# Toe shaking



## CMH80 (Mar 31, 2018)

Soooo I've been watching a lot of dart frog videos, both captive, and those in the wild. One thing I have noticed is that most of the captives exhibit a 'toe tremor' or shaking, not sure how else to describe it, where their digits will vibrate. I did not notice that in any of the footage of wild frogs that I watched. I'm just wondering if this is something common to captive dart frogs, perhaps due to something missing in their diet? It reminds me of the "toe-tapping" behaviour some species of parrots develop if they do not receive certain nutrients.


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## skimmy (Aug 14, 2016)

Ive always been told they do it to attract food

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## CMH80 (Mar 31, 2018)

I've been reading that, and it doesn't sound right. It would not be loud or forceful enough to attract/disturb much of anything. And I've been closely watching various nature doc clips of dart frogs, and can't see them doing it in any of them.


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## Schlepenslide (Feb 5, 2017)

Honestly, I thought the same thing at first! 

From what I read it is just a regular part of their behavior. My terribilis only seem to do it when they’re actively searching for a bite to eat, so it’s probably more an innate behavior rather than a weird toe seizure.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

I've seen this is my frogs too - and it always when they are on the hunt within sight of prey. 

Rather then being to "attract" bugs, it may simply be a side effect of the frog keeping its muscles ready to pounce.


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## jam5971 (Apr 27, 2017)

Wouldn’t surprise me, similar to sea gulls stamping on the ground to simulate rain and bring worms to the surface!


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I have been told it's called "digital flutter." Sounds cool but I don't know if it's correct  Most of my big frogs do it and the little ones may just be too small for me to see it. My Tincs seem to do it most often.

Mark


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## Ian Hiler (Apr 9, 2009)

I have also seen several toad species, Pipa species, tomato frogs and few other also "fluter", I think it's just anticipating a meal maybe?


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## jilsao (Jan 21, 2018)

My Leucs and Auratus do that from time to time. I've never seen the Bassleri or terribilis do it. Of course I don't see the bassleri do much of anything, they're either completely still, or moving too fast to see. It does seem to happen more they're out in the hunt.


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## Haryeti (Feb 4, 2014)

Toe twitching is a common behaviour in dendrobatids, among other anurans. It's perfectly normal. In a review paper by Sloggett & Zeilstra (2008) they concluded that the likely function of toe twitching is for hunting, by scaring prey items into moving for easier detection. I'm sure you've noticed how much our frogs rely on vision when hunting. Mine tend to only go for the fruit flies that most recently moved!


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## Tory990 (Feb 25, 2018)

Mine tincs do this as well well the older 2 do. I've read it's a learned behavior to entice the flies to move so they can see them easier and catch them easier. It's only during hunting it's so funny to watch them do it and that's usually how I can tell there's still flies in there if they're actively hunting.

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Haryeti said:


> Toe twitching is a common behaviour in dendrobatids, among other anurans. It's perfectly normal. In a review paper by Sloggett & Zeilstra (2008) they concluded that the likely function of toe twitching is for hunting, by scaring prey items into moving for easier detection. I'm sure you've noticed how much our frogs rely on vision when hunting. Mine tend to only go for the fruit flies that most recently moved!


Mark, Ranitomeya (thumbnails) and pumilio do it too. It happens when hunting, and has nothing to do with life in captivity. While I had not read Haryeti's review paper, I've always assumed the same thing. 
Our frogs are like the T-rex in Jurrasic Park. They can't see you if you aren't moving. The toe twitch is too small to be seen or felt by anything out of striking distance. It just makes sense that they are startling any prey within striking distance, into motion.

I figure it's either that, or, in their endless quest to be truly Zen, they are trying to be fair, by giving their prey a small running start.
Or maybe...they just really like whatever music you are playing??


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## Skidd (Nov 30, 2016)

When mine do it in/at their water dish you can really see how the vibrations travel. Since they are hunting tiny insects I’m sure they would be flushing them out of the leaf litter in their native environment. 

This thread reminds me of the time my frog was hunting and a FF landed right next to him on a branch. He tapped, and the FF just froze...and didn’t move until the frog lost interest and went hunting elsewhere. Animal instincts are cool.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

People might want to read Erdmann, James Allen. The Function of Toe Movement in Feeding by the Gulf Coast Toad (Incilius nebulifer). Diss. Southeastern Louisiana University, 2017.... 

http://search.proquest.com/openview...283b7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Solano, Luis Alberto Rueda. "Foraging behavior with possible use of substrate-borne vibrational cues for prey localization in Atelopus laetissimus (Ruiz-Carranza, Ardila-Robayo, and Hernández-Camacho, 1994)." Herpetology Notes 9 (2016): 191-195.

https://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/download/23025/22571

and Waving or tapping? Vibrational stimuli and the general function of toe twitching in frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura) 

some comments 

Ed


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