← All species · Dart Frogs

Dyeing Poison Dart Frog

Dendrobates tinctorius · also called Tinc, Cobalt, Citronella

Intermediate Family Dendrobatidae

The bold, chunky beginner dart frog — hardy, forgiving and endlessly varied.

🖼️ Free Dyeing Poison Dart Frog wallpapers — phone & desktop →

✅ We have a full, fact-checked care sheet for the Dyeing Poison Dart Frog.

Open the Dyeing Poison Dart Frog care sheet →

📋 At a glance

Tank
Bioactive 18×18×18 in (1–2 frogs: one, or a male–female pair), ~10 gal each
Temp
72–80°F, prefers low-mid 70s · keep under ~80°F — a few hours near 85°F can kill
Humidity
70–100% · never sustained below 50%
Food
Flightless fruit flies (staple) + springtails, supplement-dusted
Lifespan
About 10–15 years (record 23)

✅ Captive-bred dart frogs are NOT toxic — toxicity comes from a wild diet they never get in captivity.

🛒 Before you buy

  • Planted bioactive vivarium with a drainage layer + leaf litter
  • Springtails & isopods (cleanup crew), a mister + hygrometer
  • A live fruit-fly culture going BEFORE the frogs arrive
  • Calcium/vitamin supplement — the setup costs more than the frog

A healthy one: Plump and active by day · clear eyes · good weight · CAPTIVE-BRED (never wild-caught).

🚨 See a vet / act now if…

  • Lethargy or hiding all day
  • Weight loss / thin legs, or not eating
  • Constant toe-tapping, or dark, clamped skin
  • Wobbling or seizures (often a calcium/vitamin issue)

⛔ Never

  • Wild-caught frogs
  • Humidity crashing below 50%
  • Heat above ~80°F

Common dyeing poison dart frog questions

How hard are Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs to keep — are they good for beginners?

Intermediate. Hardy and bold for a dart frog, but needs a stable bioactive vivarium.

What do Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs eat?

Flightless fruit flies (staple) + springtails, supplement-dusted

What size tank do Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs need?

Bioactive 18×18×18 in (1–2 frogs: one, or a male–female pair), ~10 gal each

What temperature do Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs need?

72–80°F, prefers low-mid 70s · keep under ~80°F — a few hours near 85°F can kill

What humidity do Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs need?

70–100% · never sustained below 50%

How long do Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs live?

About 10–15 years (record 23)

What are the signs Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs are sick?

See an exotics vet if you notice: Lethargy or hiding all day; Weight loss / thin legs, or not eating; Constant toe-tapping, or dark, clamped skin; Wobbling or seizures (often a calcium/vitamin issue).

🧠 Myths, kindly busted

Common myths about the dyeing poison dart frog and its relatives, gently corrected — each one checked against a named source, never a pet-shop rumour.

“The blue poison dart frog (azureus) is its own species.”Mostly false

Not by today's classification. The blue 'azureus' was described as its own species, Dendrobates azureus, in 1969, but a 2006 study merged it into the dyeing poison dart frog, D. tinctorius; it's now treated as that species' blue colour morph from southern Suriname. A few herpetologists, including its original describer, still dispute this. — Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH) · Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (d'Orgeix et al. 2019) · Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (Hoogmoed 2019)

“Several female dyeing dart frogs can share a tank without trouble.”Mostly false

Females fight each other. In one wild study, 13 of 23 aggressive encounters were female versus female, from chases to bouts of kicking, jumping on backs and pinning rivals down, sometimes while one was courting a male, sometimes with no male around. The Aquarium of the Pacific also notes females fight over males. — PeerJ (2019) · Aquarium of the Pacific

“Captive-bred poison dart frogs are dangerously poisonous.”

Dart frogs do not make their toxins themselves — they build them up from a wild diet of certain ants and mites. Captive-bred frogs raised on ordinary feeder insects do not carry those alkaloids, so they are not a poison threat in the home. — Wikipedia

“Poison dart frogs are fun frogs to pick up and handle.”

These little frogs are best enjoyed with your eyes, not your hands. All dart frogs have delicate, absorbent skin, and wild-caught ones can still carry toxins, so routine handling is discouraged. — Wikipedia

“A captive-bred dart frog can never be toxic, so the toxin never matters.”

Captive-bred frogs keep the ability to store toxins again if they are ever fed an alkaloid-rich diet, and wild-caught frogs can stay toxic for a long time — which is why clean hands and gentle care still matter around any dart frog. — Wikipedia

🐸 Did you know? — Dyeing Poison Dart Frog fun facts

Little true delights about the dyeing poison dart frog — each one checked against a named source, no old-wives' trivia.

More amphibian fun facts →

Free tools for the dyeing poison dart frog

Calm, honest help — each one knows when to say "see a vet."

Symptom checker Triage a worrying sign and know when to see a vet. Vivarium builder Plan a bioactive planted vivarium. Feeder culture Culture your own feeder insects, cheaply. Male or female? The honest way to sex this one — and when you can tell. What does a dyeing poison dart frog cost? The honest cost — setup vs ongoing, and where to save. No price tags. Common questions Real questions keepers ask — answered straight.

📚 More dart frogs guides

🎓 Ready to go deeper?

Past the basics — genetics & morphs, responsible breeding, tankmates, and advanced setups. Same plain voice, no ceiling:

Get the free Dyeing Poison Dart Frog Starter Kit

A one-page setup-criteria checklist and a first-30-days plan for your first dyeing poison dart frog — what to get, what makes each thing matter, and the honest bits the pet shop skips. Join the burrow and we’ll send it over. Free sheets and tools always stay open, no gatekeeping.

Free amphibian care cheat-sheet when you join. No spam — pinky-promise. Unsubscribe anytime. See how we handle your data in our privacy notice.