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Ranitomeya imitator (Captive Bred) - Mimic Poison Frog

Out of Stock

$59.99

4.7 out of 5 stars

 (7)

About This Product

Defining Characteristics:

  • Great beginner thumbnail
  • Bright, yellow/green and black coloration
  • Bold
  • Easy to breed
  • Quiet call
  • Small
  • Great in Pairs or Groups

Name: Ranitomeya imitator. Formerly known as Dendrobates imitator, this frog is commonly known as the Mimic Poison Dart Frog due to it's apparent mimickry of thumbnail species that occur sympatrically. Commonly called imis in the hobby, or sometimes standard or nominat imitators. These imitators are a small, spectacularly colored poison dart frog.

Recommended Vivarium Size: A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for 2-3 Ranitomeya imitator, but Josh's Frogs recommends a 20H or 18x18x18 Vivarium for 1-3 frogs. Not sure how to set up a vivarium? Please watch our video on How to Set Up a Vivarium.

Temperature: They can tolerate a temperature range of 65 F to 80 F, but prefer temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Temperatures over 85F are dangerous.

Humidity: Like most poison dart frogs, imitators prefer a humidity range of 80 – 100%, but can tolerate humidity down to 50% for short periods of time if the frogs have access to water. Low humidity levels, especially without access to water, can quickly be fatal.

Size: Adult female and male R. imitator are similar in length, measuring in at around an inch. All of the Ranitomeya imitator froglets Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure approximately 1/2” long.

Age: Ranitomeya imitator is capable of living well over 10 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 5-8 years is more common. All imis for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.

Feeding: Like most poison dart frogs, imitators prefer smaller foods. All of the thumbnail dart frogs sold by Josh's Frogs will readily eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. All ages of poison dart frogs will enjoy springtails and isopods. All feeder insects should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement. For more information on what poison dart frogs can eat, please visit our How-To Guide on Feeding Poison Dart Frogs.

Sexing: Ranitomeya imitator are fairly easy to sex as adults. Females are much wider than males, as they lay eggs frequently. Josh's Frogs sells 2-3 month old juveniles that are not sexable unless otherwise noted. For more information on sexing poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Sexing Poison Dart Frogs.

Color/Pattern: Imitators are fairly consistent in color and pattern. Exhibiting a yellow to greenish yellow body, speckled with black dots or blotches, they are a striking little thumbnaill dart frog! Josh's Frogs does not recommend, support, or endorse line breeding as we believe this leads to weaker captive animals and nature has done a wonderful job of creating an amazing variation in color and pattern of poison dart frogs already.

Social Behavior: These frogs do well housed in groups their entire life as long as enough space is provided. Josh's Frogs recommends approximately 5 gallons per frog. As they reach sexual maturity at 5-8 months of age, the social dynamic in a group of imitator dart frogs may change and females may eat each other's eggs, although most will even breed together in the same film canister! Josh's Frogs strongly recommends against housing different species/morphs of dart frogs - for the health of your pets, please avoid mxing! Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair.

Breeding: Imitators are one of the easiest poison dart frogs to breed. Best bred in pairs, males call to attract a female to a suitable egg laying site. Then, 2-5 eggs are laid on a smooth surface (often in a film canister or a bromeliad). The eggs hatch into tadpoles, which then take 60-80 days to complete metamorphosis into miniature versions of the adults. Tadpoles will feed on dead fruit flies, the standard frog and tadpole bites/sera micron fare, and even unfertilized eggs if left in with the adults! For more information on breeding and raising poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Breeding Poison Dart Frogs.

Natural Range: Ranitomeya imitator is a lowland species from the rainforests of northeastern Peru.

History in the Hobby: Imitators have been around in the hobby for decades.

Links of Interest:
Dendrobates.org - article on Ranitomeya imitator

Imitator Poison Dart Frog - Wikipedia

DendroBase - Ranitomeya imitator

Imitator - IUCN Redlist

Ranitomeya imitator caresheet on Dendroboard

Josh's Frogs Blog on Thumbnail Dart Frogs

Still not sure if Ranitomeya imitator from Josh's Frogs are the right poison dart frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!

Shipping

After placing an order containing a live animal, you will receive a scheduling email containing our JotForm scheduling link to schedule your new pet's delivery date.

With this scheduling link, you will be able to schedule your order's delivery up to 30 days in advance. You will be able to choose a date of delivery for Tuesday-Saturday (Saturday arrival depends on the carrier's service availability) with the estimated time of arrival generally being 12pm, or 4:30pm for more rural areas. Overnight lows must be above 40°F to ship directly to you (or above 30°F for FedEx Ship Center pickups) as well as below 90°F by estimated time of arrival.

If you require further assistance, or prefer to talk to one of our Customer Service agents, please feel free to reach out to our [email protected] email or our phone line 1-800-691-8178.

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

Based on 7 reviews

Review data

5 star reviews

71%

4 star reviews

29%

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Reviews

Alex Depew

5.0 out of 5 stars

Untitled

These little guys are probably the easiest and one of the neatest thumbs that exist. I love imis.

Brandon

5.0 out of 5 stars

Good

I had mine arrive today, really nice color on them. I definitely recommend this frog.

mark

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great thumnail!!!

I bought 4 of these little guys a couple of months ago and were a bit shy for the first week or two but after finding there favorite hides and bromeliads were out most of the day and now are not shy at all!! great dart frog! one of my favorites of 13 frogs I have

Karen

5.0 out of 5 stars

Love them so much!

I just got the four I ordered today and two of them are almost always very visible and the other two while a little shy do come out every now and then. They are so cute and Josh's Frogs is a great company and a pleasure to do business with!

Karen

5.0 out of 5 stars

Love them so much!

I just got the four I ordered today and two of them are almost always very visible and the other two while a little shy do come out every now and then. They are so cute and Josh's Frogs is a great company and a pleasure to do business with!

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