Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi all, i was just wondering if firebelly toads will eat drowned crickets? i now have 2 in a large plastic cage with a rock water dish. they seem to be doing fine in there, but i know that it is not a good permanent home. i'm going to get them a real aquarium soon (probably tomorrow) and i was wandering how do i feed them in a land/water set-up. will they eat the floaters or should i feed them in a seperate container? also how deep can i make their water. do they prefer shallow water, or a nice deep pool? i'll apreciate any input you all have for me, thanks michele

I get drowned crickets quite often. Well, I mean atleast 5 out of every 50 I feed my guys end up drowning. I have never seen them eat one that is floating in the water. That is probably because aparantely they only go after moving things.

It is a real pain when crickets die on you if you are in an area where you don't have easy access to them (luckily I do).

About the water level for your future tank... I am not sure what the recomended water level is. I think it just varies. I've heard of some people just putting in a water bowl.
But personally, my tank, I have about, um, I would say, 70% water and 30% land. My water levels have varied from 6 inches, to 3 inches, but I also have shallower patches with just a few centimeters. But my tank is pretty big, 50 gallons so they have lots of room no matter where they are. Mostly they hang out on the center 'heat rock' (not an electric one), or in the bushes and plants in the water.

I've include a picture of my tank. It isn't the best picture, but it is the best one I could take...oh, and that is my son. And that thing on his ear is a bandage from frost bite! (figured people might wonder!!)
Good luck with your new aquarium!
Tanzee

nice tank! and thanks for the info. your son is a cutie too!

oh by the way, is that a fogger in their? and what kind of plants are you using? thanks again, michele

Yup, that is a fogger in there. I loved the way it made my tank look! But I have since taken it out because one of my toads got zapped by it and died. I had it in that tall log to the left of the tank. I am considering putting it back in, but doing it differently, like maybe screening off the holes in the log so that the toads can't get in it. They never go in it anyway, but for some reason that toad did.

I use plastic plants because I don't know much about real plants and the maintenance of them. I have the ones that you can suction to the walls and then some little ones that you can just put into the gravel to make bushes.

Tanzee

i would have never guessed those plants were not real, (plastic plants are the only kind i don't kill) thanks again for the info, i definatly want to try out the fogger.

Yeah, plastic plants are so much less work. When I clean my tank out I just soak them and rinse them and it's done! I have never tried real plants, and I don't have plans to in the future either, although I am sure it would be better for them. But they love climbing the plants on the sides of the wall. I often find some of my toads sitting right up top catching crickets up there!!
And if you get a fogger just be careful with it around your toads!-stick it somewhere where they won't be able to hurt themselves!

Tanzee

yeah definatly rather be safe than sorry, after i read what happend to your poor guy. i was thinking mabey making a little box or something made out of screen and hiding it under plants. i'm still in the planning and replanning phase. i have to wait another week or two for the new tank, so i have plenty of time to change my mind a hundred or so times.

Yeah that does sound like a really good idea for the fogger. I still haven't decided what I am for sure going to do with mine. I want it back in soon though because it looks sooo sweet!
Whenever I would turn it on the toads would start acting excited!-it was very odd!
They would start jumping around, like really high!

Tanzee