# Frogs & Toads > Mantella & Other Mantellidae > General Discussion >  Painted Mantella Care: a Zookeeper's Thoughts

## findiviglio

Long overshadowed by the wildly popular dart poison frogs, the equally tiny and beautiful mantella frogs are finally coming into their own. While most are spectacularly colored, the Barons Painted Mantella (_Mantella baroni_) seems to eclipse all others, at least in my opinion. It is also the largest species commonly available (and the second-largest known), a fact that renders it both more eye-catching and a bit easier to provide with a varied diet.  Read the rest of this article here Care of the Worldâs Most Colorful Mantella: A Zookeeperâs Thoughts 
  Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

  My Bio, with photos of animals Ive been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place Welcomes Frank Indiviglio | That Reptile Blog

  Best Regards, Frank

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## Lynn

Frank,
Thanks very much for stopping by and taking the time to post.
We truly appreciate it!

Lynn  :Butterfly:

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## Terry

Hi Frank

Thanks for the great article on Mantellas. The Omaha Zoo has a large colony of small frogs from Madagascar, including the genera _Mantella_, _Scaphiophryne_, and _Heterixalus_. One of my many jobs there was the care of the Madagascar colony. The "off-display" frogs were kept in very spartan conditions. A large, plastic tub with about 1/2 inch of water, moss and a bark hiding place. There was also a low-wattage UVB lamp. They seemed to thrive and even breed. Of course the public display was very detailed and matched their native environment quite well. 

I was very interested in your comment about the frogs deriving toxins from ants. It reminds me of two West African frog species,_ Phrynomantis microps_ and _Kassina fusca_, having an interesting relationship with ponerine ants (_Megaponera sp._ and _Paltothyrcus sp._) I wonder if the ponerine ant that the dart frogs are eating is from the genus _Dinoponera_? I have always had an interest in parallel evolution and biogeography.

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