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.

If the opening of the tropical pitcher plant's pitchers are not so big that the frog could fall in them, I don't think it would be a problem. And red eyed tree frogs get more on the big side, so as long as you have a big enough tank and space, I don't see how the two of them wouldn't get along. You might have to give extra live bugs to the pitcher plant because the frog might eat most of the bugs you put in the tank.

No, Canada doesn't allow reptiles or amphibians across the border, but there are a couple RETF breeders here. I also know a girl who manages a pet store here that could get me anything I need from the States. But from what I've read, red eye's prefer a vertically oriented habitat for climbing, where-as I've designed mine for the terrestrial PDFs. Red-eyes are also nocturnal, and I would prefer something that I can see during the day. Eventually I do want to build a huge 4x5x2 foot paludarium though, and then I will get a few red-eyes, because I just love them! You could rig up a misting system to simulate rain. Check out www.poison-frogs.com. The guy there also simulates a rainy season to get his darts to breed. It sounds quite simple, actually. And from my experience with misting systems, I will say: get a pump that is twice as strong as the guys at the hydroponics store tell you, and don't get cheap misting heads! I switched from 10 cent misting heads to ones that were $2 a piece, and the more expensive ones are WAY better. And the thing that really gets me is that the better ones were at Home Depot, not the hydro store. Go figure. . .

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