Thinking about Dart's

[John]

I don't have a problem with them housing those frogs together for the time of them being in the store. Those 3 species will be ok together like that. Now, leucs and tincs can hybridize but they won't be able to develop the dynamic necessary to breed with all those other frogs around, so not an issue.

[Deku]

I know I may get chewed at for saying this.. But heck! I feel indifferent today! xD.
I know you probably researched. But here is a general tip(of what I think):
1)Remember they are extremely fragile and scare easily as stated by john in another post.
2)They have very care specific needs.
3)They are quite expensive, so if one dies then just figure a ton of money down the drain.
4)Because of tip number 3 Id say you would need to be very careful, keep it in a quiet room, a room with no sprays or anything, and dont hold it more than it really needs to.
5)Make sure you have a source of fruit flies. Sometimes petstores dont even carry them, or missed their shipments. This goes for online too. Make sure you have multiple places to check. Personally Id breed them on my own if I were you.
6)Read, read, read, read, read some more. I know these frogs arent terribly difficult(as I was told), but nevertheless you dont want to take risks with them.
7)I dont know much about their care, but if they need heat. make sure you have extra heat sources. So if one fails you can put the other one on.
8)Id also keep pretty much an extra part of everything that is used for the terrarium. heck id keep an extra terrarium llaying about, just incase it broke(heck iam a clutz, I dont know about you but id keep one).


Again these are all suggestions! Meaning they are opinions!

[sleepingwolf1772]

Thank you John for clarifying that for me. I didnt know if they would be okay like that or not. Kevin thank you very much for your advice. I will be breeding fruit flys before I even aquire any frogs so that they will have a constant food supply. I will not be handling them at all unless it is to transfer them to another Terrarium or If I have to remove them for another reason I am planning on having a back up home for them if need be. It will be moths before I get any if I even do. I am going to start building the Terrarium very soon and It will take some time to make sure everything will be perfect for them. If I cant get the Terrarium to be perfect I will not be getting any because I would not want them to be stressed or sick just because I want them. Also I am not mad at all for your advice, I welcome it! Please feel free to say more if you feel the need to!

[Deku]

Thank you John for clarifying that for me. I didnt know if they would be okay like that or not. Kevin thank you very much for your advice. I will be breeding fruit flys before I even aquire any frogs so that they will have a constant food supply. I will not be handling them at all unless it is to transfer them to another Terrarium or If I have to remove them for another reason I am planning on having a back up home for them if need be. It will be moths before I get any if I even do. I am going to start building the Terrarium very soon and It will take some time to make sure everything will be perfect for them. If I cant get the Terrarium to be perfect I will not be getting any because I would not want them to be stressed or sick just because I want them. Also I am not mad at all for your advice, I welcome it! Please feel free to say more if you feel the need to!

Sounds like a plan. Hope this helps and good luck.

[frogfreaks]

I know I may get chewed at for saying this.. But heck! I feel indifferent today! xD.
I know you probably researched. But here is a general tip(of what I think):
1)Remember they are extremely fragile and scare easily as stated by john in another post.
2)They have very care specific needs.
3)They are quite expensive, so if one dies then just figure a ton of money down the drain.
4)Because of tip number 3 Id say you would need to be very careful, keep it in a quiet room, a room with no sprays or anything, and dont hold it more than it really needs to.
5)Make sure you have a source of fruit flies. Sometimes petstores dont even carry them, or missed their shipments. This goes for online too. Make sure you have multiple places to check. Personally Id breed them on my own if I were you.
6)Read, read, read, read, read some more. I know these frogs arent terribly difficult(as I was told), but nevertheless you dont want to take risks with them.
7)I dont know much about their care, but if they need heat. make sure you have extra heat sources. So if one fails you can put the other one on.
8)Id also keep pretty much an extra part of everything that is used for the terrarium. heck id keep an extra terrarium llaying about, just incase it broke(heck iam a clutz, I dont know about you but id keep one).


Again these are all suggestions! Meaning they are opinions!

This sounds a bit scary to me. lol

1) I wouldn't buy a dart frog untill they were at least three months old. Plenty of hides and lots of leaf litter will help them feel very comfy imo.

2) Compared to what Kevin? They're fairly easy to keep. Humidity, food, suppliments and a well planted viv.

3) Some of the beginner frogs can be bought for uner $50. Is that considered that expensive?

4) We keep ours in a room that see's lots of traffic. Depending on the species they can be very bold. Leucs and Tincs included. I wouldn't handle any frog.

5) !00% agreed. You need to get the hand of FF culturing first. IMO Humidity and cultures go hand in hand. Between 50-60% humidity is ideal for cultures. Too much and they don't produce well. To little and they dry out and don't produce at all. Pinheads are an alternative. Finding a frogger near you that keeps darts is a good idea as well.

6) Agreed. You can't know to much about any animal.

7) AC is more important than heat. They should be kept between the low 60's and the low 80's. We keep ours around 78F max. Fast temperature fluctuations are more of a concern. EX. Ac failed and the temps. rose quickly.

8) That's always a good idea. A spare tank with leaf litter and some coco huts will do. A glass top as well.

We have over 100 Darts atm and have lost 1 froglet. We lost him within a week of putting him in the viv. We don't think they're difficult to keep at all. Maintaining a diverse food source is key imo. We feed FF's, Springtails, Isopods and lots of pinhead crickets. Depending on how many frogs you have, taking care of the food source can be more work than the frogs. You can imagine how much time we spend looking after feeders with all those mouths to feed.

Glenn

[Alpha Pro Breeders]

Very well said Glenn. I think a lot of people's opinion on dart frogs are that they are fragile, hard to feed, and extremely expensive.

I would feed and raise fruit flies any day over crickets. (I do both, but prefer Fruit Flies)

I have so many dart frogs, that I don't know how many I have. I also have only had a few losses, mostly my fault from escapees.

I have a friend that bought 2 imitators a year or two ago and has a really nice collection of frogs from trading their babies for other frogs. Dart frogs are in my opinion very easy to breed, and very easy to trade and sell to other froggers. This can keep your cost minimal, and might even pay for your hobby.

www.alphaprobreeders.com

[frogfreaks]

Dart frogs are in my opinion very easy to breed, and very easy to trade and sell to other froggers. This can keep your cost minimal, and might even pay for your hobby.

www.alphaprobreeders.com

That's a very good point. We have 4 species laying this year. 100+ Tads in the water and 20+ on land.

If we can breed them, anyone can. It just takes a lil research is all...