Without doubt, dart frogs (or poison dart frogs) are one of the most colorful and beautiful amphibians in the trade. Many customers pass our gorgeous dart frog display tanks and say "man would be cool to have those". Well you can, and they are a lot easier to care for and maintain than you would think by looking at the enclosure. A dart frog vivarium could be your new favorite hobby!
Beautiful Enclosures
Dart frogs, without a reasonable doubt, can be housed by the most beautiful planted terrariums. Dart frogs are stunning display animals and already have a bright and vivid color, making them stand out with a splash of color in your green enclosure. Truly, a well-made, active dart frog vivarium looks like a slice of jungle contained within a glass box in the middle of your living room. Dart frog enclosures should be equipped with some type of water feature, the soothing trickle of water and waterfall aesthetic makes any dart frog tank the perfect focus point of any room. Instead of setting up the tank for the frogs, sometimes it ends up being the opposite, purchasing frogs as an excuse to set up a beautiful tank!
Easy Maintenance
Dart frogs are generally known for their low maintenance. Dart frogs, like all frogs, do not drink water, rather they absorb water through their skin. This is why frog enclosures must have high humidity (80%+) and misted daily, weather it be manually or using a highly recommended Mist King System. There is no need to change out and clean any water dishes or food dishes. Dart frogs are insectivores and will only eat small insects, mainly including flightless fruit flies and appropriate sized crickets. Culturing your fruit flies is very inexpensive and can provide weeks of food in one container. No need to worry about collecting waste or uneaten food, with a fully planted tank, the waste is decomposed by beneficial bacteria within the soil. Dart frogs are very hearty frogs and can handle a larger margin of error before causing any permanent problems with your frogs health.
Active During the Day
That's right! Unlike most frogs that are nocturnal, dart frogs are diurnal meaning they are active during the day. This means you can enjoy them during daylight hours, and if you have any males, will not call at night. No UVB is needed for these frogs, just enough light so they can successfully hunt their food. We recommend an Exo Terra Natural Light Bulb to help promote plant growth and enhance vision.
Inexpensive to Keep
Sure, a nice, well-done dart frog tank may be a bit pricey to set up with all the live plants, lighting, and decor. But after that, keeping these little guys are shockingly inexpensive. Keeping reptiles like bearded dragons and uromastyx need intense basking spots, which draws lots of power (100-150+ watts). Dart frogs need nothing more than some compact LED lights that can run less than 12 watts, so you wont be seeing any noticeably increase on your electricity bill! As mentioned above, dart frogs can thrive on colonies of flightless fruit flies, which can last a very long time. Fruit flies will continue to reproduce inside of the colony, creating more food. If done properly, one $15 fruit fly culture can easily provide an entire months worth of food. It is always a good idea to supplement your food with calcium, we recommends Repashy Calcium Plus LoD. Don't wory about having to frequently replace your frogs, well cared for dart frogs can live for up to 15 years!
Dart Frogs are NOT Poisonous
Well, they are, but not in captivity. Dart frogs are completely non-toxic when captive bred (dart frogs are commonly bred in captivity), even wild-caught poison dart frogs gradually lose their potency in captivity. In order for these frogs to create their toxic qualities, they must ingest certain chemicals present in the food they eat in the wild. Scientists do nut fully understand what ingredients in the wild cause toxicity, we just know that non are present in captive care.
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