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The growth and development of the Animal Husbandry Dart Frog Husbandry : methods or techniques used From category Frog, Husbandry Below : Product Details : Dart Frog Husbandry : methods or techniques usedThere are many methods or techniques used by dart frog hobbyists, and many different opinions on what is the ideal way to maintain dart frogs. We are not going to attempt to cover all of these ideas and opinions, but try to generalize the main points and give you an idea of what is required for maintaining dart frogs in captivity. The points we wish to cover are on Quarantine, Housing, Lighting, Temperature, Food and Water. Depending on the species you keep, the parameters are going to change, and one should research the species being kept to ensure that all adjustments for proper husbandry can be made appropriately.
Quarantine
This is one aspect of Dart Frog Husbandry that tends to be overlooked. Whenever acquiring new animals, there should be a strict quarantine period for them. It doesn’t matter whether the animals that are acquired are captive bred or wild caught, they should all be treated as if they are potentially carrying something. The recommended time for quarantine is a minimum of three months. During this time, the new animals should not come in contact with other animals. If more animals are acquired during this time, they should also be kept apart from those already in quarantine. Quarantine should not only mean a different enclosure from those in your collection, but the quarantine enclosures should be kept in a separate area, and if at all possible, in an entirely different room. Animals kept in quarantine should be fed and watered after everything else in your collection has been done to avoid contamination. Sprayers and food items should not be allowed back into the “clean” room once they are used in the quarantine room, so it is advisable to have different sets of items for each room. Even “experts” have had trouble with introducing a pathogen into their collections, so although it might seem to be a long quarantine period, it is far more preferable than loosing your entire collection to a single introduction.
Housing
Like anything else on dart frogs, there is more than one way to house them. For the most part, what is required is a rainforest type terrarium. You can use a soil bottom, false bottom, gravel bottom, or design your own terrarium. The main thing is that you have a useable terrarium. Most Dendrobatids will breed in a 10 gallon sized terrarium, but if you want something larger, by all means, go for it. Our substrate of preference is SuperSoil brand potting soil. We have been using it for years, and won’t use anything else. They key is once you get it planted, don’t over water the tanks, unless you have a sufficient drainage that keeps the tanks from getting flooded. Instead, restrict some of the evaporation so that it doesn’t dry out quickly, and keep the humidity up by regular misting. By doing this, the soil will not go bad and start to smell. The tanks do not need to be kept at 100% humidity at all times, although many people believe this. Letting the humidity range between 65% and 100% is fine. Keeping the tanks well planted will help in keeping the humidity up. Our basic set up consists of a 2-3 inch layer of SuperSoil, cork bark or river rocks embedded in the substrate, some live plants that do well in low light and high moisture, and live tropical moss. Keep in mind, this is a very basic set-up, and it’s not for everyone, but it is, functional, cheap, and sufficient. You can elaborate as much or as little as you want.
Lighting
One of the main things that is needed to keep the plants and moss growing is sufficient lighting. All of our tanks are set up under 4 ft. shop lights. Lighting is crucial in keeping the terrarium looking healthy and growing well. We have found that the shop lights put out sufficient lighting to accomplish this. The plants and live tropical moss will grow well under these types of lights. They even put out sufficient lighting to grow the bromeliads needed to raise some egg-feeding Dendrobatids. They are quite inexpensive, and one should be able to find a fully assembled shop light at The Home Depot for under $10 plus an additional $3 for the fluorescent bulbs. The lighting is essential to the overall health of the terrarium, but its full impact on the health of the frogs is not fully known at this time.
Temperature
Most Dart Frog Hobbyists maintain the majority of their collection in the mid 70°F. range. There are species that prefer is warmer or cooler, but in general, it’s recommended that the temperature not be allowed to fall below 65°F. or above 85°F. In general this range will be sufficient for many species, but it is always a good idea to find out more specific information on each species that you decide to keep. Also, keep in mind that the lighting may increase the temperature in the enclosures by a few degrees, depending on the types of lighting used, and its proximity to the enclosures.
Water
There are differing opinions on what type of water should be used for the frogs. There is the belief that the frogs should be watered using treated tap water to ensure that the frogs receive some of the dissolved minerals in the water. Others think that purified or reverse osmosis (r/o) water is ideal so that there are no harmful chemicals in the water that could affect the frogs. While we do feel that the dissolved minerals in the water may be a good source for the frogs, we prefer to use r/o water for misting the enclosures. It does not stain the walls of the terrarium with mineral deposits, and more closely resembles the quality of rainwater, which is what the frogs would receive in the wild. It may still be a good idea to use treated tap water in any ponds or water dishes in the enclosures.
Food & Supplementation
In captivity, Dendrobatids are raised primarily on fruit flies, crickets, wax worms, termites, springtails, and flour beetle larvae. It is a good idea to vary their diets as much as possible, but for some, finding food items that are small enough for the darts to accept may be difficult. For most hobbyists, the culturing of one or more of these food items is necessary. Vitamin, mineral, and calcium supplementation should also be provided for the frogs in captivity. There are many different brands available on the market, and new ones are always popping up. A few of the supplements that are used include Herptivite, Rep-Cal, MinerAll, Nekton-Rep, Nekton-MSA, and Nekton-E. Supplements should be given on a rotational basis, instead of mixing them all together.
Breeding
Ultimately, if you keep Dendrobatids, you will eventually come to this topic, so we will attempt to briefly go over some of the important points to successfully breed Dendrobatids in captivity. As far as breeding goes, most Dendrobatids can be broken down, somewhat, into three groups… Ones that will lay eggs in bowers, ones that lay eggs on plants, and Egg-feeders. Many of the larger frogs such as Phyllobates, and Epipedobates, and those in the D. tinctorius group will readily lay eggs in a secluded covered spot called a bower. A bower is anything the frogs can find cover under to carry out their breeding activities. It could be overlapping leaves, a petri dish under a coconut shell, a flowerpot, or a film canister. The male frog usually initiates breeding by calling to a female. If the female is willing, she will follow the male around, stroking his back until he leads her to his bower. This process may take hours. When the eggs are laid, the frogs return to keep them moist. In the wild, the male frog will check on the eggs until they hatch, then carry the tadpoles to a source of water, after which all parental duties end. In captivity, the eggs may be removed at this point to be raised apart from the parents. It generally takes about 8-14 days for the eggs of most species to hatch into tadpoles. There are many different methods to raising tadpoles. The easiest method is to raise the tadpoles in individual containers until they metamorphose into froglets. Other methods include raising them in groups or using containers floating in an aquarium with a filter to clean the water. We feel that the individual container method is still one of the better methods. Cleaning the water in individual containers can be time consuming, but it reduces the risk of cannibalism or spreading diseases through a group of tadpoles. Once the tadpoles are placed into their individual containers, they can be raised on a diet of high quality tropical fish food. Other items fed to tadpoles include spirulina, chlorella, and mosquito larvae. The water should be changed as it gets dirty, depending on the size of the containers they are being kept in. Obviously, an 8-ounce cup is going to need changing before a 32-ounce cup. The tadpoles should be treated similarly to tropical fish, and similar water quality precautions should be followed, such as treating hard water before using it for the tadpoles. If kept in the mid 70’s, the tadpoles should metamorphose into froglet in about 6 – 8 weeks. Before the tadpole absorbs all of its tail, the water level in the cups should be reduced to avoid drowning. Placing the cup at an angle of less than 30 degrees will also aide in allowing the froglet an easier transition out of the water. Froglets can be managed similarly to adult frogs, except that they are smaller, and so the food items should be adjusted in size, accordingly. Some hobbyists prefer to raise them in smaller enclosures to assure that they can find the food items with ease.
Many frogs in the D. quinquevitattus group prefer to lay their eggs on vertical leaves or in the axils of bromeliads. Some of the frogs in this group are considered “non-obligatory egg-feeders”. This means that the adult frogs will sometimes lay infertile eggs to feed their tadpoles that have been transported into a water source, usually in the axils of bromeliads. Unlike true egg-feeders, the tadpoles of these frogs will accept other food items besides the food eggs, thus tadpoles of these frogs can also be raised in the same manner as those in the D. tinctorius group. The tadpoles or eggs can simply be removed, and raised in the same manner as mentioned above.
The last group of frogs are the true egg-feeders. This group consists of D. pumilio, D. granuliferus, D. histrionicus, and D. lehmanni, to name a few. In this group, the tadpoles are raised strictly on infertile eggs that are laid by the female parent, and will not accept other items of food. In this case, the parents should be left alone to carry out all of their parental duties. The breeding and courtship are similar to the other groups, but instead of the male carrying the tadpoles, it is the female’s duty. She will pick up the tadpoles and deposit them into the axils of a bromeliad, then lay an infertile egg to feed the tadpole. She will return to repeat this action until the froglet metamorphoses. A bromeliad or other water-holding plant should be included in their enclosure to promote the transportation of the tadpoles. Rearing should still take about 6-8 weeks. Froglets can be managed in the same manner as mentioned above. Because of the slow method of raising young in this group, captive-bred specimens are not commonly available, and are usually expensive. Despite the seemingly easy method of letting the frogs do all the work, this group does not necessarily breed readily in captivity, and is still considered better suited for the advanced hobbyists.
Quarantine
This is one aspect of Dart Frog Husbandry that tends to be overlooked. Whenever acquiring new animals, there should be a strict quarantine period for them. It doesn’t matter whether the animals that are acquired are captive bred or wild caught, they should all be treated as if they are potentially carrying something. The recommended time for quarantine is a minimum of three months. During this time, the new animals should not come in contact with other animals. If more animals are acquired during this time, they should also be kept apart from those already in quarantine. Quarantine should not only mean a different enclosure from those in your collection, but the quarantine enclosures should be kept in a separate area, and if at all possible, in an entirely different room. Animals kept in quarantine should be fed and watered after everything else in your collection has been done to avoid contamination. Sprayers and food items should not be allowed back into the “clean” room once they are used in the quarantine room, so it is advisable to have different sets of items for each room. Even “experts” have had trouble with introducing a pathogen into their collections, so although it might seem to be a long quarantine period, it is far more preferable than loosing your entire collection to a single introduction.
Housing
Like anything else on dart frogs, there is more than one way to house them. For the most part, what is required is a rainforest type terrarium. You can use a soil bottom, false bottom, gravel bottom, or design your own terrarium. The main thing is that you have a useable terrarium. Most Dendrobatids will breed in a 10 gallon sized terrarium, but if you want something larger, by all means, go for it. Our substrate of preference is SuperSoil brand potting soil. We have been using it for years, and won’t use anything else. They key is once you get it planted, don’t over water the tanks, unless you have a sufficient drainage that keeps the tanks from getting flooded. Instead, restrict some of the evaporation so that it doesn’t dry out quickly, and keep the humidity up by regular misting. By doing this, the soil will not go bad and start to smell. The tanks do not need to be kept at 100% humidity at all times, although many people believe this. Letting the humidity range between 65% and 100% is fine. Keeping the tanks well planted will help in keeping the humidity up. Our basic set up consists of a 2-3 inch layer of SuperSoil, cork bark or river rocks embedded in the substrate, some live plants that do well in low light and high moisture, and live tropical moss. Keep in mind, this is a very basic set-up, and it’s not for everyone, but it is, functional, cheap, and sufficient. You can elaborate as much or as little as you want.
Lighting
One of the main things that is needed to keep the plants and moss growing is sufficient lighting. All of our tanks are set up under 4 ft. shop lights. Lighting is crucial in keeping the terrarium looking healthy and growing well. We have found that the shop lights put out sufficient lighting to accomplish this. The plants and live tropical moss will grow well under these types of lights. They even put out sufficient lighting to grow the bromeliads needed to raise some egg-feeding Dendrobatids. They are quite inexpensive, and one should be able to find a fully assembled shop light at The Home Depot for under $10 plus an additional $3 for the fluorescent bulbs. The lighting is essential to the overall health of the terrarium, but its full impact on the health of the frogs is not fully known at this time.
Temperature
Most Dart Frog Hobbyists maintain the majority of their collection in the mid 70°F. range. There are species that prefer is warmer or cooler, but in general, it’s recommended that the temperature not be allowed to fall below 65°F. or above 85°F. In general this range will be sufficient for many species, but it is always a good idea to find out more specific information on each species that you decide to keep. Also, keep in mind that the lighting may increase the temperature in the enclosures by a few degrees, depending on the types of lighting used, and its proximity to the enclosures.
Water
There are differing opinions on what type of water should be used for the frogs. There is the belief that the frogs should be watered using treated tap water to ensure that the frogs receive some of the dissolved minerals in the water. Others think that purified or reverse osmosis (r/o) water is ideal so that there are no harmful chemicals in the water that could affect the frogs. While we do feel that the dissolved minerals in the water may be a good source for the frogs, we prefer to use r/o water for misting the enclosures. It does not stain the walls of the terrarium with mineral deposits, and more closely resembles the quality of rainwater, which is what the frogs would receive in the wild. It may still be a good idea to use treated tap water in any ponds or water dishes in the enclosures.
Food & Supplementation
In captivity, Dendrobatids are raised primarily on fruit flies, crickets, wax worms, termites, springtails, and flour beetle larvae. It is a good idea to vary their diets as much as possible, but for some, finding food items that are small enough for the darts to accept may be difficult. For most hobbyists, the culturing of one or more of these food items is necessary. Vitamin, mineral, and calcium supplementation should also be provided for the frogs in captivity. There are many different brands available on the market, and new ones are always popping up. A few of the supplements that are used include Herptivite, Rep-Cal, MinerAll, Nekton-Rep, Nekton-MSA, and Nekton-E. Supplements should be given on a rotational basis, instead of mixing them all together.
Breeding
Ultimately, if you keep Dendrobatids, you will eventually come to this topic, so we will attempt to briefly go over some of the important points to successfully breed Dendrobatids in captivity. As far as breeding goes, most Dendrobatids can be broken down, somewhat, into three groups… Ones that will lay eggs in bowers, ones that lay eggs on plants, and Egg-feeders. Many of the larger frogs such as Phyllobates, and Epipedobates, and those in the D. tinctorius group will readily lay eggs in a secluded covered spot called a bower. A bower is anything the frogs can find cover under to carry out their breeding activities. It could be overlapping leaves, a petri dish under a coconut shell, a flowerpot, or a film canister. The male frog usually initiates breeding by calling to a female. If the female is willing, she will follow the male around, stroking his back until he leads her to his bower. This process may take hours. When the eggs are laid, the frogs return to keep them moist. In the wild, the male frog will check on the eggs until they hatch, then carry the tadpoles to a source of water, after which all parental duties end. In captivity, the eggs may be removed at this point to be raised apart from the parents. It generally takes about 8-14 days for the eggs of most species to hatch into tadpoles. There are many different methods to raising tadpoles. The easiest method is to raise the tadpoles in individual containers until they metamorphose into froglets. Other methods include raising them in groups or using containers floating in an aquarium with a filter to clean the water. We feel that the individual container method is still one of the better methods. Cleaning the water in individual containers can be time consuming, but it reduces the risk of cannibalism or spreading diseases through a group of tadpoles. Once the tadpoles are placed into their individual containers, they can be raised on a diet of high quality tropical fish food. Other items fed to tadpoles include spirulina, chlorella, and mosquito larvae. The water should be changed as it gets dirty, depending on the size of the containers they are being kept in. Obviously, an 8-ounce cup is going to need changing before a 32-ounce cup. The tadpoles should be treated similarly to tropical fish, and similar water quality precautions should be followed, such as treating hard water before using it for the tadpoles. If kept in the mid 70’s, the tadpoles should metamorphose into froglet in about 6 – 8 weeks. Before the tadpole absorbs all of its tail, the water level in the cups should be reduced to avoid drowning. Placing the cup at an angle of less than 30 degrees will also aide in allowing the froglet an easier transition out of the water. Froglets can be managed similarly to adult frogs, except that they are smaller, and so the food items should be adjusted in size, accordingly. Some hobbyists prefer to raise them in smaller enclosures to assure that they can find the food items with ease.
Many frogs in the D. quinquevitattus group prefer to lay their eggs on vertical leaves or in the axils of bromeliads. Some of the frogs in this group are considered “non-obligatory egg-feeders”. This means that the adult frogs will sometimes lay infertile eggs to feed their tadpoles that have been transported into a water source, usually in the axils of bromeliads. Unlike true egg-feeders, the tadpoles of these frogs will accept other food items besides the food eggs, thus tadpoles of these frogs can also be raised in the same manner as those in the D. tinctorius group. The tadpoles or eggs can simply be removed, and raised in the same manner as mentioned above.
The last group of frogs are the true egg-feeders. This group consists of D. pumilio, D. granuliferus, D. histrionicus, and D. lehmanni, to name a few. In this group, the tadpoles are raised strictly on infertile eggs that are laid by the female parent, and will not accept other items of food. In this case, the parents should be left alone to carry out all of their parental duties. The breeding and courtship are similar to the other groups, but instead of the male carrying the tadpoles, it is the female’s duty. She will pick up the tadpoles and deposit them into the axils of a bromeliad, then lay an infertile egg to feed the tadpole. She will return to repeat this action until the froglet metamorphoses. A bromeliad or other water-holding plant should be included in their enclosure to promote the transportation of the tadpoles. Rearing should still take about 6-8 weeks. Froglets can be managed in the same manner as mentioned above. Because of the slow method of raising young in this group, captive-bred specimens are not commonly available, and are usually expensive. Despite the seemingly easy method of letting the frogs do all the work, this group does not necessarily breed readily in captivity, and is still considered better suited for the advanced hobbyists.
