Green and Black Poison Dart Frog - Dendrobates auratus

General Information

Distribution — Southern Nicaragua south through Costa Rica, Panama into northern Colombia

Habitat — Rainforest habitats in the leaf litter.

Adult Size — Adult females attain snout-vent lengths of between 2.5 - 4.2 cm (1-2 inches). Males are slightly smaller.

Temperament — Poison dart frogs are active alert animals that will forage in their enclosure during the day.  As with all amphibians, they have sensitive, highly permeable skin.  They should not be handled unless absolutely necessary.

Longevity — Poison dart frogs may live more than 10 years in captivity with some species possibly living as long as 20 years.

Captive Care

Rating: 2 — Provided that the frogs are domestically bred, poison dart frogs are relatively easy to keep.  However, they do require some specialized care.  Specifically, they need to be fed large quantities of small prey items such as pinhead crickets and fruit flies.  Regular misting is required to maintain appropriate levels of humidity.

Diet: Pinhead to 1/4 crickets and fruit flies.

Temperature: 24C to 28C (75-82F) during the day and 22C (72F) at night.

Space: One or two adults can be housed a 10-15 gallon terrarium. If you plan on keeping a community of frogs a 35-50 gallon vivarium is recommended.

Breeding: These frogs breed throughout the year.  Males have specific territories and pre-selected sites for reproduction.  Eggs are laid on the smooth surface of anything ranging from bromeliad leaves to black film canisters.  High levels of humidity must be maintained as the males use water to keep the eggs hydrated over the 15 day development period.  Once they hatch the male transports them to a bromeliad funnel or similar pool of water.  The tadpoles should be removed and raised singly in water that is no more than 5 to 6 cm.  Water should be changed every two to three days with clean aged water.  Tadpoles should be fed quality fish flake food along with frozen mosquito larvae and finely chopped tubifex worms.  It takes up to 100 days for the tadpoles to transform.

Special Requirements: Green and black poison dart frogs require misting at least twice daily and lots of terrestrial cavities for hiding in.  Leaf litter from tropical plants are an excellent source of suitable hiding places.  Naturally planted vivaria are the best enclosures for housing these frogs.  Use tropical plants such as bromeliads to create an attractive and stimulating environment for dart frogs.

Sources (Suggested Reading):

Bartlett, R.D. 2003. Poison Dart Frogs: Facts and advice on care and breeding. Barron’s Educational Series Inc., New York. Pp. 46.

Mattison, Chris. 1993. Keeping and Breeding Amphibians. Cassell Publishing, London, UK. Pp. 224.

Staniszewski, Marc. 1995. Amphibians in Captivity. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune, New Jersey. Pp. 544.

Schmidt W., and F. W. Henkel. 2004.  Poison Frogs.  Chimaira Press, Frankfurt, Germany.  Pp. 166.