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Oophaga pumilio (aka strawberry poison dart frog) is a poison dart frog from the Dendrobatidae family found in Nicaragua through Panama. They are small frogs measuring 17 - 24 mm as adults. Our Rufous Ridge are 2-3 times larger than our Escudo.

They are generally ground dwellers but do frequently climb. They are diurnal (awake during the day), as are other poison dart frogs. They are generally brightly coloured frogs, which in their natural environment is meant to warn of their toxicity to predators. 

Pumilio are an obligate egg feeder, which means the female must feed her babies unfertilized eggs. Males are territorial and females are very selective in their breeding partner because of the amount of time and energy she has to put into raising her tadpoles.

Naturalistic terrariums are best for all dart frogs. Pumilio spend a lot of time on the ground foraging for springtails and sometimes laying their eggs in the leaf litter. They are primarily terrestrial, but they also spend time climbing, particularly the female who will transport her tadpoles to various different locations, each tadpole must be in a pool of its own. Once she has deposited her tadpoles, she has to care for them. As noted earlier, they are obligate egg eaters, so she has to go around to each deposit site and leave unfertilized eggs for her tads. Bromeliads are extremely important for this frog.

Pumilio prefer a little warmer temperature than most dart frogs (26-28C daytime) and they prefer a little bit dryer with a bit more ventilation. An automatic misting system running 3 times a day for a couple of minutes each time, helps to keep the water in the bromeliads fresher, they still may require hand misting as well. The glass and leaves should dry within one to two hours of misting. The tadpole sites should have a good water change at least 1 time a week, more often is better.

Pumilio males are quite territorial and will wrestle with other males for the best calling territory. If 2 males are kept together in a vivarium, usually the dominant one will win out and the loser ends up hiding, sickly or dying. Females are very selective about their mates and choose if they wished to join a calling male or not.

Pumilio, are generally kept in breeding pairs or groups with only one male as a way of limiting stress for the frogs. Females and juveniles are far more sociable than males.

Breeding females particularly need a constant supply of food (springtails and fruit flies dusted with vitamins) because of the energy they use while caring for their tadpoles. We seed our tanks with springtails, plus add more springtails frequently.

Pumilio aren't a great beginner frog, where care is concerned they aren't much different from other dart frogs, but where breeding is concerned they can be more of a challenge. 

Like all of the other poison dart frogs, pumilio are not poisonous in captivity. They do not have access to the same diet in captivity that creates their toxicity in their natural environment.