Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've always been a bearded dragon forum member but I really been taking a interest in fire bellied's....Just as I would my dragons I need to know as much info on this toad before I actually dive in and start them off as my pet...Any info you can provide is greatly appreciated!!!
-----
**KILL 'EM WITH KINDNESS**

http://www.amphibian.co.uk/bombina.html
http://www.anapsid.org/bombina.html
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/frogsandtoads/a/orientalfbtoads.htm
http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/caresheets/firebelliedtoad.html

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. Good luck,
-----
Devin Edmonds
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com

Why don't you go onto google or something and type in 'firebellied toad care '. That's how I got all of my info, but I'll tell you what I know.

Habitat:

I keep my 5 firebellies in a 20 gallon long tank with a secure screen mesh lid and a Slimline Reptile Fixture with Super UV Lamp. That's exactly what it says on the package, hehe. The toads don't need any special lighting, but the plants seem to like this stuff, and it provides minimal heat. So you don't need anything special, it cost me about 20 bucks. I used a half and half tank, with a 4 inch tall piece of glass seperating hte parts of the tank with water on one side which has a duetto filter, a large rock (not abbrasive to toad skin) and a piece of cork bark to which i fastened a piece of airline tubing from the filter to create a little water fall, which the toads LOVE. They like running water. I also have a small white bowl that suction cups to the side of hte tank and they like to hang out in the water in there. On the land portion i have a large pothos planted and a piece of cork against the side of the tank so they can hide under it. No additional heating should be needed, or lighting, or anything.

Diet: Every other day I take out my firebellies and put them in a critter keeper (this way I can moniter exactly how much they eat and they begin to take handling as a good thing and don't give you quite so much trouble when you want to take them out and look at them, hehe) and feed them 4 gut loaded and dusted small crickets. If one looks like they're starting to get fat, just cut down to 3 crickets.

Breeding: They'll do it. Trust me. Mine call and have special hugs all night and keep me up during the summer, lol. The eggs look like goop with little black dots inside. If you have fake aquarium plants int he water section, you can gather the eggs off of these. If you have fish, they'll eat the eggs, as well as sheddings from the toads. They help keep things clean, but try to get to the eggs before they do if you want them. Each female can lay approx. 200-400 eggs in a season. I haven't had actual breeding success, so I can't say much about it except that it's not at all hard to get the toads to be friendly with one another.

Other Info: As far as toads to a single viv, a good way to go is 4-5 gallons per toad. People say it's a bad idea to handle them too much, but I do it all the time and they're fine. Always wash your hands after handling them though, because they secrete toxins (which is why they have pretty bellies). I do'nt know exactly what the toxins DO, but better safe than sorry. They'll change colors a lot hehe, depending on whether they're going to shed their skin soon or if they just did, so this might get a little confusing during feeding time. They're pretty noisy at night but they're very active and VERY cute. And there you have it. You can IM me at parsnipOdoom or email me at parsnipOdoom@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Oh yeah, as far as maitenence, mist the tank once a day with a spray bottle containing dechlorinated water (they sell drops for it everywhere) and make sure the water in the water section is dechlorinated, too. I change the water once a week, and I change the soil about every month, depending on if I think it's stinky, lol. The toads are very dirty, so keep this in mind. They're also pretty noisy and they eat a lot, and they live quite some time. So keep all this in mind.