frogs. There's also a reptile shop which has them but I know even less about the health of their frogs. All I know is they keep the place like a sauna.
Here's a site for the store near me Teelie.....they go all over the place to many different reptile/amphibian shows. They have a calendar of events there....look and see if there are any reptile shows coming near you....... www.blackjungle.com
If they don't have any listed...keep searching for reptile expos coming in your area. I know there is a big one coming in Daytona Beach in August I believe...
You really want to see if you can get some from a reputable dealer....they're more likely to be healthy and well cared for. Look for froglets, they will most certainly be captive bred and raised. If you see them as adults, they may have been gotten from the wild and most likely have parasite issues..though not always.
Go to some dart frog forums and ask questions there about them. Sometimes you'll find someone you can buy some from for a fair price. There is one fella at the "DartDen" who will test your frog's feces for parasites for a $15 charge...pretty reasonable. Just like fish, it's always a good idea to keep your frogs in seperate quarters until you can be sure they are parasite free. If you introduce them into the viverium and they have any in them, the viverium will become infected as well...so useing a "quarenteen" tank is a good idea. A small petkeeper/pettote thing would work fine for that...as long as there is damp moss in there.
OOO...lots of info....lol....sorry about that ! I get a little carried away sometimes... :rolleyes:
Teelie
03-04-2006, 10:09 PM
I already bookmarked them earlier, but thanks. :) None of their shows will be anywhere near me but I may still order from them.
Unfortunately, a frog set up is months away at the earliest. I have a 55g cycling so when that's done, I have to move the inhabitants of two 30g's to that, then restock one of them with some lamprologus stappersi shell dwellers (and whatever is going in the other 30). Add to that work and classes, and I have no time at the moment for another project. :(
Still, it will happen. Maybe by the end of summer. I've always wanted to keep frogs, especially poison darts. I've kept ADF's and the odd Leopard frog from when I was younger but that's about it.
double check my post up there....I edited it and I think the changes posted about the same time you posted your reply..lol...
Well, have fun planning for them Teelie ! Setting up the viverium is half the fun ! :D
Teelie
03-04-2006, 10:24 PM
I see the edits. Makes a lot of sense. I'm going to take quite a lot of time researching them. A useful side effect of keeping fish. Always know what you're getting into. :D
Riso-chan
03-05-2006, 9:00 PM
Hey EMG, nice pics of those darts! They are very beautiful, and look to be getting bigger. They are such living gems with thier vivid colorations. You know some breeders are actually getting different color mutations and blends nowadays, some are really nice looking.
I wouldn't mind keeping some amphibians one day. The ones that really catch my eyes are the tiger salamanders. Their sheer size, long lifespan, and colrs are appealing. The have that cute full bodied look too. The only thing is, I think I'd like to be able to handle them more. But since it's bad for ther health it would definitely be a challenge for me. Not being able to hold fish is one thing, but something living on land just makes you think that their touchable I suppose. Good luck with those little guys and girls.:)~Angela
Lol.....really, I love handling "cute" little things too, but I am not tempted with these at all.........they COST too much !!! :eek:
I LOVE to watch them though....eye candy, that's what they are....eye candy !!