Pet poison dart frogs

[John]

Very interesting care article with great background, including poisons, for Phyllobates terribilis: Dart Den - Care Sheet - General Poison Dart

[Ron]

I managed to find the study I referred to earlier regarding "plasticity" of frogs and their toxins: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...602828aa3581ee

A total of 232 alkaloids, representing 21 structural classes were detected in skin extracts from the dendrobatid poison frog Oophaga pumilio, collected from 53 different populations from over 30 years of research. The highly toxic pumiliotoxins and allopumiliotoxins, along with 5,8-disubstitiuted and 5,6,8-trisubstituted indolizidines, all of which are proposed to be of dietary mite origin, were common constituents in most extracts. One decahydroquinoline (DHQ), previously shown be of ant origin, occurred in many extracts often as a major alkaloid, while other DHQs occurred rather infrequently. Histrionicotoxins, thought to be of ant origin, did not appear to possess a specific pattern of occurrence among the populations, but when present, were usually found as major components. Certain 3,5-disubstituted pyrrolizidines and indolizidines, known to be of ant origin, did occur in extracts, but infrequently. Alkaloid composition differed with regard to geographic location of frog populations, and for populations that were sampled two or more times during the 30-year period significant changes in alkaloid profiles sometimes occurred. The results of this study indicate that chemical defense in a dendrobatid poison frog is dependent on geographic location and habitat type, which presumably controls the abundance and nature of alkaloid-containing arthropods.

[Tom Highum]

Ooh cool thanks John and Ron I have learned my something for today.

[herpinjim]

If dart frogs got their toxins solely from alkaloids you would be able to feed D auratus the same insects as D terribilis and they would be equally toxic. I assume they process the toxins differently. I have also talked to a couple people who have claimed to have had toxic reactions from captive terribilis.

[Tom Highum]

They were probably wild caught. If wild caught they can keep there poison for a long time but the amount and the potency decreases.

[Ron]

Different types of toxins in auratus and terribilis: I believe auratus contain pumilotixins and terribilis have histrionitoxins. They're not the same thing. Even in the wild you can pick up and handle the vast majority of poison dart frogs--out of the hundreds of different species, there are only three (in the Phyllobates genus) that are would be seriously harmful if handled (and you had a cut that allowed the toxins into your bloodstream, otherwise the particle size is too large to pass through skin).

I doubt the terribilis he handled were wild-caught. They have not been collected and/or imported in years.

[Kurt]

I remember hearing that captive bred P. terribilis were toxic.

[Purpleskull]

That is actually kind of interesting. I think I asked something related to this in my intro. I guess CB are ok but stresses them out. Do all frogs get stressed?

[Kurt]

They all can become stressed and the degree of stress will depend on the species and the situation.