Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What else would be compatible in a tank with 2 fire-bellied toads and one bumble bee toad?

I'll probably add another bumble bee toad (also called black & yellow walking toad) soon but still have room for maybe two more small amphibs.

Thanks
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Kane

Hi Kane,

It's difficult to find amphibians that can successfully be housed in the same cage because very few species require the same care and will be safe around one another. The combination that you have right now is deffinetly a risky combo because of the giant difference in habitat requirements and adult size of both toads. Before considering getting more amphibians I would recomend seperating the two species that you have right now first. For more information about keeping different species of amphibians in one cage have a look at www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/articles/communitytank.html Good luck,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
0.0.4 Dendrobates galactonotus 'Red'
4.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
0.1.4 Mantella madagascariensis
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

I thought they were more compatible. Here's my understanding:

Bumblebee Toad: Temp 75-80, humidity 60-80
Fire-Bellied: Temp 75-80,

The tank I use is 1/2 water & 1/2 pea gravel with moss. Lots of plants, rocks on land & water etc. The temp is 77 & humidity runs 70-85 (depending upon whether I've overfilled or not.) The bumblebee swims quite a bit since I moved him into this tank which is kind of cool to see.

If you wouldn't mind, correct me on anything that's wrong. The only issue I've seen is that the fire-bellies get to food first a bit too often.

In the meantime, thanks for the help & I'll check out the link.
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Kane

Hi Kane,

Fire-bellied toads are native to south-east Asia. They spend most of their time at the water's edge blending in with the green algea and aquatic plants. Their cage should reflect their natural habitat. It should have a large water area that varies in depth and gradually slopes up to a land section where the toads can feed. Bumble bee toads are native to Argetina, Uruguay and one or two other South American countires where they live in a wide range of habitats but as far as I know, none of them are in the shallows of algea covered ponds. They are best kept in a terrestrial setup with a small pool of water.

The other concern that I had was related to the adult size of both animals. The bumble-bee toads that I've seen for sale have never been much larger than an inch in length. Some small toads (juveniles or males I'm assuming) that I saw at a reptile dealer were roughly about half an inch long. Fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis, not B. bombina) can grow to a length of a little over two inches. They have a huge appetite and will attempt to eat anything that moves. I've even watched larger fire-bellies try to eat small toads of the same species. There is no doubt in my mind that at some point one of your fire-bellied toads will attempt to eat the little bumble bee toad. If fire-bellied toads can eat full grown adult crickets then I'm sure they could eat a one inch long toad.

The other thing that just crossed my mind while writing this was that both species that you are keeping are poisonous. Not only would you loose a bumble bee toad if one of your fire-bellies ate it, but you could also loose a fire-belly. There is also the risk of either species being harmed by the other's poison in the cage itself.

In a large cage you might be able to overcome the differences in habitat and maybe if you provide enough hide spots for the bumble bee toad it will be able to stay away from the fire-bellied toads and maybe if you change the substrate and water in the cage often you won't run into problems with the frogs poisoning one another but to me it seems like there are too many risks involved to say it's a safe mix. Good luck,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
0.0.4 Dendrobates galactonotus 'Red'
4.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
0.1.4 Mantella madagascariensis
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

Wow, this is an impressive response! You really seem to know your stuff and I'll work on separating them as soon as I can. I really appreciate your thought & effort.

They've stared each other down a few times but I've not seen any attempt to fight and/or eat each other. However, I read that fire-bellied toads can sometimes release enough poison when stressed to actually poison themselves. Since my bumble bee swims a lot (apparently unusual) I do think that's a big concern... on top of all the other things you mentioned.

One other question, how can I get algae to grow? I've never had much luck getting it to grow in my vivariums.

Thanks!
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Kane

Hi Kane,

Thanks for reading my reply. I enjoy writing, especially about amphibians, and I appriciate hearing back from those that I wrote to. I was ammused and interested when I read that your bumble bee toad swims, maybe they are more aquatic than we think, or maybe you just got the odd one of the bunch. People haven't been keeping them in captivity for long and we are still learning a lot about them.

Algea will grow in most water, especially if there is strong light. Adding a flourescent light or two over the water area will deffinetly encourage algea to grow. Duckweed and other small floating plants look great in fire-bellied toad tanks. The bright green on the back of the toads blends right in with the bright green plants. You can buy duckweed at most tropical fish stores. Good luck,
-----
Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
0.0.4 Dendrobates galactonotus 'Red'
4.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
2.1 Mantella crocea
0.1.4 Mantella madagascariensis
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.1 Phelsuma dubia
1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis