How to Care For Phyllobates vittatus - The Most Underrated Poison Dart Frog

Hello everyone!
In this video I'll be talking about my favorite poison dart frog in my collection, and a very underratad species: Phyllobates vittatus. This video won't be a complete general care guide with everything you have to know to keep dart frogs (though I have one in the making), but rather a video focusing on the species specific things to help you decide if this is the frog you want in your next vivarium. I also included some footage of my Phyllobates vittatus calling. Let me know if you want more videos like these, as I have a few more species I could cover.
I have a few more videos in the making right now so make sure you're subscribed so you won't miss them.
Music:
HOME - Come Back Down
Lakey Inspired - Distant
Lakey Inspired - Days Like These

[@olafkunert6368]

Phyllobates vittatus and his brother lugubris and my beloved Dendrobates auratus from the Pacific Coast are very underrated species. The last two are hard to find.

[@greenmachinesweden]

Great vid Emanuel. Wonderful animals. 😀👍

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

I looove your channel. Beautiful tanks and frogs and tons of knowledge. Keep up the great work. I plan on keeping darts one day, at least I hope to, and with all the dart frog content I've consumed, and will have viewed until that day, I almost suspect I'll be a master from the get go

[@franksantana6859]

I just got 2 phylobates terribilis orange black foot froglets. Couldn't be happier, they are already pretty bold!

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

Awesome to hear! Terribilis are more of a ”guaranteed” bold frog than vittatus are, so it’s not surprising to hear that

[@sagebingham199]

😅

[@zacw7443]

This was very helpful, I currently own 3 bumble dart frogs but looking to get a pair or trio of darts frogs for a 12x12x18 for breeding ,

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

Thank you! That’s definately too little floor space for any adult vittatus or similar sized terrestrial frog. You could house a pair of Ranitomeya in there but it’s still quite small. I recommend getting a bigger vivarium for the pair/trio and keeping the 12*12*18 as a growout vivarium for your future froglets, you’ll need it.

[@Frogmandb]

Are these guys quite a bit smaller than tincs and terribilis? But larger than thumbnails?

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

I'd say they're a tiny bit smaller than the average tinctorius or terribilis, but definitely way larger than the average thumbnail.

[@Frogmandb]

@@Tropical_Tutorials thanks !

[@CtlmRvl]

Good video Can i keep some in my 18×18×24 exo terra? I already have some mourning geckos in there and lots of plants and thougt of putting a small group in there. I heard they would do well with each other and have pretty similar care

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

It's a pretty safe combination, you could probably stick 3-4 vittatus with your geckos in that vivarium (as long as there isn't a crazy amount of geckos in there, overpopulation can be a stress). That said, always keep an eye out for aggression.

[@mattiaguazzo2609]

i thought about doing the same thing but i heard that the vittatus would be to small and the mourning geckos would eat them did you have anyy problems with that? pls let me know@@Tropical_Tutorials

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

@@mattiaguazzo2609 Vittatus aren’t small at all; they’re just a tiny bit smaller than Azureus. Maybe I wouldn’t put adult mourning geckos with a tiny vittatus froglet, but aside from that you’re good as long as you provide plenty of room for them.

[@amandastakeonit7402]

Do you have a list of which dart frogs prefer horizontal and which prefer vertical and which can be housed communally.

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

I talk about it a bit in the complete poison dart frog care guide that you can find on my channel. Generally Dendrobates and Phyllobates are more terrestrial (they will climb a lot too, so height is appreciated, but if you're choosing between a horizontal and a vertical vivarium you should pick the horizontal) while Ranitomeya and Oophaga pumilio (not sure about the bigger Oophagas, but those aren't beginner friendly anyways) are more arboreal. Epipedobates anthonyi would fully utilize either; I don't know if I'd classify them as arboreal or terrestrial. Dendrobates tinctorius and possibly Oophaga pumilio and Ranitomeya imitator are some species that do best in pairs or alone, since they can be very territorial towards same sex frogs. All other Dendrobates (leucomelas, auratus and truncatus), Phyllobates, Epipedobates and many Ranitomeya species do well in groups.

[@amandastakeonit7402]

@@Tropical_Tutorials, thank you!

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

cool

[@vids595]

They occupy different areas? NO. In a tank that is only 24'36" tall there is no real difference between an arboreal and terrestrial frogs. As we see in the video the are both on the floor. There is also the potential for the microbiome of the species to not be compatible.

[@Tropical_Tutorials]

Hi! I recently made a video all about my opinion on mixing species. Feel free check it out to see my full opinion and continue discussing the topic in that comment section. I’m not advocating mixing random dart frog species without seriously considering each species’ individual requirements first, but I do believe it’s possible to do safely in some cases (which I talk about in the video I mentioned). The Ranitomeyas learned to come down on the ground at feeding time, but normally, they stay up in the bromeliads during the rest of the day, where the Phyllobates rarely go. The frogs barely even get close to one another for the rest of the day. These species are both known to be very friendly towards tankmates (unlike tincs, pumilio etc. which are usually best kept with only their own species). It’s true that this vivarium has a slightly higher concentration of frogs than there is in the rainforest, but it’s still significantly bigger than the required size for each species and big enough for it not to be an issue. There are plenty of visual barriers where the frogs can get away from each other. The microclimate requirements of these species are in fact compatible and the absolute majority of dart frog keepers keep all of their dart frogs in the same temperature and humidity (with exceptions for a few specific ones that stand out from the bunch), so that argument rarely has any serious impact on mixed tank (at least for the easier and more common species), and I think the risk for hybrids, territorial behavior and competition for food are all much more important points of consideration (but they’re all possible to get around by choosing the right species and providing plenty of room).

[@5gasman]

I am a huge fan of your videos so much Details and information! I am new to the Dart Frog community. Keep doing what your doing! I have learned a lot from them. I am following you on Instagram! Thanks 👍