My dad and I were thinking of using the 90 gal tank we have to make a Dart Frog viv. But I was wondering if Pygmy Chams could also be kept in there. They have the same care needs so I wouldnt really see why not. THanks Guys

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-Chris
2.4 Leopard Geckos

pygmys and dart frogs do not have the same conditions at all, other than they are both in glass tanks and need misting. Darts you seal the tank up for humidity in most species, pygmys have to have a screen top.

I have considered doing this before, and I still want to try it sometime. I keep dart frogs as well as chams, and build elaborate terrariums for them, so the natural progression for me is to want to combine them.

I have a couple theories on how it could possibly work. I have seen it done before, in zoos, online, and in magazines(to lazy to find links right now). They were able to do it mainly because of the massive size of the vivariums. An enclosure big enough to create mirco-climates of various humidity would be ideal. The dart frogs need higher humidity than would probably be healthy for a pygmy chameleon. Realistically, say a 90 gallon, something with enough height so the humidity could be high on the floor of the viv, and dryer at the top, with a screen lid. You could also rig computer fans for ventalation at the top. A drilled tank for drainage would be a must also, or a pipe running into the bottom for a pump to slide into to drain it.

Another option would be to choose frogs with somewhat lower humidity requirements, like mantellas. They need 60-80% humidity while pygmys like brevs need around 70%.

Again, I have never tried it, so this is just my speculation from experience with building countless frog vivariums. I have no idea how the two species will actually interact.

my two cents
-matt

I wouldn't try it. I keep darts and have kept pygmy chams in the past. The tank set up is different, while building both of them with false bottoms and drainage layers is a plus, from there up the differences come in to play. Darts need high humidity (glass lid), lots of lush green plants, and some of them can be quite active. Pygmy chams need more ventilation (screen lid), more of a woodsy setup (sticks wood branches) and are not as active. I would think that the constant movement of the darts would cause unneeded stress to the little chams. Not to mention that most pygmys are WC and carry parasites as with darts being CB they do not. One or both would probably die of parasite issues brought on by stress factors. Just my opinion though.

Alright guys thanks for your insight. My dad and I were going to rig up a fan to provide a breeze at certain times of the day. I guess we will just have the 90 set up for darts and a 10 or 45 for Pygmy Chams.

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-Chris
2.4 Leopard Geckos

If you decide to do it I would like to see how it turns out.

I dont think I will do it since so many people vote against it. And I will kinda be an outast for doing it, lol. Then there are the people that are totally against it and boy I dont want to hear them yelling at me

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-Chris
2.4 Leopard Geckos

90 gal, is enough space to thermo regulate the different zones. give it a shot, build the 90 for darts, add a pig and monitor closely..

you have seen it done in articles, so it can be done and you know that, but it wont be easy and everyone here is telling you its not a good idea because its not a good idea for someone who isnt going to work with it untill it works for all the animals, if you are willing to work on it and not just throw everything in there then try it.

food for thought,

every animal is different. for example my group of pigs spend most of their time in the upper parts of their enclosure off the ground, there is plenty of good real estate on the floor, but regardless of the temp, lighting, humidity level, they all prefer to be 2+ ft off the ground.
this is not common for the species as far as ive been told

Ultrakd,

New World amphibians and Old World squamates? I agree with others. Not only do they exist in completely different habitats (different climate, vegetation, altitude), but are both also diurnal, and more terrestrial than arboreal, which means that you would have highly active frogs feeding and making use of the same space, during the same time the chameleons are active-- I think it would be extremely stressful to the lizards.

Additionally, the pathology of both animals may differ greatly considering they are oceans apart, and this may introduce further risks to animals not used to (or immune) to certain diseases, parasites, etc-- just look at what's happening to amphibians worldwide with the mass epidemic of the chytrid fungus, with certain species being more vulnerable than others.

Although most dart frogs in the US are captive bred, and thus no longer contain the same level of toxicity as their wild counterparts, all amphibians remain "toxic" at some level-- they all differ in their chemical makeup-- and who knows what effect that could have on organisms from another habitat, not to mention continent.

I would seriously consider, if you must have a multi-species display, other animals from close geographic areas, at least of East African origin, and most importantly, those with opposing photoperiods such as small nocturnal geckos.

Keeping them separately is still the best option.

Good luck,

Fabián

Thanks guys

__________________
-Chris
2.4 Leopard Geckos