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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Strawberry Poison-dart Frog "Blue Jeans"
Oophaga pumilio "Blue Jeans"
A classic morph of the strawberry poison dart frog, known for its brilliant red body and distinctive blue legs. Highly active, territorial, and requires a vertical planted terrarium.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Dendrobatidae
Subfamily:Dendrobatinae
Genus:Oophaga
Species:Oophaga pumilio "Blue Jeans"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 100 %
Day temperature
24 - 26 °C
Night temperature
22 - 23 °C
Ambient temperature
24 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Basso
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, where it inhabits tropical lowland forests, secondary growth forests, and humid cocoa or banana plantations. It depends heavily on epiphytic bromeliads growing on tree trunks, using them for shelter and as water-filled nurseries for its tadpoles.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Dendrobatidae. A tiny poison frog, with adults reaching only 1.8 to 2.5 cm in length. The body is small with slender digits adapted for precise climbing. The 'Blue Jeans' morph features a brilliant red dorsal coloration and deep blue legs. Under the throat, males possess a dark, expandable vocal sac.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal, highly active, and agile. Males are bold and sit on elevated leaves to call, producing a high-pitched chirping sound. The female exhibits complex maternal care, carrying tadpoles on her back to place them individually in water-filled bromeliad axils, and visiting them daily to lay unfertilized feeder eggs.
Morphology: Difficult to distinguish. Females are slightly larger and rounder. Males possess a vocal sac under the throat, visible as a slightly darker, loose skin patch, and are the only sex that vocalizes.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a vertically oriented terrarium (minimum 45x45x60 cm) with abundant live plants, moss, and climbing branches. Live Neoregelia bromeliads are mandatory; their leaf axils hold the small water pools required for breeding and tadpole rearing.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain daytime temperatures between 24 and 26°C, allowing short peaks of 27-28°C as they are slightly more heat-tolerant. Night temperatures should drop to 22-23°C. High-intensity lighting is needed for plant health, combined with a low-level UVB light source.
Humidity and Hydration: Requires very high humidity (85-100%). Their small size makes them vulnerable to rapid dehydration. Use an automated misting system to spray the terrarium frequently. Ensure that the central cups of the bromeliads remain filled with water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feeds exclusively on micro-insects due to its small size. Provide springtails (collembola) and Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Dust all prey at every feeding with a high-quality calcium, vitamin A, and D3 supplement to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Compatibility: Intraspecific competition is intense. Best kept in single pairs (1.1). Keeping multiple males or females in a standard enclosure leads to stress and aggressive wrestling, where subordinate frogs are chased and denied food. Do not mix with other species.
Health and Common Diseases: Fragile species suited for experienced keepers. Their high metabolism means they cannot tolerate fasting for more than 48 hours. Never handle with bare hands, as their skin is highly permeable to toxins, soaps, and oils. Ensure a continuous culture of live food is maintained.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, where it inhabits tropical lowland forests, secondary growth forests, and humid cocoa or banana plantations. It depends heavily on epiphytic bromeliads growing on tree trunks, using them for shelter and as water-filled nurseries for its tadpoles.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsCentral America and Caribbean
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.5 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 2.5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.5 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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