Many species of Dart Frog can be easily bred in captivity. Once you learn how to breed Poison Dart Frogs the knowledge you obtain can be transferred to many different species.
Many species of frogs lay 100s of eggs at a time, but most Dart Frogs will only lay between 2-12 eggs at a time. The number of eggs depends on a number of factors including the species of frog and the size of the female.
Dart frogs typically breed during the rainy season. This makes sense as the tadpoles will have plenty of water sources to develop in. If you want to breed Poison Dart Frogs but nothing is happening, you should increase the frequency that you spray their tanks to replicate the rainy season. You should also ensure that they have plenty of hides and several places to lay their eggs.
Sexing your Dart Frogs
Most Dart Frogs are sold as juveniles. At this point it is impossible to determine their sex, so it is a good idea to purchase a number of specimens. Most aspiring breeders will purchase 4-5 froglets to guarantee at least one pair.
Even as adults, many species of Dart Frog can be difficult to sex. Females generally tend to be slightly larger with rounder bodies while Males typically have a slender body. The best way to determine if you have a male is to witness them calling. Males will seek out a spot high in the vivarium and begin to call in an attempt to attract a mate.
Once you have a mature pair of Dart Frogs in a vivarium they will generally begin to breed without any enticing. If they do not start breeding, reduce misting for a couple of weeks and then gradually increase the level of misting. This will trick the frogs into thinking that the rainy season has arrived and it is time to breed.
Collecting Dart Frog Eggs
You can place a sterile Petri Dish in the vivarium and cover it with a coco-hut. This will provide the frogs with a smooth clean surface to lay their eggs on while they feel secure. You should also stick some film canisters to the wall of the enclosure. Some of the more arboreal Dart Frogs prefer to lay high in the vivarium while others will continue to lay among the leaf litter. It is common for females to favour a particular location for laying eggs.
Once eggs are detected they should be removed from the enclosure. Females are known to eat each other’s eggs so many breeders only house one female in each vivarium.
If the eggs are laid on leaf litter or in a film canister you can use a turkey baster to remove them. Place the eggs in a petri dish and add a small amount of reverse osmosis water until it touches the eggs. Do not submerge the eggs in water.
Caring for Tadpoles
You will notice the tail begin to grow after a few days. Most Dart Frog tadpoles will leave the egg after 12-20 days. This is dependent on temperatures and the species of frog.
When the tadpole emerges, transfer them to a deli cup and increase the level of reverse osmosis water. Most people add an Indian almond leaf to the water. This helps soften the water and provides beneficial bacteria. The temperature of the water should be between 70-75F.
Some species of Dart Frog are cannibalistic during the tadpole phase and may need to be placed in individual deli cups. Other species are not cannibalistic and can be housed communally.
The tadpoles won’t need to be fed for the first two or three days after they leave the egg as they are still absorbing the yoke. After three days you can offer them a small amount of food. Common food items include Tadpole Bites and Tropical Fish Flakes.
You can continue to feed the tadpoles a small amount of food two or three times a week. The tadpole water will need to be changed to prevent bacteria build-up. Only do partial water changes to avoid shocking the tadpole with an immediate change of water quality.
Good practise is to replace the 25% of the dirty water with fresh reverse osmosis water. This can be done once every week or so. We like to use a turkey baster to remove the dirtiest water from the end of the deli cup (where the tadpole feces will settle).
Morphing into Froglets
Depending on the species, rear legs will form after about 6-8 weeks. The front legs will develop a few weeks later. As soon as they begin to develop front legs, it is time to prepare for the froglets to emerge from the water.
We like to reduce the volume of water in the deli cup and place it securely at a 45 degree angle in a grow-out container. This allows the froglet to naturally emerge from the water hop into their new setup.
It is very important to allow the froglets to emerge from the water when they are ready. Their gills will close up and they will need to start breathing air. If they can’t emerge from the water they will drown.
Caring for Froglets
Newly emerged froglets can be housed in basic setups. This setup should be kept humid and have enough hides for the frogs to feel secure. At this point it is usually ok to house them communally.
It is not necessary to have an elaborate enclosure for froglets. In fact, it is a good idea to keep the setup relatively basic. This makes it easier to monitor the froglets and also allows them to find food easily.
I hope this information helps you how rewarding it can be to breed Poison Dart frogs.
If you liked this article, fell free to check out some of the other ones we have put together. We have listed some of them below.
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