Ranitomeya summersi
Intro
Ranitomeya summersi (pronounced Ran-it-oh-may-ah summers-eye) are orange or copper, and black frogs. Being a Ranitomeya frog, summersi are very small,only the size of your thumbnail. However they are but they are large for their genus.
These little fellas are rocket-fast and can be a bit on the shy side, but may warm up to you if you visit them through the glass a lot. They are diurnal like all Ranitomeya, so you won’t have to stay up late to watch them. They should be active when you are!
Introduced to the hobby as early as the 90s, care for these fingernail frogs is still considered advanced, so summersi is not recommended for beginners.
Quick Stats:
Enclosure: 30cmX30cmX45cm (12”X12”X18”)
Heat: 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F)
Humidity: 70-100%
Food: Juveniles D. melanogaster, Adults may take D. hydei, small isopods, springtails.
Lifespan: Approximately 10+ years
Description
Summersi frogs are not too variable in their coloring. Their heads, bodies and legs are orange, yellow-orange, or copper in color. Over this they have black patching or mottling. This mottling can appear as spots or blotches on the legs as well as on the back or head. Often the eyes have patterning over them, making them look larger than they really are. This can vary somewhat in each individual frog.
Large for a Ranitomeya, big females measure in at about 21mm, and males are typically slightly smaller. Females are consistent egg layers and therefore typically wider or rounder than males. Summersi frogs share the common pearlescence of the Ranitomeya genus.
Distribution and Natural Habitat
Summersi are native to Peru, in the Amazon basin. These frogs prefer to be off the ground and can be found living in low bromeliads and leaves in the in the tropical jungle. However, they like to lay their eggs in leaves that are sandwiched or very close together.
Summersi is considered by the IUCN Red List as “Endangered”, making summersi extremely uncommon in the wild, and breeding to help them survive extinction is highly encouraged.
Behavior
Like all Ranitomeya, the summersi frogs are diurnal meaning they are awake during the day. They are both terrestrial and arboreal and live in the low hanging leaves of the jungles they inhabit.
In the wild they are constantly foraging for small insects, invertebrates and arthropods on and around their plants. Some of the plants in the jungles contain various alkaloids and toxins, the micro fauna eat these plants and in turn get eaten by the frogs. This causes a downstream effect and these amazing frogs have evolved to harness the toxins as a means of self-defence.
A combination of their striking colors and the toxins stored in their glands help ward off potential predators. In captivity the summersi do not contain any of these toxins due to the diet provided to them. They don’t have access to the food they would be eating in the wild.
Summersi live near streams and ponds, or right on the edge of slow moving water. While being frogs they are not very good swimmers and great care should be taken when making a suitable vivarium for them to live in. Once mature, the males will boldly perch in the open and call out to attract females.
The summersi call is soft. It sounds like a short, loud “buzz buzz”. Mating males will buzz for up to 5 seconds when looking for a female. When a female selects a male, the pair will hop away to a nice quiet place, often in a bromeliad, and mate.
For most summersi the adult frogs are not aggressive and a mixed group can be kept. Be aware that this may change with individual frogs.
Life in the Vivarium
Like all dart frogs, summersi require a humidity range of 70-100%. They can survive for brief intervals at 50% humidity if clean water is provided for them to soak in.
You can place a bromeliad or small shallow dish of water in the enclosure or add a pond feature to achieve this. Remember, summersi cannot swim well, so ensure that the water source is shallow and easy to get out of. The water level should be no higher than the smallest frog can sit in with his head and upper torso out.
Summersi thrive at temperatures near 21°C (70°F) but can survive a range of 18°C-27°C (65°F-80°F). Never exceed 29°C (85°F) as this can be fatal to the frogs.
Generally a heat source such as a pad or light is not needed on a dart frog vivarium, apart from any lighting for plants. Do not rely on sunshine from a window, because the sun through the glass will heat up to extremely unsafe temperatures very quickly. Keep note of any air conditioning or heaters used in your home as well, as they may affect the temperature in your frog cage.
It is possible to house a single summersi in a 7 gallon aquarium. We recommend a minimum 30cmX30cmX48cm (12”X12”X18”) enclosure – but bigger is always better. This size vivarium is suitable to house 2-3 adult summersi.
As juveniles you can house several summersi together, however as they mature you may want to watch for aggression. In our experience summersi can be housed in mixed groups, but if any fighting is observed you will be required to remove the offending frog. Groups should be male heavy.
The size of the vivarium provided and the individual personalities of each animal will dictate how many frogs you can keep in an enclosure. It is common to keep a pair or trio of frogs in one enclosure. If you want to keep a group, add at least 1 gallon of space per additional frog.
It is common for a healthy Ranitomeya to live to 10+ years in a vivarium. Please consider this before deciding to take them home to your family.
As with most amphibians they are considered a “hands off” pet similar to a fish. Due to their delicate and permeable skin, it is not advised to handle your frogs. The chemicals, oils and debris on your hands could prove fatal to your dart frog pet when it is absorbed through their skin.
It is recommended that you wear powder free rubber gloves if you are required to handle your dart frogs. In an emergency, such as an escape from the enclosure, try to capture them as fast as possible (bare hands will do… if needed) as they will try to hide quickly, and unfortunately this will become fatal very rapidly.
Summersi require small live prey to hunt. This is easily achieved by providing them with flightless or wingless fruit flies. Baby and juvenile summersi will eat Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, and large adults may seek out Drosophila hydei. Springtails are also a wonderfully sized snack for fingernail frogs.
The flies and springtails on their own are a poor nutritional source. We recommend “dusting” your fruit flies with a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement. We use and recommend Dendrocare all in one vitamin/mineral supplement. You can combine and use other supplements available to you, however please ensure you research what ratio or frequency you can supply vitamins as some can be lethal in high dosages.
It is recommended to build a bioactive vivarium for your dart frogs. This is achieved by introducing isopods and springtails into the environment. These little land crustaceans (no they are not insects!) will eat the decaying and decomposing bio matter as well as any excess feces in the vivarium. Some of these micro fauna will be eaten by your dart frog, as a little snack.
As with all our frogs, we do not recommend that you house multiple species or morphs together. Please supply each group with a vivarium to call their own.
Breeding in Captivity
These frogs are not easy to breed in captivity. This makes them a popular choice for many dart frog enthusiasts, but uncommon with beginners. Eggs will be laid in the leaf litter or wedged between two close leaves.
Summersi frogs are known for being very picky about where they lay, and their eggs are notoriously difficult to find. The male will clean and protect the eggs until they hatch. Typically 4-6 eggs will be laid at one time.
The eggs take approximately 10-14 days to fully develop, at which point they will hatch and the adults will return to give the tadpoles a piggyback ride to a shallow pond or the moist center of a bromeliad. The tadpoles will take approximately 60-80 days to fully metamorphosize into colorful little froglets.
Final Notes
Ranitomeya summersi are delightful frogs that display a bold and beautiful color. Copper, orange, or yellow-orange in color, these black marked stunners love to hop around and chirp and sing all day. Better for the experienced keeper, breeders will be contributing to the continued existence of this species on a remarkable level.
