I dont see frogs as been a problem unless they dig up the plants. The Plants should not eat the frog (only mabey the Nep if it got big enough and fell in, but you should notice that your frog has vanished soon enough (hopefully) The only other thing is if the frog would chew on the plants (which I dont think a frog would) since many CP's may not be toxic but they do make animals sick. A prime example is cows daring to munch on some local Drosera. The cows get quite "drunk" in appearance, the plants make them quite sickly and I have read the the cows choose not to make the same mistake again. Cheers Sheldon

Thanks, Ima! Glad to have all that info. One thing...apparently many experts have discarded the notion that freezing reptiles is painless and have updated their procedures to the benzocaine/Orajel method. Orajel is 20% benzocaine, and believe me the little frog I had this morning was bloomin' DAID! You can see right through them at that stage, and his heart quit beating completely. I disposed of the body in a bag and put it in the trash. No chance he'll wake up and hop around my yard any more. As to the skin irritation thing, perhaps the reason it has never bothered me is because I routinely wash my hands thoroughly after handling just about anything in the yard. I probably was my hands 30 times a day anyway. Maybe more. I don't like the feel of dirt on my hands (it dries my skin terribly) and I sure don't like the wet feel of frogs and critters that I might have reason to handle. So perhaps the possible irritant has never had a chance to bother me, I don't know. But by all means, if anyone is worried about that or just doesn't want to "feel" frog skin, grab those disposable gloves Evelyn mentioned. Easy solution. And don't forget, in addition to the skin on the head, CTF's have blue bones (those were clearly visible in the baby frog, right through his skin), and much larger toepads than native frogs. But again, if you aren't SURE, I would say don't kill the frog. Marcia

Yes, it's true, "poison dart frogs" in captivity are not toxic. While scientists haven't yet pinpointed the exact chemical pathway by which it occurs, Dendrobatids (poison dart frogs) produce a toxin by converting alkyloids present in insects endemic to their environment. The insects get the alkyloids from the plants they eat, etc, etc. So, when you bring a frog into captivity and feed it the wingless fruit flies dusted in vitamin powder, there are no alkyloids to chemically alter to create a dendrotoxin. While it is true that they should not be handled for the sake of the frogs, I can attest to the fact that I have had no reaction whatsoever to holding or touching any of my frogs. As for the temperatures and heating elements mentioned somewhere around in one of these posts, it should be noted that poison dart frogs really don't need to have a heater. In fact, most do best in temps that range between 68-75 degrees F, and can actually be harmed by prolonged temps above 80 . . . so there are some dracs and masde's that can be kept with pdf's (from what I have been told by others). Restrepias seem like another natural choice, as well as other orchids from the pleurothallid alliance that are intermediate growers that love high humidity (80%+ at all times). Anyway, my point is that room temps are best for darts, and you will probably have to plan to ensure that your light setup doesn't overheat the terrarium and stress them. As for other frogs that do well in the 80 degree range, I have read that others find milk frogs (in my opinion, one of the cooler looking tree frogs) need temps in the 80's to thrive. Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling now, so I'll just stop.

I am a new member of this forum. I have really enjoyed looking at the terrariums linked on these pages. The info regarding certain harder-to-keep varieties of plants has also been helpful. When I read this thread, I felt that I had to reply. PDF's are not hard to keep. There are 10 year old children in my neighborhood who are successfully maintaining a vivarium with the frogs, and even breeding the frogs. Personally, I have over 50 vivariums in my home. Each one contains some poison dart frogs. Any and every color you can imagine. Orchids, bromeliads, tropical mosses, waterfalls, you name it. I really like the terrariums, but when you add a pair of bright, electric blue frogs, now you have some life!! Yes, you do have to culture, or purchase, the fruit flies. The flies we use in the hobby cannot fly. They are non-invasive and very easy to culture. They do not smell either. I have 200 cultures going at a time, there is a slight smell with this many cultures, but most visitors to our frog rooms do not even notice it. Mixing the frogs and plants to create vivariums has been the most rewarding journey of my life. I encourage everyone, not to base your opinions of keeping PDF's based on heresay, or an experience of a friend from 10 years ago. The hobby has changed drastically over the last decade. The frogs are easy to obtain, and there is soooo much info on keeping these precious little gems. Remember, everyone starts with no experience. Please fell free to email with any questions. I live in the Chicago suburbs. Pete