Golden Poison Frog

🔤 Taxonomy

Phyllobates terribilis belongs to Dendrobatidae. Yellow, orange and pale “mint” captive lines belong to this species; keep their documented lines separate. “Poison frog” describes defensive skin chemistry, not a venom-injecting bite.

📌 Description

Adults are robust, active by day and about 4–5.5 cm long, with females usually larger. Captive lifespan is often estimated at 10–20 years. Wild animals can carry extremely dangerous batrachotoxins. Animals bred and raised on conventional captive diets generally lack these wild dietary toxins, but unknown-origin frogs must never be assumed safe to touch.

Parameter	Practical reference
Adult size	4–5.5 cm
Lifespan (years)	10–20
Enclosure (L × W × H)	60 × 45 × 45 cm
Daytime air	21–24 °C
Night	18–21 °C
Humidity	80–100%

🌍 Distribution

This frog is native to a restricted area of humid Pacific lowland forest in Colombia, including Cauca and Valle del Cauca. It uses sheltered forest-floor microhabitats. The country map greatly overstates the occupied area; it is not a detailed conservation-range map.

Native range

⚖️ Legal status

Checked on 2026-09-17: Phyllobates spp. is in CITES Appendix II and EU Annex B. Obtain documented captive-bred animals and retain the scientific name, seller, acquisition date and legal-origin evidence. International trade requires the appropriate CITES and EU documents; check the route with the competent authority before transport. Bern is not relevant to its native range, and national keeping, breeding or transfer rules may add requirements.

🤌 Husbandry

A planted 60 × 45 × 45 cm enclosure offers a practical starting space for a compatible pair; use more floor area for a group. Provide multiple feeding and shelter sites and separate a suppressed animal. Keep species and locality lines apart. Quarantine new frogs with dedicated tools and an amphibian-veterinary screening plan. Use a simple, easily inspected quarantine setup for about 90 days, adjusted with veterinary advice; record food intake, weight and faeces, and arrange faecal testing when indicated.

💡 Lighting

Provide 12 hours of diffuse daylight, avoiding direct sun on the glass. Plant lights must not overheat the enclosure. Low-level UVB can be used only with measured exposure, dense shade and a coordinated supplementation plan; do not place a strong reptile basking lamp over these frogs.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for air temperatures of 21–24 °C by day and 18–21 °C at night. This is a cool tropical forest animal, not a hot basking reptile. Check temperatures at frog level and prepare room cooling before summer. Do not use direct ice contact or rapid chilling to correct overheating; a distressed frog needs urgent veterinary advice.

💧 Humidity and water

Maintain roughly 80–100% humidity with gentle ventilation and damp, drained substrate. Allow some leaf surfaces to dry between misting rather than keeping every surface submerged. Use amphibian-safe dechlorinated water and keep drainage below the substrate. A shallow accessible water dish can be offered; a deep ornamental pool is unnecessary.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Provide 5–8 cm of suitable soil mix above drainage, plentiful broad leaf litter, low cork shelters and pesticide-free plants. Keep several open feeding patches without sacrificing cover. Remove waste and spoiled food; springtails and other clean-up organisms do not replace sanitation. Inspect for inaccessible gaps and water traps.

🪳 Feeding

Feed cultured flightless fruit flies and appropriately small crickets or other safe tiny prey. Offer juveniles small meals daily and adults daily or every other day, adjusting to body condition. Dust meals with an amphibian-appropriate calcium and vitamin programme, including vitamin A and D3 at label-directed intervals. Avoid stacking several vitamin products, expired supplements and wild insects. Maintain backup fly cultures before acquiring frogs. Choose prey no wider than the space between the eyes; offer smaller items if swallowing looks difficult.

🥚 Breeding

Eggs are laid in sheltered moist sites and males can transport hatched tadpoles to water. Breeding needs planned nursery water, suitable tadpole food and secure housing for tiny froglets. Keep parentage records and do not mix colour lines. Do not assume the parents will supply all tadpole nutrition in a small display enclosure.

🩺 Common problems

Loss of weight, red or ulcerated skin, abnormal posture and refusal of food require an amphibian veterinarian. Transfer with a clean container; if necessary use fresh powder-free gloves rinsed with amphibian-safe water. Keep secretions away from eyes, mouth and broken skin. Suspected exposure to an unknown-origin frog’s toxin needs urgent poison-centre or emergency medical advice.

📌 Conclusion

Choose documented captive-bred frogs only when reliable small-food cultures and summer temperature control are already in place. Compare with Dendrobates tinctorius for another terrestrial dart frog, without mixing the species.