# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  Poison Dart Frog Question

## FrogFreak

I am interested in getting some poison dart frogs. I was wondering IF you could put differnt species of Dart frogs together?

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## Kurt

Its not a good idea to mix any amphibian species. There are several reasons for this. Cross poisoning, territorial disputes, cross infection, possible predation, & interbreeding to name a few. A lot of people in the dart frog community even frown upon mixing of differnt colour morphs to prevent cross breeding. Unlike snake people, who seem to be always trying to come up with a new designer snakes, dart frog people are purists. They want to keep frogs the same in captivity as they would be found in the wild. So no new man-made colour morphs.

Kurt

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## FrogFreak

Thanks Kurt! :Smile:

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## Kurt

You're welcome. Stick to one type of dart frog. The more you have the more likely they are to breed for you. One chart I saw, stated if you have 8 or more the odds of a mated pair are 100%. The best choices for first dart frogs are _Dendrobates auratus_, _D. azureus_, _D. tinctorius_, and _D. leucomelas_. All relatively hardy, large (for a dart frog,) and outgoing. _Dendrobates tinctorius_ comes in a wide variety of colour morphs, so that may be your first choice. Try not to mix the different colour morphs. You don't want to produce any "mutt" darts.

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## Banjo

This is something you witness in pet shops that either 1) are stuck for space 2) don't know any better.  It's not good to keep different species of Dart together for many reasons, firstly due to the chance of breeding but more due to the fact that many species can become aggressive towards others.  Some Darts require a little more care than others, whilst some are more hardy.  Some are bigger Darts whilst you can obtain smaller species, straight away there is a risk.  It would be nice to have a tank full of different species, but it just can't be done with guarantees that they will all be happy or safe.

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## jody

I read they are not poisonous in captivity.  what is it that makes them toxic? as aposed to my fire bellys which are always toxic.

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## John Clare

Studies have shown that much of the toxic content of Dendrobatid skin is derived from the food that they consume in their natural habitat.  Those in captivity can lose much of their toxicity simply because they don't receive the same foods as their relatives in the wild.  I can't say much about fire belly toads but I believe their toxicity is not in the same realm as that of a dart frog, and the toads don't derive their toxins from their food.  The other factor to consider is that all fire belly toads are collected from the wild, while many (most?) of the dartfrogs we see for sale are captive bred.

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## FrogFreak

John is right.I read in a book I have that some people went to study the dart frog's habitat and discovered that they got their toxin from ants.The ants where feeding off of certain plants and then the frog eats the ants and gets the substance into itself from the plants the ants ate.

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## FrogFreak

Does anybody know a website that provides a list containing info on the known dart frog species?

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## Kurt

What kind of info are you looking for? This site has a lot of amphibian info in general - http://www.livingunderworld.org/

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## FrogFreak

Thanks Kurt...This may be what I need!  :Smile:

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## Kurt

Your welcome

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## nx2ured

www.dendroboard.com 

It is a dart only forum set up just like this one. Look me up...I am chesney over there.

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## Alex Shepack

I'm a little late on this one.  WC dart frogs will retain toxicity after capture, although it decreases the longer they are in captivity.  CB darts are not toxic at all.  Like it was said above, darts derive their toxins from their diets, primarily beetles and ants.  

Alex

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## Marilu

May I suggest keeping this website in mind for dart frog information?   www.saurian.net
This is Patrick Nabors website.   He raises and breeds frogs and has supplied zoos all around the country with frogs.   His expertise is impeccable and his knowledge is great.  He is also an all round nice guy!   He sold me my three new d. auratus (which, by the way, are fantastic) and is willing to answer questions, if you're a newbie like me.  

Good luck to you!

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## Mihajlooo

Hello everybody,
Soon I will buy some Dart frogs. Can anybody tell me how big terrarium they need? In terrarium will be 3-4 frogs.

Thanks

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## Kurt

A twenty-gallon long makes a good terrarium depending on species. Some dart frog species can be quite terratorial, so research the species you want to keep.

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## Johnny O. Farnen

I recently purchased and read this book on dart frogs. It is very pricey, but many libraries have it available. 

This is an excellent source for just about everything Dart Frog.

In fact, it was so informative, I decide not to keep darts after reading it! :Frog Smile:

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## Kurt

> I recently purchased and read this book on dart frogs. It is very pricey, but many libraries have it available. 
> 
> This is an excellent source for just about everything Dart Frog.
> 
> In fact, it was so informative, I decide not to keep darts after reading it!


Good thing I didn't read it. LOL

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## Mihajlooo

Thanks for buk i think i will buy it. 
@kurt: to you think that for 1 dart frog i need 20 gallon2 or 20gallons3?

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## Kurt

I have one in a five-gallon, but he/she is small. If I were to get him two buddies, I would put them together in a twenty.

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## Mihajlooo

Now I'm confused. In 20gallons thats i think about 75 liters I can put 3 frogs?

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## Kurt

Should be able to. It would be a good idea to plant it heavy, so every frog has a place to call its own.

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## Mihajlooo

I will made the terrarium in that way, that on 3 other sides will be some kind of shelter, so every frog will have a haus.

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## Kurt

Very good.

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## Greatwtehunter

The tank you decide on depends on the species of frog you want to keep. Some dart frogs like _Dendrobates ventrimaculatus_ require a vertical terrarium while others like _Dendrobates tinctorius_ require a more horizontal setup. Once you decide on the species then you can decide what tank you will need.

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## charitynbran

what r limits for the number of frogs of all one species in a 75 gallon tincs is the frog of choice

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