Description

Dendrobates azureus are easy to identify: they are bright blue with small black spots over their entire body, which are slightly bigger in the middle of their back (Dendrobates azureus are a colour variation of Dendrobates tinctorius). This poison dart frog is one of the larger species and can measure 4 to 5 centimeters. the suction cups of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger of adult males are about 1/3 bigger than those of the females. They live in the Sipaliwini-Savanna (in the south of Suriname - see map), close to the Four Brothers mountains. They are typical inhabitants of what is left of the rain forests. They can also be found on river banks where they hide between rocks. This frog likes a very warm and moist environment. The male takes care of the eggs, which he deposits between some dead leaves. After the eggs have hatched, he carries the tadpoles 1 or 2 at a time to small puddles in tree cavities or water-filled sepals of bromeliad-like plants.

For more information on poison dart frogs of the Dendrobates genus, take a look at species.


Feeding

In the wild, their food consists of mites, small snails and all kinds of small insects. In captivity their diet is limited to fruit flies, spring tails, pea aphids, confused flour beetles and dust crickets, enriched with a vitamin supplement (Herpetal's Amphib). They will also eat small crickets, bean weevils and tropcial woodlice. Once in a while I also feed my frogs with small wax moth larvae.

Breeding fruit flies, spring tails and pea aphids is quite easy; you can find more info on the page about feeder insects.





Paludarium

Dendrobates azureus is a relatively big frog and has to be kept in a large, warm and moist paludarium (a minimum of 50x50x50 cm is required for a pair, for more frogs a larger territory is advised). The walls of the paludarium have to be fitted with absorbing materials (preferably xaxim tree fern or similar) and finish it off with some streaming water and/or some shallow puddles. Turf and small pieces of bark are used to cover the bottom. The humidity has to be at least 80% by day upto 100% at night. Their entire environment needs to be sprayed at least twice a day, preferably early in the morning and somewhere in the afternoon. The recommended temperature during the day is 22-27°C, at night it may drop to room temperature. It's easy to keep the temperature levelled by using a heating element. Lighting is mainly important for the plants (fluorescent T5 lamps are most commonly used) and should be on for at least 12 hours a day. Dendrobates azureus are not so much interested in plants, but more so in shadow and places to hide. They like to hiding under oak leaves, but the soil should not be too moist; some rocks and small tree trunks make a nice addition. A plastic/coconut hut with a small petri dish inside is very suitable for the deposit of eggs; black film tubes (the kind that is used to keep 35mm analog film rolls in) can also be used.

My Dendrobates azureus frogs live together with my Ranitomeya Ventrimaculata frogs. Since Azureus prefers the lower areas and the Ventrimaculata likes the higher parts, they have no problems living together and seem to accept each other very well. They live in a paludarium of 1 meter long, 50 cm deep and 60cm high. The sides and back wall are covered with xaxim tree fern with large pieces of tropical wood attached to it. All holes and cracks are filled with PUR, covered with FixAll and finished with xaxim tree fern grit. The paludarium is fitted with an automated spraying system and a silent pump, a heating element and an extra pump to circulate the water. Two fans make sure there's a constant and minimal airflow in the tank. It also has an automated lighting system and extra LED lighting to simulate moonlight at night. The ZooMed fog machine does its work for half an hour in the morning and late at night.

For more information on how to build and decorate a paludarium, take a look at techniques.
If you want to see how the fog machine (Repti Fogger) works, take a look at video.





Behaviour / Breeding

Dendrobates azureus is a quiet frog and mainly active (looking for food) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. This species is best kept in pairs or in a group of one male and two females. Experienced breeders can compose a breeding group from a large batch of very young frogs. The male calls the female to the mating place by humming softly. The female will lay between 4 and 12 eggs, which the male will fertilize and take care off from then on. The eggs will hatch after about 15 days; the male will carry the larvae on his back and bring them to the water. From there on, the larvae will take care of themselves. The temperature of the water should be between 21 and 24°C. The tadpoles have cannibalistic tendensies and should be fed mosquito larvae, minced earthworms and fish food. About 100 days later, the young frogs will crawl on land; at this point they can be transfered to breeding paludarium. They will start feeding in a day or two. If you want to incubate them, it is recommended to take the eggs a day after they've been deposited. In case the eggs were deposited in a petri dish, pour in some water until the eggs are all under, then cover up the petri dish and let it rest at 24-26°C. When the tadpoles hatch, transfer them to a plastic container with 3cm of water. About 90 days later, when they develop front legs, the water level should be lowered to 2cm and a piece of dry land should be provided, as the young frogs will crawl onto it about 10 days later. With healthy feeding they will be ready to mate within 18 months so they can provide the next generation.

If you want to hear a male azureus calling, take a look at the: video.





Disease and wounds

It is very important to keep track of your frogs' behaviour; in case of abnormal behaviour, don't hesitate to put that particular frog in quarantine. This will ensure the health of the other frogs as well as the recovery of the frog in question.

Small wounds can be disinfected with betadine (apply highly deluted or put a very small amount in a container with water). If the wound is already inflamed and infected with bacteria, it could be treated with Baytril (put 8 drops into 125ml of tepid water, bath the frog in it for 10 minutes and do this for the next 5 to 6 days).

There are two common sorts of bowel parasites: flagellates and nematodes. If the frog is listless, sits in the water a lot, hides and has a watery defecation, chances are that it's suffering from flagellates. These parasites live in the bowel system but mainly act when the frog's resistance is low. As a cure, use Flagalex: 1 part on 8 parts of tepid water. Put 1 drop of this solution on the wet back of the frog every day during 1 week. Spray the paludarium with a solution of 1 ml Flagalex on 5 liters of water. If the frog is listless but still eats and is losing weight nevertheless, it may be it's suffering from nematodes. You may want to try a treatment of Panacur: add 4 drops to 1 leter of water. Spray the paludarium once a day for 3 days, let it rest for 14 days and spray again for 3 days.

Of course it's best to consult a veterinarian specialized in poison dart frogs and have your frogs' droppings checked a few times a year.


Dendrobate poisonousness

Poison dart frogs have a peculiar defence mechanism: they secrete poison through their skin. Even today, the Cholo indians of Columbia put this poison on their arrows to hunt. They locate and catch the frogs by perfectly imitating their mating call. When handling the frogs, the indians protect their hands with leaves. The arrows tips are dipped in the backs of dead frogs before shooting them with their blow pipes. Even when kept dry, the arrows remain poisonous for decades. The poison is so powerful it can paralyse a jaguar within seconds.

Dendrobates are capable of absorbing alkaloids (naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms) from their food. The constitution of the poison is mainly determined by the constitution of the food and the amount of alkaloids in it. These alkaloids have been found in tropical ants, beetles and millipedes (Diplopoda). When captured in the wild, these frogs can still produce a high concentration of poison for years, while only being fed fruit flies and other harmless insects.
Over 400 different alkaloids have been found in the skin secretion of dendrobates. Some of these have medical applications, such as atropin, codein and morphine. The most important dendrobate poison is batrachotoxin, which is one of the most poisonous natural substances; even cyanide is less poisonous! The poison is secreted through pores over the entire body. It affects the central nervous system and causes paralysation of muscles and nerves. Phyllobates terribilis also known as the golden poison frog or golden dart frog is the most poisonous of them all; the bright colour functions as a warning to its predators. Alkaloids also have a very bitter, unpleasant taste which makes poison dart frogs even less appealing as food. The bright colours, which warn predators of their poisonousness and unpleasant taste, enable the frogs to be active during the day.