I will speak on husbandry very quickly as this is what will determine the health of your frog more so then equipment. The keys to success for new hobbyists really are just to avoid the most common failures...Just a quick 30 second top of my head helper list.. IF you ask guys on DB more targeted questions, you will get ton of greatly detailed responses, this was such a general post I didnt know where to start.. hope it helps-
Temperature-Darts are really sensitive to overheating, most tincs & thumbs commonly found in the hobby prefer a comfortable room temperature & will thrive in temps around 75-80ish during the day & 65-70ish overnight... the cooler end of the spectrum is really not as dangerous as getting above the mid 80s for a length of time... Darts cant thermoregulate & will literally bake if exposed to high temps for any length of time.. Keep in mind also that a temp gun can be helpful, your room temps will often not be as warm as your tank where the frogs are living...WIth summer coming up controlling temps is paramount.
Hydration- Frogs need moisture, easily achieved by covering most of the enclosure, slowing the rate of evaporation oof water out of the tank containing moisture into the enclosure & raising the humidity..This can be as simple as putting a piece of plastic over a screen top from a ziplock bag. Dehydrated frogs can have stunted growth, general lethargy & even die in extreme cases..The misting alone is not enough if the tank is not containing moisture
Nutrition- Darts need Proper nutrition to thrive, they need to ingest insects in an amount that keeps them form being malnourished & when flies are given as a staple source they should be dusted with a fresh powder form multivitamin... A Supplement that has Calcium, D3, Vitamin A all in one is preferable. Dendrocare or a Repashy Cal plus are a couple of the all in one vitamins on the market today.
Vivaria Construction- Enclosures should always be built with the specific species needs in mind, if youre working with Obligates or specifically Oophaga Pumilio, you will want to have a tnak with a few nicely planted Bromeliads for egg deposit sites, they also provide a place for frogs to climb in & feel secure, or hydrate. A tank with some height is also a plus for pumilio as they are an arboreal frog that likes to climb, males will climb & call females to deposition sites... Conversely, if youre building for tincs you need not use many if any broms, but you should choose a tank with floor space as theyre largely terrestrial & appreciate the large floor surface area as larger frogs that like to use ground space... Note they will climb all throughout the day also if you utilize the middle part of a vivaria with broad leaf plants that will occupy space & large wood accents that provide pathways throughout the middle of enclosures that would otherwise be wasted.. Note that a 20H Gallon planted wrong is in most cases not as useful to a frog as a 10 Gallon planted right.. Frogs like to feel secure & will become more bold and visible in tanks with more places to hide as they will feel more secure... a in the 20 Gallon High with just a couple coco huts & substrate with leaf litter, a frog will feel it has to dive from hut to hut or eat from under leaves only eating the food that comes across its path sometimes.. put that same frog in a 10 Gallon tank with plants growing all throughout the middle & a few wood accents & hides on the ground with ample litter & all of a sudden the frog will become visible more often now feeling secure... this is key bc stress in frogs can trigger a lowering of its defenses & this can in some instances also become an issue.. IM not saying a 10 gallon tank is better then a 20, in fact IM arguing the opposite, Im trying to illustrate how you can utilize the vertical space in a vivarium efficiently to provide the animal with the most useable space possible.. I find my tincs, pumilio & ranitomeya near the top canopy in my tanks often on top of a sturdy leaf... THey could never chase a fly up & occupy that space had I not planted this way.. usigng tank space is more important then tank size in some instances... Thats all I got for now, sorry for rambling...
