D. tinctorius, or tinc for short, (aka Dyeing Poison Dart Frog) are one of the larger dart frogs. They are colourful and generally bold in behaviour.
Different morphs/locales should be kept in their own vivariums as they have a tendency to crossbreed and/or try to outcompete each other where the loser weakens and becomes ill or even starves to death.
Tincs are one of the easier dart frogs to sex, froglets aren't always accurately sexed but for the most part, a male has larger front toe pads than females. Females, especially at maturity, are usually larger frogs, wider frogs, and have a more defined break in its back. Of course, calling males and egg laying females are truly where the proof lies though.
Tinc females are more likely to fight with other females, sometime killing the weaker female. Less commonly males will fight, I've had a male almost kill another male and only my interception saved the weaker of the two.
Being a bolder and more curious species, tinctorius are more likely to spend their time out where they can be seen and tend to come out to the front of the vivarium at feeding time or if they hear someone nearby.
This species, along with terribilis, are a favourite of mine because they are so bold and are just fun to watch (and photograph) as they seem to interact with their audience.
Tinctorius vary in size, some morphs (eg. Oyapok) are small in comparison to larger morphs like Citronella. They are, to the best of my knowledge, all very bold in behaviour.
Humidity should be kept over 70%, the higher the better. Temperature should be kept between 21.1 - 26.6 C (70 - 80 F), but ideally 22-25C, with the temperature dropping a few degrees at night. They are heat sensitive and will die if overheated.
We feed flightless fruit flies and their cages are seeded with springtails. They will eat other small foods such as pinhead crickets.
They reach sexual maturity as early as 10-14 months of age. A male's call is a quiet buzzing sound. Females lay their eggs (up to 15 eggs) on flat smooth leaves or on petri dishes under coco huts.The eggs hatch after about 2 weeks. From egg to froglet can take up to 3 months depending on temperature.
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