My apologies, I wasn't speaking to you. I already "saw the light" when it comes to separating species...I didn't need any more coaxing".
It would seem , though, that your way of "seeing the light" is to cry that I am making you feel stupid. Well, if you feel stupid, once again, I am sorry. But you are in-fact very ignorant (again, VERY different than stupid) to facts about darts. Facts that have fact driven statements, if you just take the time to dig a bit. You either did not read enough before you bought your frogs or you chose to ignore many of the facts that are suggested (or plain out told) to newbies and those that have been in the hobby for years and years. If the facts hurt your feelings then do something to change those facts and don't expect us to hold your hand because we don't agree with your actions or sentiments. You are correct when you say you don't need coaxing, you need education. Many of us have already written hundreds , if not thousands, of informative posts that are very accessible by the search function.
No, think of it this way. You were told that you were doing something wrong and then came back and told us that you were never "told" by anybody that you should not mix. But in your opening post you say that you know "some would bash us for having two different species" so you were in-fact "told" not to do this. I am missing something here?? Also, please tell me where you apologize anywhere in the thread (other than to Kristi, who you say you were not speaking
hock: ). I doubt you feel bad for the frogs , but I am sure you feel bad on some level about your actions. Or you would not feel stupid. My thoughts are not two cents , but a culmination of years of breeding and raising absolutely nothing but poison dart frogs. Period.
Been there, done it , written it, proven it, many, many ,many, many times. Just search and you will find.
Two problems here. One is that you started "looking after" you got your first frogs, and two is that you have not searched enough. You will find tons of facts. I'll indulge you here and quickly post the same info I have been writing for the past five or so years , just for you.
Mixing facts:
Two species can cross contaminate each other unless both are proven to be totally "clean". Clean being free of parasites, viruses, bacterial infections, and a host of other issues. If you have not tested your frogs, and I tend to think you have not (please tell me if I am wrong here) you have no way of telling if one species has now given a death sentence to the other species.
Breeding is almost always effected in at least a minimal way and sometime shut off totally. Many of these frogs will be extinct in our lifetime and we are responsible to breed these frogs in captivity . Much of this comes down to responsibility.
There is absolutely zero benefit to the frogs to having other species in the same tank. None. Nobody has yet to come up with one.
Stress while at times is very evident, at others it is a creeping menace that when identified, at times, can be too late for the frog's health. When frogs are contaminated with certain parasites , the parasites do little harm until the frogs are stressed. The combination of stress and parasites can be a huge factor as opposed to a single factor such as one or the other. In other words, if you have a frog with parasites, that frog may live just fine with them until the frog is stressed . And the stress, because of the parasites, need only be a fraction of what it would need to be in a "clean' frog to do damage that may otherwise be treatable or curable.
While it is not an issue with your frogs, there are a number of species of darts that will hybridize and this is a huge, huge no-no in our hobby.
That should start things off on a factual, proven tack.
The simple answer is yes, different species, not even sub-species, of darts will hybridize. Much fact has been written on this also.
I doubt that anyone wants you to spend $700-$800 on a new viv. Not sure how big you are going , but I can set one up for quite a bit less than that.
As far as the "backing off" , I think that someone here needs to take a look in the mirror, answer my questions, such as did you quarantine your frogs and test ? Two big, big, much written about topics. And then maybe you will understand that it is not our intention to hurt your fragile feelings. It is our intention to point out that there is more than enough easily accessible information out there to start out on a better foot than you have. If in-fact you did not quarantine, test , and correct any health issues with your frogs (and please don't tell me that you can guess at the health of your frogs by watching them eat and grow) then there are two, quarantine and not mixing, issues you need to address. At the very least. If you don't want to hear hard facts such as quarantine good and mixing bad, I suggest doing a lot more reading instead of bragging about how your three month old mixed species tank is thriving where others' have found this to be less than factual.
If you feel the need to debate in a scientific , factual way , I am your man. If your feelings are easily trampled when facts about your set-up and husbandry practises arise then I suggest we end this thread here and now.
To anybody else out there that does not understand my need to step in where I see issues, these are not impulse buy animals. Nor are they pets. Nor do these animals have short lifespans. Some can live over thirty years. They are a commitment and need to be taken care of in the best possible way from the very start. I absolutely know I can come off as harsh and rude at times. But the simple fact is I really get a bit (more actually) aggravated when I read of someone who is doing something that has absolutely been proven to be non-beneficial to their animals. Be they cat dog or frog. The issue of saying they did extensive research when in-fact they have not is another issue in and of itself.
Rich