[Andyg]

Good morning. I am new to Dendroboard, I’ve joined very much on the premise of gaining more objective and varied advice on Dart frog care. My journey in a nutshell. I’ve built a terrarium over the last year, I don’t like to rush into things, I and the terrarium is now at the stage of considering buying and adding a couple of Dart frogs. This however has thrown me into another quandary with at what stage after purchasing do I add the frogs? And how rife is Chytrid in the uk pet trade vs private breeders ? Apart from not wishing to see any frog suffer there is also the £ involved. I would be very grateful for some advice. Sorry for the lengthy question.

 

[fishingguy12345]

Hello Andy and welcome

at what stage after purchasing do I add the frogs?

Generally speaking, any reputable vendor is likely only selling frogs that are an appropriate size go go into their "forever home" terrarium.

And how rife is Chytrid in the uk pet trade vs private breeders ?

My advice is to always go to a specialist in the animals you want to purchase instead of from a generic store, including "reptile stores" as they are more often than not just reselling other people's livestock and usually have poor care of the animals between when they buy them and when they sell them.

 

[Andyg]

Hello Andy and welcome



Generally speaking, any reputable vendor is likely only selling frogs that are an appropriate size go go into their "forever home" terrarium.



My advice is to always go to a specialist in the animals you want to purchase instead of from a generic store, including "reptile stores" as they are more often than not just reselling other people's livestock and usually have poor care of the animals between when they buy them and when they sell them.

Thanks very much for reply. I’ll keep digging for info.

 

[Amphibicast]

Welcome Andy. People often ask about when the appropriate time to add frogs to a new vivarium is. It’s generally accepted that we should wait until the plants have grown in enough to provide enough cover for the frogs and the tank has settled in long enough that you don’t need to make any major modifications. It’s important to note though, that tanks don’t need to cycle in the way aquariums do so it’s safe to add frogs as long as their requirements have been met. There isn’t a specific time period per se. As far as chytrid goes, it has been detected in the UK in private collections (Bsal at least) so we know that it exists there. Cross contamination between species sharing enclosures can spread it but it’s also important to note that not all frog species will die from it and some may possibly not show symptoms at all. Dart frogs are particularly succeptable to severe disease though so it’s not something you want to risk. My advice to you would be to find a lab that does testing and submit a sample. At these very least you will know and the testing may help others determine how frequently it’s encountered

 

[Andyg]

Thanks very much for advice it was really useful. I think my biggest problem next will be choosing what I buy, as I’m limited to 1 tank and we aren’t overrun with specialist shops in SE England.