Defining Characteristics:

• Great beginner frog
• Bright yellow stripes and white flash marks
• Moderately shy
• Moderately difficult to breed
• Moderately loud call
• Medium sized
• Can be kept and bred in groups
• Rare in the hobby

Name: Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow'. Commonly called the Yellow Striped Poison Dart Frog, Nilo Poison Arrow Frog, or simply yellow truncatus or yellow truncs (pronunced 'trunks') in the US frog hobby.

Recommended Vivarium Size: A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for a single Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow', but Josh's Frogs recommends a 20H or 18x18x18 Vivarium for 1-4 frogs. Not sure how to set up a vivarium? Please watch our video on How to Set Up a Vivarium.

Temperature: They can tolerate a temperature range of 65 F to 80 F, but prefer temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Temperatures over 85F are dangerous.

Humidity: Like most poison dart frogs, truncatus prefer a humidity range of 70 – 100%, but can tolerate humidity down to 50% for short periods of time if the frogs have access to water. Low humidity levels, especially without access to water, can quickly be fatal.

Size: Adult female truncatus are larger, measuring in at approximately 1.25 inches. Male Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' are a bit smaller, averaging about 1 inch at maturity. All of the yellow truncatus froglets Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure at least 5/8” long.

Age: Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' is capable of living well over 20 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 10 years is more common. In the wild, it is thought that yellow truncatus may live 4-6 years. All truncatus for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.

Feeding: Like most poison dart frogs, yellow truncatus prefer smaller foods. All of the truncatus Josh's Frogs sells will readily eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Adult Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' will readily consume Drosophila hydei fruit flies and pinhead crickets. All ages of poison dart frogs will enjoy springtails and isopods. All feeder insects should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement. For more information on what poison dart frogs can eat, please visit our How-To Guide on Feeding Poison Dart Frogs.

Sexing: Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' is not sexable until 10-12 months of age. Male truncs tend to be smaller than females, which often appear both longer and wider. Males also tend to spend more time in the open than females, and have a particular affinity for being off the ground - possibly claiming perches for calling sites. Truncatus are one of the more difficult species of poison dart frogs to sex. Josh's Frogs sells 2-3 month old juveniles that are not sexable unless otherwise noted. For more information on sexing poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Sexing Poison Dart Frogs.

Color/Pattern: A very underappreciated poison dart frog, all Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' are mostly black in color with linear yellow racing striped and white flash marks. The yellow can range from a very bright yellow to a light whitish yellow in some individuals. Supplementing the diet with Repashy Superpig, paprika, or other similar color enhancers can result in deeper/darker yellow coloration. Other color morphs of truncatus exist in the hobby, which are believed to represent separate populations from yellow truncatus. Josh's Frogs does not recommend, support, or endorse mixing different populations of dart frogs as we believe this leads to weaker captive animals and nature has done a wonderful job of creating an amazing variation in color and pattern of poison dart frogs already.

Social Behavior: These frogs do well housed in groups their entire lives as long as enough space is provided. Josh's Frogs recommends approximately 10 gallons per frog. As they reach sexual maturity at 10-12 months of age, the social dynamic in a group of Dendrobates truncatus may change, and all but one female may need to be removed. Female truncatus will often eat each others' eggs if given the chance, presumably to get the male in breeding condition. For that reason, many breeders (including Josh's Frogs) keep yellow truncatus in pairs as adults. If you are not interested in breeding Dendrobates truncatus, a naturalistic vivarium with a moderately sized group makes an entertaining display. Truncatus tend to be bolder when housed in groups, and with plenty of cover. Yellow truncatus are very similar to Dendrobates auratus, both in size and behavior. Josh's Frogs strongly recommends against housing different species/morphs of dart frogs - for the health of your pets, please avoid mixing! Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair.

Breeding: Yellow truncatus can be a challenge to breed. Truncs will breed like rabbits, only to take a break from reproduction for a long period of time, sometimes several years. We believe truncatus are best bred in pairs as adult females may eat eggs from another female. Generally, eggs are deposited on a smooth broad leaf, or on a petri dish under a cocohut. Truncatus, oddly enough, also have an affinity for laying egg clutches in horizontally positioned black film canisters placed in the leaf litter of a vivarium. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, which then take 60-80 days to complete metamorphosis into miniature versions of the adults. Compared to the other species of poison dart frogs bred at the Josh's Frogs breeding facility, truncatus in particular suffer from 'breeder burn out' fairly quickly, and will produce bad eggs/tads/froglets if allowed to breed freely. This is especially frustrating after so much effort, time, and patience is spent getting them to breed in the first place! For more information on breeding and raising poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Breeding Poison Dart Frogs.

Natural Range: Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' is native to a very broad range along the slopes of the Andes in Colombia, where they occur at an elevation of about 350-1200 meters. Truncatus are more tolerant of drier conditions than many other poison dart frog species, allowing them to take advantage of habitat that would be unsuitable to other Dendrobatid species. Dendrobates truncatus as a whole are very common in the wild, in stark contrast to their presence in the United States frog hobby.

History in the Hobby: Discovered in 1861, Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' have been known to the zoological community much longer than frog hobbyists in the US. Yellow truncatus are realtively recent in the hobby when compared to their close relatives (auratus, tinctorius, and leucomelas). A recent import from Nilo, Colombia consisted of yellow truncatus that were visually very similar to original imports, although the older line does not have locality data. Josh's Frogs works with the 'old line' of Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow', which descend from the original imports to the United States.

Links of Interest:
Status of Dendrobates truncatus in the wild at the IUCN Redlist.

Yellow Striped Poison Dart frog at ARKive.

Still not sure if Dendrobates truncatus 'Yellow' from Josh's Frogs are the right poison dart frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!