Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys. I've had my male firebellies for nearly two years. My frogs are almost always an ugly olive green color. Occasionally, Roger will turn bright green again. Chris, on the other hand, is almost always dark, almost blackish. They eat well, sing all the time, but that color is so dull.

They are in a 10 gallon tank that is all water except for artificial water lilies and a very wide pot filled with gravel with a coconut house there for shelter. There is about 4 inches of water. They like their tank a lot. The temperature of the water ranges from 76-82 degrees. They eat crickets and blowflies supplemented with Sandfire Dragon Ranch's Treefrog dust. (this stuff is awesome!) They have a duetto filter, and a water change once a month.

Roger and Chris are healthy, but I just wish they'd turn that beautiful color. But ever since the day I bought them, they changed to that nasty, sick green color, and I'm sure they don't shed skin everyday of the year.

Doug

1.0.0 D. tinctorius "surinam cobalt" Kole
1.2.0 M. betsileo Penny, Flash, Ellie
2.0.0 B. orientalis Roger, Chris
1.1.0 X. laevis Skippy, Fudge

Soon: 0.0.3 Santa Isabel E. tricolor

when the toads turn green it means they are stressed out. i have read this in many places but i dont know what is dusturbing them.

That can't be right that they are bright green when stressed. I know too many advanced, responsible, frog people that have firebellies that are bright green 24/ 7, I know something I'm DOING is wrong, or at least causing them to turn dark green. Not necessarily something I'm doing is harmful, but conditions in which they turn dark green.

Dark green is when a firebelly IS stressed..... usually.
I have come across other people that have kept firebellies with a similar problem. The toads are fine, but they darken in color, almost all the time.

I think Zuesfrog said in an archive that the toads turn darker when they are around the water for a long time. I did notice that the frog that spends most of his time in the water area is much darker in color, and considering my tank is all water with some floating land, it might be?

i have also seen firebellies turn dark green when given all land and just a little water dish.

They can also become dark as they age.

Ed

That's just what color they are. 2 of mine are usually a very pretty bright green, one has splotches of olive dark and light green (he's really weird looking, his name is Lump), one is brown, one is black, but sometimes he confuses me and turns bright green lol......just the way they are.

I have 2 male FBTs and they were both bright green when purchased, but about 2 weeks later, one of them turned that dark color and has stayed that way most of the time. The other one has not changed, and both seem to be reasonably happy. I have noticed the darker one stays more on land, and the bright one is always in the water. They both seem healthy, and are eating well. I haven't noticed anything yet to make me worry. Maybe it's a natural reaction to the amount of light or water they are exposed to... I really don't know, but I wish you the best.