Poison Dart Frogs

Question
Hello. I was thinking about buying a poison arrow frog as a  pet. I know they are poisonous, but are they poisonous the touch or just if ingested? Also, do they live a while in captivity? And do they make good pets (meaning do they live well and happy in captivity)?

Thanks for your time.
Zimm

Answer
Daer Zimm,
thank you for your question.
Captivity bred poison dart frogs are not toxic any more. There is little known about how they produce their poison, but it's suggested that they ingest certain ants to produce it.

Not all poison dart frogs are equally poisonous. There is only one species that is deadly, Phyllobates terribilis, their poison is called curare. Again, there is not much known about other species, but they are not deadly. Their poison takes effect when it gets into the bloodstream or when it's ingested.
You still shouldn't touch your poison dart frogs but only because it's stressful for them and because they are very fast and can jump very well for their size.

Their lifespan depends on the species, but most of them can very well reach an age of 20-25 years.
When all their requirements are fullfilled, the frogs are happy in captivity (as far as anyone can tell). I can only recommend that you do extensive research before you get the frogs. There are many poison dart frog species and all have different needs. I can recommend the following websites to begin your research:
http://www.poison-frogs.nl/
http://www.frogworld.nl/
http://www.dartfrog.tk/
http://www.dendrobatesworld.com/

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer