Poison dart frogs make colorful pets

If a small, brightly colored frog caught your eye at the zoo or pet shop, you most likely saw a poison dart frog from Central or South America. The nearly 250 species of Dendrobatidae come in colors ranging from dark purple-blue to bright neon yellows and oranges, with any combination of colors in between, such as the picturesquely named black-and-yellow bumblebee dart frog.



This little metallic blue fellow showed up better against the wood shavings than the even smaller (but just as bright) bumblebee frogs. Author's photo. If a small, brightly colored frog caught your eye at the zoo or pet shop, you most likely saw a poison dart frog from Central or South America. The nearly 250 species of Dendrobatidae come in colors ranging from dark purple-blue to bright neon yellows and oranges, with any combination of colors in between, such as the picturesquely named poison dart frogs.

The metallic blue beauty in today’s photo caught my eye when some friends and I finally got to Scott Smith’s All Animal Expo in Wheaton last Sunday afternoon. This venue may not have every captive-bred animal on the planet, but the dealers definitely cover all the major groups: reptiles and amphibians, birds, small exotic mammals (sugar gliders, chinchillas, hedgehogs, and ferrets), fish, arachnids, along with a few more mundane rabbits, puppies and kittens—plus chickens and ducks.
One aspect of All Animal Expo’s vendor rules that I particularly appreciate: Any sales of animals requiring permits are allowed only between properly licensed parties, and a copy of the dealer's permit must be shown at the front table. I overheard at least one dealer informing potential buyers of state and local permit requirements for some of the animals he had on offer.

As I strolled between the neutral-toned bearded dragons and dark tarantulas, tiny neon-bright amphibians practically glowed in their containers. Bright colors warn predators of potentially poisonous prey in animals from monarch butterflies to snakes. Fortunately, the poison in dart frogs depends on their diet. Those born in captivity lack the food—a particular ant species—that allows the frogs to manufacture the deadly venom. Actually, not all the colorful frogs make poison even in the wild. Some merely imitate poisonous frogs' colors. As with the viceroy butterflies that mimic monarchs, apparently the warning color suffices to protect them from potential predators.
Poison dart frogs need a spacious tropical terrarium, whether as simple as a 10 gallon aquarium with soil, a few clippings of pothos and a water dish, or as complex as a custom-made enclosure with running water, timer-controlled lighting and exotic tropical plants. These frogs mostly eat small insects such as fruit flies and newborn crickets.

Despite a long-standing fascination with reptiles and amphibians (see For love of turtles and My life with(out) reptiles), I don’t see myself branching out into frog-keeping anytime soon. I had terrible luck raising local tadpoles as a child. However, despite poison dart frogs’ small size and delicate appearance, I’ve read that some can live as long as 15 years! And, while poison dart frogs have a reputation for being difficult to keep, finding healthy frogs and purchasing the required supplies to keep them is now easier than ever. Certainly, I found at least three knowledgeable amphibian dealers at this show, one of whom brought a demo jar of tadpoles along with his adult frogs for sale.

Author: Susan NC Price
Susan NC's Home Page.

Source: Examiner.com

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