This species will feed on a variety of tiny invertebrates, including ants and mites.

[6] Unlike some dendrobatid frogs, R. vanzolinii parents actively protect and feed their tadpoles.

The frog's range includes protected parks such as Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor and Reserva Extrativista do Alto Juruá.

What threat it faces comes from habitat loss associated with agriculture, livestock rearing, and logging.

In one bust in Lima, Peru, officials found hundreds of frogs packed in tubes for transport to Europe, hidden among a shipment of tropical fish, and half of them were dead.