If you are looking to own a pet, you need to make sure it is comfortable. Some pets love to be alone while some others have no problem with animals of other species. This becomes even more important in the case of pets that have to be housed in tanks or enclosures. Dart frogs and tree frogs are two such animals.
So, can dart frogs live with tree frogs? The answer is both yes and no. These two species can coexist, but not all species are suitable to live with each other. Tree frog species such as clown and hourglass tree frogs are suitable to live alongside Bumblebee poison dart frogs.
The key to housing dart frogs and tree frogs is to keep them separate when it comes to their habitats and active hours.
Housing Dart Frogs and tree frogs together
Generally speaking, dart frogs and tree frogs do not mix well. There are a few reasons for that. First, the environment these two frogs need is somewhat different. It is tough to strike a balance between their preferred conditions inside their tanks.
Next, the size difference plays a significant role in the housing of the frogs. Some tree frogs are larger than dart frogs, which only grow to a couple of inches in length. So they either pose a big competition for food or try to eat the dart frogs themselves. As most dart frogs are poisonous, this doesn’t bode well for either kind of frog.
But all is not doom and gloom if you want to keep dart frogs and tree frogs together. There are a few tree frogs that can gel well with dart frogs. The tree frogs that can coexist with dart frogs are:
- Hourglass tree frogs
- Bird Poop Tree frogs
- Lemur tree frog
- Clown tree frog.
One trait all of these frogs have in common is that they are relatively smaller in size, which ensures that they won’t be a threat to dart frogs. Also, these frogs are nocturnal, while dart frogs are active during the day, which ensures peace and comfort for both animals.
Another reason these tree frogs can live with dart frogs is their habitat. Dart frogs live on the ground, while tree frogs live on tree branches, so the competition for habitat is nonexistent.
Read More: Keeping Multiple Dart Frogs Together
Other things to consider while putting tree and dart frogs together
Apart from the species of the frogs, there are some other factors you have to take into account if you want to keep dart and tree frogs together. All of these have to be 100% on point for these two frogs to coexist peacefully. These factors are:
1. Ensuring only captive-bred animals are kept
It is necessary to house captive-bred frogs together. Wild Dart frogs are usually poisonous, while the ones bred in captivity are almost always devoid of any poison. This will ensure the tree frogs will be free of danger.
For the tree frogs, wild ones are also well behaved and easily available, but the issue lies elsewhere. Wild tree frogs carry a lot of germs and parasites. These pathogens as well as parasites will affect both the tree frogs and dart frogs. Captive-bred tree frogs don’t have these germs and parasites.
2. Ensuring Proper living conditions for both species
Contrary to popular belief, keeping dart and tree frogs together only increases the workload. If you had kept one kind of frog in a tank, you only would’ve needed to worry about ensuring its comfort. But when you are keeping two different species in a single enclosure, you have to keep the balance between the comfort zones of the two species.
Dart frogs don’t require UVB lighting in their tanks, while tree frogs need to have UVB lighting in their tanks. Tree frogs have to be fed small crickets during the day and dart frogs need fruit flies at night. Tree frogs need water in their tanks but dart frogs can do without water.
When it comes to ventilation, dart frogs don’t need it. But tree frogs must have properly ventilated tanks. The humidity level needed for tree frogs is medium, around 60 to 70 percent, while dart frogs need very high humidity levels at 80 to 100 percent.
So you can see, you have quite a job at hand if you want to keep dart frogs and tree frogs in a single enclosure. You need to take their active hours into account and build a tank that can assure both the animals’ safety and comfort. This brings us to the next segment.
3. Managing a large tank
Both tree and dart frogs need small or medium-sized tanks when kept individually. But as you’ve seen above, when kept together, the needs of these animals demand a bigger tank.
When you put dart frogs and tree frogs together in a tank, you need to have a tank with a capacity of at least 50 gallons.
Since tree frogs live in trees, the tank walls should be higher than regular ones. The minimum height of the tank walls should be 24 inches. These high walls will not only ensure that both frogs remain in their preferred habitats, but it also allows you to provide them with different levels of humidity at different levels.
You can’t pick a tank and put the frogs in it on a whim. This needs careful planning. It’s best to put juvenile dart frogs into the tank first and allow them to grow to two-thirds of their full length. This will allow them to stand up for themselves and also eat the leftover crickets from the tree frogs.
Add tree frogs to the tank a few months after the dart frogs to let the latter grow properly.
4. Keeping a close eye on the proceedings
You can’t rest on your laurels after introducing the frogs to their enclosures. Plenty of things can go wrong even after your best efforts.
Notice whether the animals are behaving naturally or not. Whether they are eating properly or not is a very significant indicator of their well-being.
If you see the animals aren’t behaving like they should, try to find out what is bothering them. If you see that even after you have done everything in your power things are not improving, you have to separate the frogs. It is in all of their best interests to do so.
Final Words
Keeping dart frogs and tree frogs together is a tricky job. A lot of things have to go right for these two animals to coexist without any problem. But once you have the perfect balance between the needs of these two animals, you will have yourself a unique and beautiful tank you can be proud of.
