SpeciesYellow-banded poison dart frog
Yellow-banded poison dart frog
Dendrobates leucomelas
Black and yellow, loud-calling and active by day: The way into poison frogs. Captive-bred animals are not toxic: the poison comes from the diet of wild animals and never forms in a terrarium.
- Group
- Amphibian
- Level
- Beginner
- Origin
- South America
Where the species comes from
- World region
- South America
- Countries
- Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil
- Habitat
- Humid lowland forests, often near the ground
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- For two animals the Animal Welfare Ordinance requires at least 25 × 15 body lengths of floor area and 8 body lengths of height, plus 15 × 2 body lengths for each further animal. For a group of four animals of 4 cm that makes 116 × 60 × 32 cm, for animals of 5 cm 145 × 75 × 40 cm.
- Temperature
- 22–26 °C by day, 20 °C at night. Above 28 °C it becomes critical.
- Humidity
- 80–100 %, a rain system or misting several times a day.
- Lighting
- Weak UV-B is beneficial, good plant lighting, twelve hours.
- Substrate
- Drainage layer topped with soil and leaf litter, permanently moist.
- Furnishings
- Dense planting, bromeliads, coconut shells as hides, a small water section.
- Water
- Shallow water section, refreshed weekly. Only softened or osmosis water.
- Feeding
- Daily the smallest insects: Fruit flies and springtails, dusted with vitamins.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, calls loudly, easy to observe. Males carry the tadpoles on their backs.
- Handling
- Do not handle. The skin absorbs whatever is on your hands.
- Cohabitation
- Groups of three to five animals; a surplus of males leads to conflict.
- Health
- Sensitive to heat and poor water. Captive-bred animals are robust when both are right.
- Seasonal cycle
- A drier phase of four to six weeks stimulates breeding.
- Safety
- No permit required. Captive-bred animals are not poisonous. The toxin comes from the diet of wild animals.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
Species protection applies
CITES Appendix II: Import and transfer only with papers. When buying, ask for proof of origin and captive breeding
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 6 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 3 (Ground-dwelling poison dart frogs): floor area 25 × 15 body lengths, height 8 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 15 × 2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the total length of the animal, from snout to the end of the body. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Total length | At least |
|---|---|
| 3 cm | 75 × 45 × 24 cm |
| 4 cm | 100 × 60 × 32 cm |
| 5 cm | 125 × 75 × 40 cm |
For amphibians the height is an average: the enclosure may be higher or lower in places.
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy (note a to table 6).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” work out this minimum for adult animals; they give the minimum, not the ideal.
What the enclosure must provide
Permanently high humidity without waterlogging, clean water, dense planting with a hide and bromeliads. Amphibian skin absorbs substances directly: No contact with cleaning agents or unwashed hands.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
