Description
Other Names (How it Got Its Names)
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Commonly called the El Dorado Poison Dart Frog.
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The genus name Oophaga means “egg eater,” referencing their unique parental care where females feed unfertilized eggs to tadpoles.
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“El Dorado” comes from the locality where this morph is found in Panama, with the name meaning “the golden one.”
Characteristics
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Brilliant and highly variable color morph, with golden yellow to orange tones, often with irregular black or dark green mottling.
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Smooth, small-bodied dart frog with diurnal (daytime) activity.
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Known for elaborate parental care.
Recommended Vivarium Size
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Minimum: 18” x 18” x 18” for a pair.
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Ideal: 24” x 18” x 18” or larger, heavily planted with bromeliads, vines, and climbing structures.
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Must have leaf litter and ample hiding spots to reduce stress and aggression.
Temperature
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Daytime: 72–78°F (22–25°C).
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Nighttime: 68–72°F (20–22°C).
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Avoid prolonged temperatures above 80°F.
Humidity
Size of Frog
Life Span
Feeding
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Primary diet: fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and D. hydei).
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Supplemental prey: springtails, isopods, pinhead crickets.
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Feed daily; dust feeders with calcium and multivitamins several times per week.
Color/Pattern
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Typically golden yellow to orange dorsal color with irregular black or dark green patches.
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The El Dorado morph is prized for its rarity and striking, metallic-like golden appearance.
Social Behavior
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Territorial, especially males.
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Best kept in pairs or very carefully managed small groups in large vivarium.
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Aggression is more likely in confined spaces or with same-sex individuals.
How to Determine Sex
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Males: slightly smaller, more vocal (trilling call), often defend territories.
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Females: larger, rounder bodies, especially when gravid.
How to Breed
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Provide broad leaves, bromeliads, or film canisters as egg-laying sites.
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Males call to attract females, and eggs are laid on smooth, moist surfaces.
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Females transport tadpoles to water-filled bromeliads or similar sites.
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Tadpoles are fed with unfertilized eggs until metamorphosis.
