Poison Dart Frog

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

If a pet may have been exposed, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 before you medicate. This Poison Dart Frog page is not a dose chart.

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The name is the wild diet

Poison dart frog is the scary common name for a handful of bright dendrobatid species. The poison is not a gland they can switch on in a living room. Wild frogs store toxins from the insects they eat in the forest. A captive-bred frog raised on fruit flies and springtails does not have that chemistry. People still should not treat the animal as edible, and they should not import a wild one to "get the real thing." Wild frogs are how chytrid and illegal collection travel.

The quick facts are the short version of the family: very small, 0.5 to 2 inches, 10 to 15 years, 72 to 80°F, humidity 80 to 100 percent, an 18 by 18 by 24 vivarium, advanced care, fruit flies and springtails, bold and diurnal. Those numbers fit the common hobby species. They do not make a strawberry poison frog and a dyeing frog interchangeable. Ask for the scientific name on the receipt.

A wet tank that still breathes

High humidity with no airflow grows mold and bacterial skin problems. A planted tank with a drain layer, leaf litter, and a vented top beats a sealed fog box. Frogs drink droplets and puddles. Mist, then let surfaces dry slightly so the frogs are not sitting in soup. Springtails do two jobs: food for froglets and janitors for mold.

Groups only work for some species, and only when there is enough visual cover. Fighting looks like wrestling and weight loss, not like a cartoon chase. Separate animals that stay locked together.

Weight loss is the emergency you can see

A dart frog's bones show quickly when it stops hunting. Do not wait a month. Check that flies are actually in the tank, then call a clinic. ARAV is the finder. The not-eating page describes the pattern, and the checker is the triage step. This card does not print a dollar range. Budget a planted vivarium first. The frog is the cheaper line item, and the fly cultures are the subscription you did not know you bought.

Poison dart frog questions

Should I buy a wild poison dart frog?

No. Wild frogs can carry real toxins and real diseases, and collection hammers wild populations. Captive-bred frogs on fruit flies and springtails are the animals this page is about.

Do captive poison dart frogs stay poisonous?

They do not maintain the wild alkaloids without the wild prey. Handle that as a hygiene rule, not as a dare. Wash after working in the tank.

What is a reasonable first vivarium?

About 18 by 18 by 24 inches, planted, 72 to 80°F, and humid enough to match the 80 to 100 percent in the quick facts. Identify the species before you decide how many frogs go in.

How long do they live?

Often 10 to 15 years in captivity. The advanced rating is about humidity and diet, not about a frog that dies in a season if you do the work.