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So I saw this in petco last week

Jazzy says yarr

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If it's still there today, il take a picture.

They're carrying a poison dart frog. Specifically, he's black with the blue half and overlap area spots. Maybe he's an inch long, so I'd say adult.

..is this legal? I was really surprised to see him there. I suppose if it weren't, they wouldn't have him for sale as part of their stock, but really? Is this safe? Even advisable? What if a kid buys it and wants to hold him? Is there something I'm missing here?

I might just be a misinformed concerned person, but this seems like a bad idea.

Thoughts?
 

Sith the turtle

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PDFs (Poison dart frogs) have no toxins in captivity. They gain their toxins in the prey they eat in the wild, so a diet of fruit-flies and other micro-feeders would make them just as non-lethal as your average tree-frog. They are definetly not for beginners though (Such as children) as they need a lot of care that only people experienced in live plants and sustainable enclosures can keep. Do you have any photos of the frog (And the care it is in?)
 

Jazzy says yarr

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That is very relieving to hear. My husband was verrrry concerned and asked me to make a post about it, to see what the community would say about it. We're going back there today for some frozen food for our fish; if they've still got him, il definitely be taking pictures. And if not, il at least get some of the enclosure.
 

salvoz

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As Xavier said, no need to worry about toxicity for the dart frogs (unless freshly wild caught). Ironically, it's the caudates you need to watch out for. For example, this study found the tetrodotoxin levels in Taricha actually increased after a year in captivity, suggesting that they can to some extent "manufacture" their toxin from non-toxic precursors.
 

Jazzy says yarr

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He wasn't there, but there were fresh fruit flies in his water dish and moss, so I'm guessing he was hiding under his water dish.(there was a gap)

Here are some pictures I took of his box. It wasn't that big, but neither was he, tbh.
I'm kind of disappointed we hadn't seen him.
 

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Sith the turtle

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Just as I (Sadly) thought, that humidity for that frog is far too low. Most PDF's need around 80-100 percent humidity, if not they seek shelter (Like the frog is probably doing in the photo) and eventually die. Here's a (Somewhat) bare bones general care-sheet that you could bring them, I would try to find one for the species but since it isn't pictured a general care-sheet will have to do: Poison Dart Frog Care Sheet
 

Sith the turtle

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Jazzy says yarr

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He's kind of like the 'true', but no yellow.

He was a lot closer to this guy pictured below, but I thought he had more black. It could've just been dark dark blue, I guess; But that color blue and the way the spots are on this one are very very close to what I remember seeing.

I feel really bad now. They didn't even have a care sheet for him. Like, no spot on the rack for it. The employees probably have no idea what to do with him. There was one girl there last night, close to closing. And you can't run a register, do leveling and check up on your however limited animal stock at the same time, especially with customers and questions. This poor little guy probably spent the night like this.

If he wasn't 70+ dollars, I'd try to rescue him. Also, we have no room for an extra tank >.> in my experience, however, you always find room.

My husband and I are both off today; after he gets home, il see if we can run back today and see what's up.


I officially feel terrible for this teeny tiny frog.
 

Sith the turtle

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Worth noting if it was one of those frogs, it's either a sub-species or color morph of Dendrobates tinctorius, (Dendrobates tinctorius azureus) and should be treated in captivity as such. I do hope the little guy/gal gets their humidity back up though
 
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