Dart frogs?

DreadMan

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Hi I am new to vertebrates, and I was just wondering how good dart frogs would be for beginners. I was thinking of making a large terrarium filled with tropical plants, moss and maybe a misting system. Anybody know how they would fair if I went for vacation?
 

Frogdaddy

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Dart frogs are a little more demanding than Tarantulas. Unlike T's, dart frogs do have some temperature and humidity requirements. Bit if you do your research and are diligent there is no reason you shouldn't be successful. There are quite a few froggers here that also keep T's. I encourage ypu to check out some specialized forums for dart frogs. Dendroboard and Dart Den are the two best.
 

xXTristinaXx

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Hi I am new to vertebrates, and I was just wondering how good dart frogs would be for beginners. I was thinking of making a large terrarium filled with tropical plants, moss and maybe a misting system. Anybody know how they would fair if I went for vacation?
I believe they are pretty simple it is just thought that they are not as forgiving, so if you were to do something wrong there may be some more serious consequences then say a dumpy tree frog (sheeeeeeesh) which can live in pretty dry conditions.
 

LizardStudent

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Dart frogs aren't usually recommended for beginners since they're so particular, but in truth beginners CAN keep them successfully, just as others have said they tend to be less forgiving than other amphibians. Main thing is if you mess up, they and their setups tend to be darn expensive, so its quite a bummer. If you're interested I would recommend looking into Josh's Frogs' care sheets for some of the beginner types, really good info. As for the vacation, it depends how long you'd be away for that you may or may not need someone to check in on them
 

viper69

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Hi I am new to vertebrates, and I was just wondering how good dart frogs would be for beginners. I was thinking of making a large terrarium filled with tropical plants, moss and maybe a misting system. Anybody know how they would fair if I went for vacation?
Doable with the right person

Better option is White’s Tree Frog. If you kill that species, your next pet should be a rock
 
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xXTristinaXx

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Dart frogs have a pretty short life span compared to others so I think that also makes them pretty viable for beginners, the moral of the story is that they are easy to care for, this does not mean you can slack off like other species (hopefully you still don't) and still need to stay vigilant, as they are not as forgiving
 

MasterOogway

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Dart frogs have a pretty short life span

Incorrect. Cared for correctly, darts have been documented to live close to 20 years. They easily should make it to 10, if not longer. They are somewhat delicate due to their small size, but honestly they are not difficult, especially if you take your time and carefully prepare a setup for them. That's the hard part; once the enclosure is ready you make fruit flies every other week or so and that's about it for your day to day husbandry. Honestly incredibly easy to keep.
 

moricollins

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Dart frogs have a pretty short life span compared to others so I think that also makes them pretty viable for beginners, the moral of the story is that they are easy to care for, this does not mean you can slack off like other species (hopefully you still don't) and still need to stay vigilant, as they are not as forgiving
As @MasterOogway identified, dart frogs can live 20+ years when cared for properly.

What are you comparing dart frogs to when you say they don't live as long and aren't as forgiving ? A properly set up dart frog tank is very stable in terms of humidity and temperature (assuming that your house is climate controlled and you do the required husbandry).

As for the vacation: I routinely go away for a week and I don't need anyone to do anything with my dart frogs while I'm gone (granted I do have an automated misting system to take care of the watering requirements)
 

viper69

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I believe they are pretty simple it is just thought that they are not as forgiving, so if you were to do something wrong there may be some more serious consequences then say a dumpy tree frog (sheeeeeeesh) which can live in pretty dry conditions.

Dart frogs have a pretty short life span compared to others so I think that also makes them pretty viable for beginners, the moral of the story is that they are easy to care for, this does not mean you can slack off like other species (hopefully you still don't) and still need to stay vigilant, as they are not as forgiving
What species of PDF have you kept for their full life cycle?

You contradict yourself. They are either forgiving or they aren’t. First post - people have wrong impression thus PDF are foregiving.

Yet your 2nd post reads the opposite!

Either you know what you’re talking about or you don’t. Your posts suggest you don’t.

BTW their life span is considerably longer not as short as you think.
 

xXTristinaXx

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They are not as forgiving. forgiving I mean like if you were to make a mistake then there may be harsher consequences, like to compare to a dumpy tree frog if you do something wrong there is a good chance that the frog will be ok
 

Dandrobates

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Just to return to the OPs original question, the answer is yes and no. (Although I could go on about the subject for ages) There are a variety of dart frog species available in the hobby but not all are suited for beginners. With proper care most can live in excess of 10 years. There are are some caveats to care though that should be addressed before acquiring one. Here’s a brief list of questions to ask yourself:
1. Are you comfortable culturing fruit flies and spring tails? (Most Dartfrogs only accept very small prey items)
2. Do you intend to keep a group or a single frog? (Some species can be very territorial)
3. Have you kept any amphibian species before?(there are in my opinion better species to start out with that are more tolerant of keeper errors)
4. Can you successfully take care of plants on a very basic level? (Plant knowledge is not essential but it can be helpful)
5. Do you have the time to commit to the frog’s entire lifespan? (Which can be up to 20 years)
6. Have you done enough research? (The Complete Oophaga Pumillio is a great resource. Although I don’t recommend pumilio for beginners this book still has great quality information.)
7. Do you understand how to properly set up a vivarium? (Ie. proper substrate that is not soaking wet, just the right amount of ventilation, leaf litter etc. )

There is no real reason why a beginner can’t be successful. But it does take dedication. Do your research and ask yourself if it’s doable for you.
 

viper69

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They are not as forgiving. forgiving I mean like if you were to make a mistake then there may be harsher consequences, like to compare to a dumpy tree frog if you do something wrong there is a good chance that the frog will be ok
I understand the definition of foregiving hahahaahha

Your answers were conflicted.

Have you kept PDFs??
 

DreadMan

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Thanks all. I have decided to make the terrarium similar to the one in this video
(hate the video, love the terrarium). So I guess i need to dust the fruit flies before I put them in, And they should be fine on vacation.
 

moricollins

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Thanks all. I have decided to make the terrarium similar to the one in this video
(hate the video, love the terrarium). So I guess i need to dust the fruit flies before I put them in, And they should be fine on vacation.
In my opinion that terrarium in the video is very poorly suited for dart frogs. The terrestrial moss doesn't have any benefit for the frogs, and retains way too much moisture which is bad for the frogs' feet, the pond area at the front will be a haven for dead fruit flies causing a gross mess very quickly.

This is a pretty much textbook example of "looks pretty, isn't a very functional terrarium".

In my opinion, as a beginner your focus needs to be on functionality over aesthetics.

As mentioned by @Frogdaddy you should sign up with a dedicated dart frog forum such as dendroboard or dartden
 

MasterOogway

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Dendroboard will be your friend. Been a member there for over 10 years, some good info in that place. Also, no water features. They look great, for all of about a week, and they're a nightmare to deal with. Lots of open floor space, good climbing opportunities, and a boat load of leaf litter and you'll have happy frogs.

But also yes, dust your FF (Repashy cal +, maybe some repashy vit A once or twice a month).
 
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