Sexing poison dart frogs can be difficult. Sure, males call and females lay eggs, but there are visual signs adult frogs display that can help you determine if your poison dart frog is a Tom or a Jane.

How to Visually Sex Poison Dart Frogs: Part I – discusses how to sex various morphs of Dendrobates tinctorius

How to Visually Sex Poison Dart Frogs: Part II – discusses how to sex most other common species of poison dart frogs

This is where all of the Josh’s Frogs caresheets for thumbnail dart frogs can be found. Thumbnail dart frogs, which all belong to the genus Ranitomeya (formerly Dendrobates), are considered non-obligate egg eaters, as some species feed their tadpoles infertile eggs. Most thumbnail dart frogs are not much larger than your thumbnail when mature.

Dendrobates ventrimaculatus/Ranitomeya ventrimaculata

Three Thumbs Up – discusses Ranitomeya imitator, R. lamasi, and R. ventrimaculata

Here is where all of the Josh’s Frogs Caresheets and Phyllobates and Epipedobates dart frogs can be found. Phyllobates and Epipedobates typically prefer cooler temperatures. This group of Poison Dart Frogs includes some of the most toxic vertebrates on earth.

Epipedobates trivittatus

Phyllobates terribilis

Phyllobates bicolor

Phyllobates vittatus

The Other ‘Bates – a summary of the poison dart frogs in the genus Epipedobates and Phyllobates

Here is where all of the Josh’s Frogs Caresheets on Dendrobates tinctorius can be found.

Dendrobates tinctorius ‘Azureus’

Dendrobates tinctorius ‘Powder Blue’

Dendrobates tinctorius ‘Bakhuis’

Here’s where all of Josh’s Frogs caresheets on Dendrobates auratus can be found.

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’

Dendrobates auratus ‘Panamanian Green and Bronze’

Here, care sheets for all of the captive bred Poison Dart Frogs we sell can be found. Current caresheets include:

Dendrobates auratus

Dendrobates tinctorius

Phyllobates and Epipedobates

Thumbnail Dart Frogs

Josh’s Frogs is the largest breeder of poison dart frogs in the United States, and we’re more than happy to share our knowledge and techniques with you. Current articles in this section include:

Starting Out Right – egg and tadpole care

Starting Out Right II – morphing froglet and frog care

Why Arn’t my Poison Dart Frogs Breeding? – troubleshooting guide to get your frogs breeding

Poison Dart Frog Tadpole Care – just what it sounds like, with a video!

Caring For Poison Dart Frog Eggs – basic egg care

Poison dart frogs are what Josh’s Frogs has excelled in since the company’s inception in 2004. Josh’s Frogs is now the largest breeder of healthy, captive poison dart frogs in the United States, and most likely the world.

Current sections include:

Breeding, Egg, and Tadpole Care

Poison Dart Frog Caresheets

Sexing Poison Dart Frogs 

Introduction

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ is a great beginner dart frog. Auratus do great in pairs or groups, and are very passive and easy tempered. Auratus can be a bit shy, but a well planted vivarium will quickly make them more bold. Costa Rican auratus are among the most bold auratus in the hobby.

Widely available as captive bred animals, Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ are commonly sold at 2-3 months of age. Auratus do not develop their adult color and pattern until 6-8 months out of the water.

Trade Name(s)

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ is commonly just known as auratus in the hobby. Auratus are also known as the green and black poison dart frog.

Family & Scientific Name

Dendrobatidae; Dendrobates auratus

Range & Origin

Costa Rica. Like most auratus, Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ was not imported with any specific locale data, so the morph’s exact lineage data is unknown. This variety of Dendrobates auratus was introduced into the hobby in the 1990s.

Adult Size

Adult female Dendrobates auratus typically measure about 1.5-2″ long, with males being slightly smaller. Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ is one of the larger forms of auratus.

Adult Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’, female on left, male on right. It can be difficult to visually sex auratus until they are a couple years old, although they may breed as young as 10 months.

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ generally lay egg clutches once every 10-21 days, consisting of 3-7 eggs. These eggs take approximately 2 weeks to hatch.

Life Span

Captive life span of Dendrobates auratus is estimated to be 10-20 years, with individual instances of auratus living over 20 years reported. A close friend has had his auratus for over 27 years, and they were wild collected adults when he acquired them.

Enclosure

Dendrobates auratus, like all poison dart frogs, are best kept housed in a naturalistic vivarium.

Generally, poison dart frogs are kept in naturalistic vivaria with live plants and little to no ventilation. Dendrobates auratus hails from humid tropical rainforests, so replicating that habitat in captivity is ideal. Live plants should be used, and actually help to keep the environment clean. Provide 10 gallons or more of space per frog when adult. Dendrobates auratus does seem to enjoy a water feature.

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ taking shelter in a water feature. It is common for auratus to dive under water when threatened. They can stay submerged for several minutes at a time.

Substrate

With naturalistic vivaria, substrate typically consists of a 2” base layer of hydroton, followed by substrate barrier, then a well-draining substrate such as ABG mix in a 2” layer. On top of this, long fiber sphagnum is placed in a thin layer, followed by a hearty coating of leaf litter. The substrate can be seeded with various species of microfauna, including springtails and isopods, which are cultured and sold specifically for such applications.

Temperature

For the most part, Dendrobates auratus needs to be kept above 60F and below 80F, with an ideal temperature in the mid to low70sF. Although they can tolerate brief cold spells, poison dart frogs are very sensitive to heat.

Social Structure

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ does fine in groups, pairs, or singly when young. Unlike many other poison dart frogs, auratus tend to do well in groups their entire life. Once auratus hit sexual maturity (10-12 months), females may eat each other’s eggs.

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ does well in groups. Here, a male and female are seen courting.

Diet

Like most Poison Dart Frogs, auratus prefer smaller foods less than 1/8” long. Flightless Fruit Flies are an ideal staple food, as they are easy and inexpensive to culture, and available from several online stores, including . Other common prey items include pinhead crickets, bean beetles, springtails, isopods, aphids, rice flour beetles, lesser wax moth larvae, and phoenix worms. It is important to dust each prey item with a vitamin/mineral supplement.

Dendrobates auratus are one of the easiest poison dart frogs to breed. Here, a male can be seen dropping off a tadpole in a water feature.

Cleaning

If housed in a naturalistic vivarium, cleaning is kept to a minimum. As long as water does not saturate the ABG substrate (it will smell like rotten eggs if it does), the substrate needs to be replaced only every 3-5 years. New leaf litter should be added every 6 months or so, as the old leaf litter breaks down. Plants will need to be trimmed to keep them from outgrowing the vivarium, and the front glass can be wiped down with a paper towel to remove any algae or debris that collects there. All of the inside surfaces of the vivarium (ie plant leaves, wood, glass) should be sprayed down with a hand mister once to twice a month.

Handling

Poison Dart Frogs should not be handled except when they are being moved to or from a vivarium. They are harmless and non toxic in captivity, but household chemicals and oils on your skin can easily harm them.

Conclusion

Dendrobates auratus ‘Costa Rican Green and Black’ is a great beginner frog. Auratus are easy to keep, readily breed, and are widely available as captive bred animals.

by Zach Brinks

Epipedobates trivittatus ‘Huallaga Canyon’

Introduction and Natural History

Epipedobates trivittatus, also known as Ameerega trivittata in the new literature, is a large (adult female Epipedobates trivittatus can reach nearly 3″ in length!), active Dendrobatid frog found in Suriname and Peru, which is where most of the Epipedobates trivittatus in the hobby come from. Epipedobates trivittatus also occurs in Bolivia, Guyana, Colombia, and Venezuela. Some relatively new literature reports that Epipedobates trivittatus occurs in French Guiana and Ecuador, as well. Epipedobates trivittatus tends to inhabit low lying drainage areas of the Amazon Basin. Epipedobates trivittatus is considered a species of least concern by the IUCN Redlist. In the pet trade, Epipedobates trivittatus is known as the 3 striped poison arrow frog or the 3 striped dart frog.

Epipedobates trivittatus has experienced an interesting and history when it comes to naming. Originally described as Hyla trivittata by Spix in 1824, Epipedobates trivittatus has been renamed multiple times since then. Originally, what we now refer to as Epipedobates trivitattus (actually Ameerega trivittata) was described as two separate species!

Hyla trivittata – Spix, 1824

Hyla nigerrima – Spix, 1824

Hysaplesia trivittata – Schlegel, 1826

Hysaplesia nigerrima – Schlegel, 1826

Dendrobates trivittatus – Wagler, 1830

Dendrobates nigerrima – Wagler, 1830

Dendrobates nigerrimus – Wagler, 1830

Dendrobates obscurus – Dumeril and Bibron, 1841

Hylaplesia trivittatus – Knauer, 1883

Dendrobates tetravittatus – Miranda-Riberio, 1926

Phyllobates trivittatus – Silverstone, 1976

Ameerega trivittata – Bauer, 1986

Epipedobates trivittatus – Myers, 1987

Phobobates trivittatus – Zimmermann and Zimmermann, 1988

Ameerega trivittata – Grant et al, 2006

Epipedobates trivittatus occurs in many different color/pattern morphs from several different populations throughout it’s range. Many pictures of the Suriname morphs can be viewed on the Simply Natural Dart Frogs website, where Marcus Breece used to import and breed various types of Epipedobates trivittatus. At Josh’s Frogs, we work with Epipedobates trivittatus ‘Huallaga Canyon’, which originates in Peru and was imported by Mark Pepper of Understory Enterprises. Common near human habitation, Epipedobates trivittatus is an easy to keep captive, but can be a bit more demanding than other poison dart frogs when it comes to breeding.

Captive Husbandry

Being large frogs, Epipedobates trivittatus should be housed in larger naturalistic vivaria than what is required from most poison dart frogs. At Josh’s Frogs, we house a group of 5 adults (we believe 3.2) Epipedobates trivittatus in a 140 gallon vivarium, although a 20L vivarium is suitable for 2 or 3 trivs. Epipedobates trivittatus are capable of jumping quite a long distance, so house them in the largest vivarium you can.

140 gallon naturalistic vivarium for Epipedobates trivittatus at Josh’s Frogs.

With naturalistic vivaria, substrate typically consists of a 2” base layer of Josh’s Frogs False Bottom, followed by substrate barrier, then a well-draining substrate such as ABG mix in a 2” layer. On top of this, long fiber sphagnum is placed in a thin layer, followed by a hearty coating of leaf litter. The substrate can be seeded with various species of microfauna, including springtails and isopods, which are cultured and sold specifically for such applications.

Epipedobates trivittatus appreciates lower lighting levels.

Densely plant smaller vivaria with live terrarium plants, as this will help make the poison dart frogs feel more secure. Low/dim lighting levels are appreciated, as is a temperature range of 70F-80F. A water feature is not necessary to keep Epipedobates trivittatus, but may help in breeding. Trivs will eat your typical dart frog fare but tend to prefer slightly larger prey items as adults, such as hydei fruit flies, bean beetles, isopods, phoenix worms, and crickets. In the wild, Epipedobates trivittatus lives primarily in the leaf litter, and a dense layer of leaves at the bottom of the vivarium will be appreciated.

Breeding

Breeding Epipedobates trivittatus can be tricky at times. The first step is to insure you have at least one male and one female Epipedobates trivittatus. Even though they can breed at a younger age, sex is generally more apparent when the animals reach 18-24 months of age. At that time, males will appear shorter and slimmer than females, which will be larger at more pear shaped. To help sex dart frogs, check out Josh’s Frogs Guide to Sexing Dart Frogs. Aggression has been reported between the same sexes, but generally does not harm either animal. Epipedobates trivittatus does well in groups. Raising up a group of Epipedobates trivittatus greatly increases the chances of getting at least one breeding pair of animals. Josh’s Frogs recommends raising up a group of at least 4 frogs if you have a large enough enclosure.

There is some evidence that a water feature may contribute to breeding success with Epipedobates trivittatus. In the wild, Epipedobates trivittatus can be found near streams and temporary bodies of water, so this does make sense. At Josh’s Frogs, we have a pool of water measuring approximately 18″x12″. Our first Epipedobates trivittatus tadpoles were discovered feeding on algae in the pool – up until then, we didn’t even know the poison dart frogs were breeding!

Epipedobates trivittatus seems to appreciate a water feature in the vivarium.

Epipedobates trivittatus lays rather large egg clutches consisting of between 20-30 eggs, although we’ve gotten a clutch of nearly 50 eggs on occasion. Adult Epipedobates trivittatus males may guard their egg clutch, potentially protecting it from females that would eat the eggs, and routinely watering it to keep the eggs moist. Eggs are laid most often on a petri dish under a coco hut, but sometimes are deposited on stout, broad plant leaves. Utilizing a petri dish makes it easy to remove and incubate eggs outside the vivarium, allowing you to have more control over your Epipedobates trivittatus’ breeding.

Epipedobates trivittatus generally will utilize petri dishes under a coco hut to lay their eggs. Here, the coco hut was removed in order to take the picture.

A typical Triv egg clutch.

Typically, about half the eggs hatch out after approximately 2 weeks into tadpoles. In nature (and in the vivarium if you don’t pull the eggs!), the male Epipedobates trivittatus will scoop the tadpoles on his back and carry them to a water source, where they are deposited. At Josh’s Frogs, we remove the eggs before they hatch and rear them artificially. Epipedobates trivitattus tadpoles are raised communally in large dishwashing bins, with approximately 20-30 tadpoles in 2 gallons of water. Alternatively, we have had success keeping Epipedobates trivittatus tadpoles individually in 16oz tadpole cups. Tadpoles receive a 90% water change once a day with tadpole tea. This consists of reverse osmosis water that has been boiled with indian almond leaves to release tannins into the water. Alternatively, blackwater extract can be added. Josh’s Frogs maintains it’s dart frog tadpoles at approximately 74F. Epipedobates trivittatus tadpoles are fed daily with a high quality tadpole food. Josh’s Frogs uses and recommends HBH Frog and Tadpole Bites that have been coated in a dusting of Sera Micron. Josh’s Frogs has used this tadpole food with poison dart frog tadpoles for many years with great success.

Male Epipedobates trivittatus will give their tadpoles a piggy back ride to a water source, where they will complete metamorphosis. Source.

At Josh’s Frogs, we house trivittatus tadpoles communally.

In about 4-6 weeks, Epipedobates trivittatus tadpoles will develop back legs, followed by visible front legs about 2 weeks later. Both sets of legs develop at the same time in poison dart frogs, but the front legs do not emerge from under the skin until later. When front legs are visible, we remove the tadpole from the communal rearing bin and place it in a petri dish with a bit of water. This petri dish is placed in the rearing bin where we will raise the froglet to sellable size. After the froglets have left the petri dish, it is removed. At Josh’s Frogs, we use 128oz containers to raise 2 froglets to at least 2 months old. Bins contain about 1″ of New Zealand long fiber sphagnum, springtails, and a cutting of pothos or wandering jew. Froglets also readily take Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies right out of the water.

Epipedobates trivittatus 1 day out of the water.

Epipedobates trivittatus 2 weeks out of the water.

Epipedobates trivittatus 1 month out of the water.

Epipedobates trivittatus froglet rearing container at Josh’s Frogs.

Conclusion

Epipedobates trivittatus was once considered a difficult poison dart frog to keep and breed. Although captive breeding still cannot be called easy, captive care of the three striped poison dart frog is more straightforward than ever. Josh’s Frogs is proud to be able to offer healthy, captive bred Epipedobates trivittatus to amphibian enthusiasts all over the United States.

Additional Resources:

Wikipedia – Ameerega trivittata. – Link to article by Grant et al. concerning most recent reclassification of Epipedobates trivittatus to Ameerega trivittata.

American Museum of Natural History – Ameerega trivittata. – Good information on the taxonomic history of Epipedobates trivittatus.

Dendroboard – Epipedobates trivittatus care sheet. – The largest english language dart frog forum on the internet.