# Paint fumes and dart frogs



## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Hello everyone,

I tried searching for the answer to my question but couldn't find one, so here goes.
I recently built a partition wall to separate my frog area from the rest of my basement. I'm going to be painting the wall on the non-frog side of the wall. Are the paint fumes going to be harmful for the frogs? (I'll be using interior, latex paint and primer)
Thanks!


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I don't have any facts for you, but here's how I'd proceed. 

If turning on ventilation fans in your house (range fan, bath fans) would draw air from your painting area in a route that does not take that air through the frog room, I'd run those fans during painting and 8-12 hours after. (I'd likely do this regardless of frogs, because paint stinks). If there's a window in the frog room you can crack open during the process, this may help to create a flow of air (just crank up the heat in the house if you need to).

I might, if I were really concerned that the fumes would enter the frog room, consider sealing the viv in a large plastic bag or taping over the vents during and after the painting. Perhaps prime, then take a couple days off, then do a couple coats of finish paint back to back in one day so that the viv isn't sealed for more than a day or so.

A lot depends on the layout of the house and the frog room. If you burn a scented candle on the non-frog side of the wall, do you smell the candle in the frog room? A test like this might help to determine how much precaution you should take. Is there a door to the frog room, or can you seal it off from the paint side?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Socratic Monologue said:


> I don't have any facts for you, but here's how I'd proceed.
> 
> If turning on ventilation fans in your house (range fan, bath fans) would draw air from your painting area in a route that does not take that air through the frog room, I'd run those fans during painting and 8-12 hours after. (I'd likely do this regardless of frogs, because paint stinks). If there's a window in the frog room you can crack open during the process, this may help to create a flow of air (just crank up the heat in the house if you need to).
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice. I'll try the scented candle test to see how much smell goes into the frog room side.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

I'd certainly wait until summer to paint - to be able to open windows.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Philsuma said:


> I'd certainly wait until summer to paint - to be able to open windows.


I don't think my wife is likely to let me wait that long ha ha ha. 

I'll probably end up moving the frog tanks out of their room and into the spare bedroom while we paint the wall


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Most likely the reason you do not find any information on this while searching is because this is one of those events where its easier to take the cautious route than to try and be risky. So most people will just catch all their frogs and move them into some storage bins and take them to somewhere safe, or move the vivariums if the collection is small enough or any combination of the two.


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## Captain Awesome (Jan 13, 2018)

Use low or no VOC paints. If you are super worried, an air purifier with charcoal in it will pull more of the baddies out of the air but may be overkill. If you have forced hot air heating you could close vents to the frog area.


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## bulbophyllum (Feb 6, 2012)

I don't think there is any danger of fumes harming frogs as long as you use latex paint. I've just painted and not worried about it. Nobody dies. Oil based paint is a different story. 

Maybe cover the vents with plastic wrap.

Heck, I had the floors in my house sanded and refinished with oil based poly. I put my frogs in a room that was not being refinished, closed and taped off the door. Then I put a fan in the window blowing in to create positive pressure in the room so fumes were less likely to enter the room.


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