Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased 2 fire bellied toads. I have read that the male barks like a small dog when it is ready to mate. So I have that going on, and I believe the other is a female, which is what I wanted. My question is: What is the gestation period for the female to have her eggs, and since they are in an aquarium and the water in there is changed on a regular basis, when the eggs are there are they of a size that will be visable or do I need to strain the water when I change it so I can get the eggs and keep them in another container?
I am new to this type of animal and would greatly appreciate any and all help those of you can give who are more familiar with this process.
Thanks.
Scott

pasted this from a bombina site it was quicker than writing
also , i have had two fire bellied toads for over a year and the mail does his call at least three times a week and there hasnt been eggs yet, i think because one is an oriental and one is a european. good luck.

If given suitable stimuli fire-bellied toads will breed regularly throughout the courtship season, the most critical being a cool rest period for a duration of at least six weeks. It must be understood that only healthy individuals with sufficient body fats should be allowed to fully hibernate (not B.orientalis) and this can be implemented my moving the toads to another escape-proof, ventilated aquarium packed with damp (not sodden) sphagnum moss into which they will burrow. It can then be located in an unheated garage, shed or attic where temperatures do not fall below 35°F. Otherwise the toads can remain in their aqua-vivarium where extra land covered with sphagnum moss should be added, the temperature lowered to around 44°F. and the spot-light switched off. The toads will refuse food and spend most of their time hiding beneath the moss. Following the cool period, raise the water temperature by 1 - 2°F. each day and the switch the spot-light for increasingly longer periods of 10 minutes until the peak temperature and 14 hour photoperiod (daylight) are achieved. During this time the toads will become increasingly more active and hungry. The aquarium containing hibernating toads should initially be located somewhere at room temperature for a few hours and then the toads can be introduced back into the aqua-vivarium when the water temperature has reached about 55°F. For Bombina orientalis, simply lowering the water and air temperature to around 60°F. during the cool period is adequate because these toads are susceptible to low temperatures. Breeding should commence from mid-May particularly immediately after rainfall (which can be simulated by undertaking partial water changes with a fine-rosed watering can) when male toads float on top of the water with all legs splayed out and commence their characteristic calling. In B.variegata this is a slow 'poo-poo' sound lasting for 10 - 25 seconds; B.bombina has a slightly faster 'oop-oop-oop' which can transcend for 30 seconds; B.orientalis sounds like the gentle tapping of a musical triangle - a 'ting-ting' sound which rarely lasts longer than 15 seconds and the call of B.maxima is similar to, but deeper and more resonant than B.variegata. Mating usually commences at nighttime with males grasping the females just in front of the hind limbs, a position known as lumbar amplexus. To aid their grip, males are equipped with rough, horny nuptial pads on the inner thumbs although unresponsive females are inevitably able to squirm their way out. Such is the frenzy that males will often work themselves into, they will accidentally grasp on to anything that looks remotely worth mating with including floating twigs, plants, other anurans, newts, fish and even fingers. Their is nothing more comical in the amphibian world than to observe an unfortunate male make a wrong move and suddenly be besieged by half-a-dozen desperate males. Incidently to promote vigorous breeding in Bombina it is recommended to establish a ratio of one female to two or three males. Another factor in achieving successful amplexus is the perspective of the breeding pond. B.variegata and B.orientalis prefer an open, shallow (2 - 6 inches) pool containing lots of submerged water plants that it is in a very sunny position so that its temperature increases rapidly during the day. B.maxima also appreciates an open pond which has both deep (12 - 18 inches) and shallow regions (ie. a cool to warm gradient of water). B.bombina presents the most difficulties as will often refuse to breed even when seemingly ideal conditions exist. In my own experience a large aquarium which half-shaded, half sunny pool of medium depth (8 - 10 inches) containing cool water and plenty of submerged and surface pond plants such as zebra quills and parrot feathers plant may prove fruitful.
Eggs, Tadpoles & Toadlets
If mating is successful females will deposit their 40 - 110 eggs either individually or in small clumps of 4 - 25 eggs very close to the water surface where the warmth of the sun (spotlight) can aid embryo development. It is advisable to remove the eggs to a separate 90cm aquarium (per 100 eggs) containing 20 - 30cm of cool (60 - 65°F.), well-oxygenated and most importantly fresh water. Within 5 - 8 days the 6mm black tadpoles hatch out to spend the first week of their life clinging inanimately to the glass sides, plants or rocks while absorbing their yolk sac. Development is quite rapid and within a fortnight tadpoles will be 20mm and using their cusp-like mouthparts to feed on strips of raw meat, trout pellets, fish flake and chopped earthworm. Bombina tadpoles are very distinctive on close observation; they have a projection from the belly called a spiracle which is in effect a gill opening, and the cream coloured intestines are visible through the ventral surface. B.bombina tadpoles also have a triangular shaped mouth; in B.variegata it is more elliptical while in B.maxima and B.orientalis it is almost round. During such quick growth large amounts of waste are expelled with partial and complete water changes recommended every 2 - 3 days and 2 weeks respectively. After 6 - 8 weeks hind limbs begin to appear, one from the spiracle which marks the beginning of lung development. Tadpoles can frequently be seen surfacing where they will take gulps of air. In B.maxima tadpoles their will already be signs of the fiery belly. Tadpoles will have reached their peak size; 3½ - 4cm in all species except B.maxima whose tadpoles are surprisingly just 2½ - 3cm.
After 8 - 14 weeks the tadpoles enter a critical phase when they begin to metamorphose into a fully air-breathing amphibians. In all species the characteristic belly pigmentation becomes visible - weak lemon coloured in B.variegata, orange-yellow in B.bombina and B.orientalis. At this point the water must be lowered to around 4 - 8cm and plenty of easily egressible rocks and logs must be provided.

Toadlets climbing onto land often have large remnants of the fleshy tail existing and remain semi-aquatic for several days thereafter. They are quite minuscule, just 7mm in B.maxima to 12mm in B.orientalis.
For the first few weeks of their land-based life Bombina toadlets can prove quite difficult to raise. They are best removed to plastic ice-cream tubs with a secure but well-ventilated lid containing a base of soaking kitchen tissue paper. Initially they require very small foods such as aphids, fruit fly, whiteworm, hatchling crickets, bloodworm and hatchling waxworm which should be offered as regularly as possible. Frequently dusting the food with a proprietary multivitamin powder can also prove advantageous. After 4 weeks the toads will be 15mm in size (18mm in B.orientalis) and over the ensuing weeks B.maxima will begin to grow more rapidly. All species except B.variegata should be given plenty of water crustaceans and bloodworm to promote the orange/red coloured belly.

Maturity can be attained within 8 months if feeding is particularly varied and nutritious otherwise 14 - 22 months is more typical. Besides being very tolerable, these toads are one of the longer living anurans frequently attaining 12 - 15 years, often longer in the European species.
fire bellied toad website

Thank you for responding to my question, your answer has been very helpful. Does anyone know where you can get inexpensive fire bellied toads?

it depends, i have seen them as low as 3$ on the west coast and 12$ on th east coast. try a google search for fire bellied toads for sale, but if you order one online you will have to pay shipping, so it all evens out

Petsmart has them for around $7.