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My first new Dendrobates auratus!! some help??
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My first new Dendrobates auratus!! some help??
#1
hey everyone, i just got into dart frogs so im still kinda blind sighted... I had just purchased a back and green auratus and was wondering how do i sex them. Also should i get another cuz ive been reading and it says i should buy them in pairs?? the lil guy looks pretty lonely right now and i would love to get more.. so some assistance would be greatly appreciated. also what is the best kind of substrate that would be good for a planted terraniam that i can find at my local pet store or nursury?
thanks alot guys!
kurtz
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#2
hi!
I am a newbie too, I used moss over the soil and my frog seems quite happy in it. I bought one auratus as well and have been reading that they can be rather difficult to sex., especially when they are young. I was hoping to find another one too, but have been unable to find a blue/black, or blue/bronze for sale. Here is a pic of my new setup..
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#3
If you know the age of the frog then that would help in determining the sex. But the males are the only ones that call, they call without females in the tank also. I would suggest getting two more and raising them until they are mature then if you get a pair keep them and sell the extra one, make sure that they are all around the same size and age. For the terrarium, make sure
you have a drainage, false bottom, leca, or pebbles. Use new zealend spagnhum moss for the substrate.

Thanks,
Jesse
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#4
what can i use as a false bottom, i thought i could just put in coconut soil in the bottom and then layer it with some moss? alright im freakin out please help!!!thanks
kurtz
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#5
Hey,

sorry to freak you out. But you do need a way for drainage. Otherwise the water in the bottom of the tank will make the coco bedding rot. I would remove the cocc bedding add a one inch layer or so of gravel. half an inch of soil, cover with spagnhum moss then add your green live moss. That way your darainage problem will be took care of and the spagnhum moss will help with humidity. Do you have a glass lid on the tank?

Jesse
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#6
You can also put a layer of weed cloth between your gravel drainage layer and the substrate to prevent any of the soil from filtering down into the drainage layer. You can drain the drainage area if it gets full of water by inserting a length of airline tubing down to the bottom in one corner of your tank, then siphoning it off into a container. A 30 to 60 cc cannula type syringe is a convenient way to start the siphoning process. You can get these from any farm or vet store, such as Cal Ranch. (You can also use the drained-off water to water house plants, as it will probably contain some nutrients.)

As an aside, you really don't need to keep auratus in sexed pairs. (You may have mixed this with azureus information.) They get along fairly well in groups, at least in my experience, they do. I don't know of a good way of sexing them, except by calling and identifying the caller. Females may be a bit fatter in the belly, and larger, but that's not a sure criterion. Oddly, egg-laying isn't always an indication that there is a male present. I have a group of four all female blue auratus that will occasionally lay infertile eggs without the presence of a male.
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#7
I forgot to mention the black screen between each layer of substrate wouldb be good. And I use a Turkey Bastor to remove excess water from my vivs.

thanks,
Jesse
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#8
what would i do without u guys! i will be ordering some moss and i will pick up some rocks at work tommorow. i added a fogger today and the frog went nuts he was soo excited! but i went to my exotic pet store and requested three more frogs two bumble bee darts and one more green and black. but when i went in there he had informed me that the one he sold me was a green and bronze is it possible for it to be to young to have the bronze yet or?? cuz im confused about that. but anyways once again thank you soo much ill be posting pictures of the set up as soon as i get that gravel put in. then u can criticize anything that may be wrong.
kurt
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#9
I assume the bumble bee darts are D. leucomelas. You should consider keeping them separately from the auratus, which may be more shy and might be out-competed for food and territory. Don't mix different species, at least until you raise them separately and get the feel of what their individual personalities. The leucs are particularly bold and use all areas of a tank from top to bottom with a vengeance. They get along together in their own groups, and aren't particularly aggressive with each other, but they may intimidate some auratus.
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#10
I agree with cindy,

You should only stick with one species per tank, I am guessing your tank is a ten gallon so if you have 3-4 auratus froglets in there, once they become eleven-thirteen months you would only be able to keep 2 adults in that tank, like a pair for breeding. Make sure that the fogger you added is coverev with a screen so the frog wont get hurt or burnt by it.

Thanks,
Jesse
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#11
my tank is a 37 gallon i will be putting them in with much coverage... i would never jam frogs in a small ten gallon.. that would be pretty boring but anyways i dont see a problem with that
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#12
Oh,

my mistake, since your tank is pretty big I would suggest 5-6 auratus.

Thanks,
Jesse
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