Green & Black Dart Frog

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Common Group: POISON DART FROGS
Common Name: Green & Black Dart Frog, Green and Black Auratus
Scientific Name: Dendrobates auratus
Distribution: Central America to Northwestern South America
Size: 1 - 2"

Natural habitat

Found primarily in lowland rainforests as well as young forests and older cocoa or citrus plantations. They've even been found in garbage dumps on the fringes of settlements near forests or groves, and some within the city limits of Panama City. They adapt well to variances within their natural habitat and are a sturdy, easy to care for dart frog. They are primarily ground dwelling frogs that will occasionally climb to seek out new habitat or to seek out food.
These frogs are highly variable in color, and can range from light to dark brown, bronze or black, with green to blue stripes, spots, or bands covering them.

Behavior

In the wild, this species has been known to congregate in sun exposed clearings, but in captivity they are a relatively shy species of dart frog. Handling is strongly advised against unless absolutely necessary, as these frogs will stress extremely easily. Wild caught specimens are still mildly toxic, and it is recommended to wash your hands before and after if you must handle them. Captive bred specimens do not have the same toxins in their skin as their wild counterparts, and while it is still recommended to wash your hands before and after handling them, they are not considered poisonous.
Females are extremely territorial and aggressive towards each other, often competing for monopoly of the resident males. Male frogs care for the tadpoles, and the males that take the best care of the little tadpoles are often in high demand among females! It is recommended to provide ample room for your frogs or to simply have only one female and up to two males per cage. Males will also defend territories, but not to the same degree as females.

Captive environment

A cage equivalent to at least 10 gallons is recommended for a pair, or a medium glass terrarium can work as well. Larger cage sizes are highly recommended, and a cage that is 18 x 18 x 18" is a more ideal size to permanently house multiple frogs.

Within the cage, the frogs need fairly high relative humidity almost constantly, so substrate and cage furnishings need to not only contribute to high humidity but be able to last in the moisture rich environment. This means live plants are more suitable than fake ones as a primary source of hiding spots and cover, and not only are they aesthetically pleasing but they help immensely with the relative humidity in the cage.
Because the Auratus are so shy naturally, the more hiding spots available to them, the more secure they will feel and thus the more they will be out. Suitable hiding spots that will also encourage natural behaviors such as calling and mating activity include coconut domes, bamboo hollows, small caves, tortoise shell hides, rock outcrops, and of course naturalistic bromeliads and tillandsias. At least 50% of the floor space needs to remain open for the frogs to navigate and hunt their tiny prey items, which is why a larger cage full of live plants for cover is highly recommended despite the small size of these frogs.

For substrate, a bedding that can retain moisture is a must. Orchid bark can be used, but needs frequent misting and constant monitoring to ensure it is not drying out too much nor becoming soggy and stagnant with too much water. Better options include eco earth, plantation soil, cocosoft, New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, green sphagnum moss, or compressed forest moss are all excellent bedding options. Combining different beddings is an excellent way to create your ideal substrate, and encourage a small amount of decomposition, which will allow prey items such as spring tails to propagate within the tank. Use of small amounts of vermiculite can help keep the bedding oxygenated and fresh.

Lighting for these frogs does not need to be any more intense than the lights needed to help maintain and grow the plants. For cages 12" or less, a simple Natural Light compact fluorescent is enough to light up the cage and provide enough light for the plants inside to grow. For taller cages, a 5.0 compact fluorescent will be needed. Higher quality strip lights will provide light across the entire length of the cage, and ZooMed brand 5.0 strip lights are an excellent option for higher quality lighting at an inexpensive price. The better the lights, the prettier your plants, and the healthier your frogs will be!

Temperature

In the wild, these frogs experience daytime temperature ranges between 77 degrees F and 86 degrees F, and can tolerate drops into the low 70s at night. A 40 watt red bulb should provide more than enough heat for the average terrarium, and during the day a 40 watt day bulb can be used to increase the ambient temperature within the cage.
Ideally, no additional heat should be used with these frogs as the heat lights tend to dry out the air within their cages. These frogs will thrive at the average room temperature of 78 degrees, without any additional heat whatsoever.

Humidity

These frogs originate in extremely humid tropical rainforests, where average humidity is typically well above 75%. Occasional dry periods do occur, and they can tolerate them, but if you notice your frogs never seem to leave their water bowls, that is a sign that your relative humidity is much too low. When a frog lives in a cage with high enough humidity, they seldom need to seek out the moisture of a water bowl.

Use of a fogger is highly recommended for an easy and aesthetically pleasing way to increase humidity within the cage. A hand spray bottle or pressure sprayer are also excellent options to mist or spray down your cage to keep humidity up. Misting the cage at least once daily is a must, and to encourage calling and mating behaviors, misting up to 3 or 4 times a day is recommended.

Water requirements

Ideally, these frogs should have high enough ambient humidity that they do not seek out their water bowls. A small, shallow bowl of fresh, clean water should be available at all times.

Nutritional requirements

Dendrobates auratus have small mouths for their size, and require very small prey items. This includes, but is not limited to, fruit flies, spring tails, rice flour beetles, and pinhead or 1/8" size crickets. In the wild, these frogs will eat an immense variety of small insects, and as much effort as possible should be made to give them a wide variety of prey items in captivity. With some effort, more unusual prey items can be found and offered, including aphids, large fruit flies (Drosophila hydei), fire brats, house flies, alternate species of crickets such as gryllodes, and various alternate species of springtails.

All feeder insects should be dusted with a high quality calcium powder containing D3, and once or twice a week a reptile multivitamin should be used as well.