Thinking about starting dart frogs, have a few questions

[Ivysaurtrainer]

First,
Is it ok to house different colors of dart frog in the same enclosure? for example housing a phyllobates terribilis with an azureus or aurates?

second,
How prone are dart frogs to getting diseases? Do i need to boil and sanitize everything i put in the vivarium?

Third,
How easy is it to get a pair of frogs to breed. Do they need a rain/cold cycle? or will they just breed if kept together normally?

Thanks

[flybyferns]

[QUOTE=Ivysaurtrainer;204851]First,
Is it ok to house different colors of dart frog in the same enclosure? for example housing a phyllobates terribilis with an azureus or aurates?

Mixing morphs and species is frowned upon.
good information here:
Dart frog care - *BambooZoo

https://joshsfrogs.zendesk.com/hc/en...son-Dart-Frogs

second,
How prone are dart frogs to getting diseases? Do i need to boil and sanitize everything i put in the vivarium?

Yes you should sanitize everything....It's simple and ........can't hurt.
'disease' can occur from on-going stress, stress ( such as stress from 'mixing' ) > suppresses their immune systems
Otherwise ........and typically...... they are quite healthy
-there are agencies that can do fecal tests for parasites and swabs for the detection of Chytridiomycosis (chytrid) is an infectious disease of amphibians.

Third,
How easy is it to get a pair of frogs to breed. Do they need a rain/cold cycle? or will they just breed if kept together normally?

First you want to make sure you have a 'pair'. Some species such as D. lucomelas are fine 'grouped ' together as well as very easy to keep.
Others will fight amongst the sexes , depending on the species. Each species has different requirements for both pairing, care, and keeping more than 2 together.

Naturally, you will find hours and hours of reading material regarding breeding. Breeding is time consuming , $$ , but very rewarding!

Read , read, read !

[Mentat]

Everything that Lynn said and do be patient. Learn about your Darts from experience and reading before you even think to try breeding .

[badjie]

why does my black silicone used on my great stuff background smell so bad ? is this going to go away? I am getting my frogs in about a week and am very concerned. it is 100 % silicone for doors and windows

[deranged chipmunk]

It takes a couple of days for the odor to go away. When it does, you know it is cured. Unfortunately, the smell is caused by the chemical reaction inside the silicone that cures it.

[flybyferns]

why does my black silicone used on my great stuff background smell so bad ? is this going to go away? I am getting my frogs in about a week and am very concerned. it is 100 % silicone for doors and windows

QT your frogs first - anyway
The odor ....even if very slight ! Not good for the frogs
When in doubt ---WAIT !
Remember they 'breathe' through their skin.

[I]Skin
A frog's skin is protective, has a respiratory function, can absorb water and helps control body temperature. It has many glands, particularly on the head and back, which often exude distasteful and toxic substances. The secretion is often sticky and helps keep the skin moist, protects against the entry of moulds and bacteria and make the animal slippery and more able to escape from predators.[44] The skin is shed every few weeks. It usually splits down the middle of the back and across the belly, and the frog pulls its arms and legs free. The sloughed skin is then worked towards the head where it is quickly eaten.

[44]^ Stebbins, Robert C.; Cohen, Nathan W. (1995). A Natural History of Amphibians. Princeton University Press. pp. 10–14. ISBN 0-691-03281-5
[45]Frost, S. W. (1932). "Notes on feeding and molting in frogs". The American Naturalist 66 (707): 530–540. doi:10.1086/280458. JSTOR 2456779.


Respiration and circulation
The skin of a frog is permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as to water. There are blood vessels near the surface of the skin and when a frog is underwater, oxygen diffuses directly into the blood. When not submerged, a frog breathes by a process known as buccal pumping. Its lungs are similar to those of humans but the chest muscles are not involved in respiration, and there are no ribs or diaphragm to help move air in and out. Instead, it puffs out its throat and draws air in through the nostrils, which in many species can then be closed by valves. When the floor of the mouth is compressed, air is forced into the lungs.[51]

[51] ^ Kimball, John (2010). "Vertebrate Lungs: Frog Lungs". Kimball's Biology Pages. Retrieved 2012-07-09


While the darts are in QT--- your tank will have this additional time to 'cycle' and give the springtails and isopods extra time to begin to reproduce before the darts are snacking on them

QT:

http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...ing-frogs.html

http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...uarantine.html

Lynn