LulaBear

Hey Guys,
I took my son to the local fish store today to pick out a few fish and some how we came home with a beautiful little green and black frog. It was only $25 and he had to have it. The shop owner told me it was a "dart frog" and there was a wealth of info on the web. So here I am.
Right now he is in a small plastic cage with a wet piece of white paper towel. I also purchased a small container of fruit flies to feed it.
I have so many questions.....I don't know where to start. I just want to keep the lil guy alive.
BTW-We named him "Hulk". (LOL, heez only the size of a nickle!)

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Your gonna luv this site...It's so cute! LulaBear.com

JackBauer

hey lula,
well start asking those questions!!! its the best way to learn.what kinda of set up do you have now?
a ten gallon tank with a glass top and a flourescent light would be a basic start. inside the tank you would want a base layer of leca or terra lite wich can be found online.some people use gravel i find it to heavy and breeds certin bacteria too easy.after that place a layer of window screen, found at home depot or somewhere similar.so if its a ten gallon you would need a 20 x 10 inch pieace. next get your hands on some co co fiber.it comes in brick form.some pets store have it, some dont. it too can be found online.then after that its all up to you as long as you provide hiding areas for him. auratus love leaf litter. live plants can be anything from pathos to bromiliades.they arnt to picky as some are.i would try to keep the temp around 75 to 77 during the day and 70 at night.feed every day right now beacause he sounds young.lastly i would get a vitamins supplemt to dust the fruit flys with.dendrocare is great as well as rep cal and herptivite. take the flys and put them in a glass and sprinkle some of the vitamins on them before you feed.you dont have to dust them everytime.it may sound like alot right now but i promise its not.they are fairly low maintance once you get there needs a bit, and you will soon have pet you couldnt imgaine not having. good luck.any questions please ask. we will get you through it here.
austin

Knoxter

A 10 gal is plenty for a baby auratus. Autin did a good job outlining the needs of your new lil guy "Hulk" and if you follow those instructions you'll be fine. The only thing I will add are a few alternatives to some of his suggestions.

The drainage: If you cannot find leca and gravel will be too heavy, you can use the gray packing Styrofoam that is made of little "S" shapes. (UPS Stores sell it) The green or white works also, but if you use that color, try and cover it up with a lil black electrical tape. It works, but doesn't look as natural as leca or gravel. Then put you window screen, substrate, plants, etc.

Humidity: Cover the top of your tank with a piece of glass (or plastic wrap temporarily) Humidity needs to be over 80%. And don't forget to put a water dish. Maybe a black film canister. He just needs somewhere to replenish.

Food and Vitamins: I think this is the single most challenging aspect of the hobby. You can never have too much food. You can now buy decent FF (fruit fly) cultures at certain Petco stores or pinhead crickets. Both are avail online also at a variety of site. (See DFF links) Lastly, make sure you dust them with both regular vitamins (I do at all feedings) and calcium (at least once a week). Make em FAT! Later when he's bigger you can feed him bean beetles. You can get them from Andy at Brooklyn Dart Frogs.

Good luck and keep us posted. Maybe start a gallery on your profile and post a few pics.

Regards,
Marc

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Marc

My frogs- Vanzolini, El Dorado (ong&gold), Cayo de Agua, Almerante, Gold Dust, Yuris, Imis, Inters, Taras, O Lamasi, Iquitos Vents, Varis, SI.


I appreciate everyone here. Without you, there would be no DFF. Thank you for your support.

socaled

hi lula just pm me if you need a recipe for the FF culture.

-Angeles

LulaBear

Thanks Ed. For now we just go to Petco once a week when the new cultures come in. But I don't think this is the end. I really believe this is the beginning. He is so attached.

On another note, it's been a few days since I've visited. I am thankful you guys are here. Hulk frog is growing so fast. He gobbles up all the flies as soon as they are dropped. I told mt son about the banana idea and your right. He waits like a dog. LOL

Thanks again guys.

Lula

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Your gonna luv this site...It's so cute! LulaBear.com

socaled

You don't have to buy a new culture every week that's a bit extreme. Cultures can last anywhere from 2-4 weeks some have actually been able to keep them a little long because of thicknest of media. To fully obtain the potential of each culture make sure you don't feed all the new born flies in the container once you do and there is not enough larvae to keep up with how much you feed then your culture will cease. I good thing to do is buy 2 label them 1 and 2. Use culture 1 one day and the next use culture 2 that will give you more flies in the long run. Good luck hope this helps.

-Angeles

atlfrog

Depending on how you feed they can last longer than that. My cultures last for 5-8 weeks and I have tons of frogs and of course tons of cultures. I would have to be honest with you, I wouldn't have bought the frog until I had the habitat and research done first. Dart frogs can be very sensitive to environmental changes, temperatures, humidity, etc. One change in the variation that it needs there goes the frog. Now some frogs are better than others in regards to hardiness but you the risk when the habitat is not ready for the frog no matter what temporary enclosure you have. I can say this because I screwed up so many times that my stubborn head finally gave in. I am not trying to be mean but buying frogs or animals on impulse or being talked into it without knowing more is not so good for the animal. BUT your in the right place. I can send you a quick care sheet or guide to make a simple terrarium that will be suited for your little one. Let me know. Things to consider with Arautus.....

Temps:
Day time: 72F to 78 no higher than 79 or heat stroke can occur
Night Time: 68F to 76 no colder.

Humidity in this frog can range from 60% to 100% and will be fine.

Lighting: If you have live plants you will need to have lighting for the plants to survive. For dart frogs I recommend lighting for them for at least 8 hrs a day, unless you are intending on breeding him/her but that is a different story.

Supplementation: Varrying powered supplements (Herptivite, dendrocare, etc.) between every other feeding is a good idea, just make sure you don't over supplement as it will kill your frog.

MOST IMPORTANT: Keeping your flies from running out. That's the easiest.

If you keep these in mind the success rate will soar and you will have a happy go lucky frog. The site provided has great links and care sheets. The particular amphibian that is shown has the same requirement needs as the Arautus. I breed Leucs and Arautus and what not so you will be safe in this area. The plastic container will be fine for now, just add a place for him/her to hide (cocco hut and some fake plants for it to climb on. Unless you have it in the smallest critter keeper (5gall or higher is better). The coco hut will be for relieving stress and the plants to have fun exploring and exercising. My telephone number is ....... (PM to inquire) if you like to talk about it more and anyone here on this board can use it. Try me first by email or IM, but feel free to call me. Now you can see why I said the things I said earlier. This is a VERY expensive hobby, and like most animals if you are not into it, then it suffers. I as well as the rest of us are here to help if you need it.

Amphibiancare.com >> Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobatidae) Care

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Merek Matthew Cardew :: ATLFROG.com
HTTP://www.blogtalkradio.com/reptilian-fish