# Same age, different size?



## Dillonhasdarts (Oct 19, 2021)

This is my first post ever on a forum so here goes, I hope I'm in the right place for this question. I purchased two dart frogs back in July of this year from Josh's frogs. I received my first one and the high of opening up little Mirage was definitely addictive and I instantly had to order another the following weekend after paycheck. So I did. They are green sips, and I'd imagine since I ordered them from the same breeder and within such a short span of eachother, they would be from the same clutch of eggs, or at least incredibly similar in age. What I am hoping for is that I got lucky and my first two frogs are a pair. Mirage (larger with more blue) has always been larger than Eclipse (smaller). I have monitored them like a hawk daily, I'm a very concerned frog parent at all times. I ensure that both are fed very properly and the fruit walks are always dusted up before their demise. I have seen next to no fighting amongst the two except for the first day or two of them being tank mates. This was Mirage getting territorial over the tank she had been in for a week by herself. But now they will chill out together and then go their own ways without fighting. They eat right next to eachother sometimes and then they'll go off and hunt on their own in their enclosure. Both have certain spots they like to sleep for the night and everything seems to be well established and they are happily cohabbing. They live in a 18x18 with plenty of space. But my actual question after you know a little about my friends and I will definitely supply more photos as best of my ability, is this size difference something to be alarmed of due to a stressed frog that I'm just blind to? Or is this size difference fairly normal at this point in their life span assuming they are a pair? Also with that being said, say I do have a pair on my hands, should I breed them or allow them to breed? I'm not as educated in the genome part of biology as many on this board but my somewhat pee brain knows that imbreeding isn't good for the gene pool. Thanks alot for making it this far and thanks even more for feedback!


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## Squishy (Oct 19, 2021)

Small one looks unhealthy


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Both frogs appear to be too young to provide any reasonable guesses as to gender. It wouldn't surprise me if they were from separate clutches, although there can still be a bit of a gap in growth rates among larvae and froglets even if they are from the same clutch. This can be due to temperament, food availability, genetics, or other husbandry related factors.
Most breeders will offer frogs of a given age range at particular price points, for example, you may purchase a few "froglet" size animals which could be anywhere between 2-4 months. Some less scrupulous vendors may even sell frogs as young as 1-2 weeks, though this doesn't appear to be the case here.


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## HollyB83 (Nov 8, 2020)

Neither of your frogs looks unhealthy, they appear to be in pretty good body condition. My only assumption for the size difference is that the larger one is out competing the smaller one for food. Be sure that the smaller guy is eating and it'll catch up in size eventually.


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## Fahad (Aug 25, 2019)

The small one seems to be presenting well enough for the moment; I like the belly but might want a touch more weight on the hindquarters -- however it's been a long time since I kept D. tinctorius so it may not be an issue.

As said above it wouldn't surprise me if they were from different clutches, but sometimes even siblings display different growth rates which can become exponential if one has enough of a head start. I'd monitor them very closely to make sure the small one gets enough food, or even just separate them until it catches up.

The very minute you see any real weight loss don't keep them together, that's your giveaway that it can't compete.


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## Dillonhasdarts (Oct 19, 2021)

Thanks alot for the feedback, glad to know that my darts are looking healthy to others!


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## Dillonhasdarts (Oct 19, 2021)

So if they grow up to be a pair, should I be worried about breeding them or do I just let them go to town and make me frog babies


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## JasonE (Feb 7, 2011)

Dillonhasdarts said:


> So if they grow up to be a pair, should I be worried about breeding them or do I just let them go to town and make me frog babies


Let them go to town if you want. Although you'll eventually be overrun with frogs so make sure you do things to reduce their breeding at times during the year (you can research that on here).

Also, Josh's frogs get their frogs from many different hobbyist. So not only could they be from two different clutches, they could be from two different hobbyists. Like @Fahad said, even frogs from the same clutch can grow at different rates. If they hit 6-8 months and the small one is still significantly smaller than the other, you might have a problem. But I wouldn't worry.


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## Paskui (May 23, 2020)

I guess it’s not a problem. Small one looks healthy. Probably question of gender. Too soon, but I’m almost sure.


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## Lovelyk (Feb 7, 2021)

Not related to your inquiry, but it looks like you have a ton of spaghnum moss piled up in your tank. This can lead to unnecessary bacterial infections, so it’s better for the health of your frogs and your tank that you remove it and replace with a layer of leaf litter.


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