Care for Fire Belly Toads

Fire-belly toads are a popular pet that can live for ten to twelve years or more if properly cared for. You will need to provide your toad with the right environment. A large aquarium with proper lights is important. Feed your toad a diet of fresh insects. Make sure to avoid over-handling fire-belly toads. They tend to be private animals that need a lot of space to thrive.

Steps

Providing the Right Habitat

  1. Get the right size aquarium. In general, bigger is better for fire-belly toads. They are active animals and need room to roam around. Five adult toads can fit comfortably in a 15-gallon aquarium that's 24 inches long, and 12 inches high by 12 inches wide.[1]
    • You can buy an aquarium online or at a pet store.
    • The aquarium you use should come with a screen cover. This promotes ventilation, which is important for the health of fire-belly toads.
  2. Fill the aquarium properly. You should have a land and water area in your aquarium as fire-belly toads are only semi-aquatic. The land area should be two thirds to one half of the tank. You should attempt to create a natural-like habitat, with rocks, soil, moss, fake plants, and drift wood. You can purchase these supplies online or at a pet store.[1]
    • The land area should gradually slope into the water area. You can use things like soil and driftwood to create an incline into the water.
    • It's best to use distilled water, which you can purchase in a grocery store. If you do use tap water, buy a water conditioner at your pet store. Use it according to package instructions to decontaminate the water before adding it to the tank.
  3. Provide lighting. If you live in a cooler area, or keep the tank in a cool area in your home, use a small incandescent light bulb. This can provide heat. Fluorescent lights are not usually needed, but are important if you're growing live plants in the tank.[1]
  4. Monitor the temperature. Fire-belly toads thrive at a temperature between 65 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit (18 and 36 degrees celsius). The temperature should not exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius). However, cooler temperatures are generally better tolerated. You should monitor the temperature closely by keeping a thermometer in the tank. If it gets too hot, move the tank to somewhere cooler in your home, turn on the air conditioning, or use a fan.[2]
    • A heat lamp may not be necessary, as fire-bellied toads can tolerate cool temperatures and thrive at room temperature.[3]
  5. Spray the cage with water each day. Humidity is not as important to fire-belly toads as it is to other amphibians. However, it's a good idea to spritz the tank with water using a spray bottle every day. This will keep the tank adequately humid for fire-bellied toads.[2]

Feeding Your Toads

  1. Feed your toads crickets and mealworms. Live crickets and mealworms, which you can buy at a pet store, should be the staple of your fire-belly toad's diet. You should feed your toads as many crickets and worms as they can eat in a 15 minute period.[4]
    • Opt for smaller crickets to avoid a choking hazards.[2]
  2. Add other insects to your toad's diet. In addition to crickets and mealworms, fire-belly toads can benefit from having other food available. You can add food sources to their water, such as guppies, and snails. As fire-belly toads are active animals, they can benefit from having live food sources in their aquarium.[1]
    • All food should be live. Fire-belly toads do not recognize non-living food sources, and these can quickly contaminate your toad's tank.
  3. Supplement your toad's diet with vitamins and minerals. Full-grown fire belly toads can benefit from added vitamins and minerals. Some crickets are sold supplemented with vitamins and minerals necessary to your toad's diet. Usually, toads can benefit from supplemented crickets every one to two feeding periods.[1]
    • Talk to your vet before offering supplements. You want to make sure any supplements you use are healthy and safe for your toads.[3]

Keeping Your Frogs Healthy

  1. Address shedding issues. Fire-belly toads need to shed for their health and wellbeing. Do not be alarmed if you see your frog crunched up in a slouching position. This means it is getting ready to shed. If you see your frogs engaging in these behaviors, it's important you help the shedding process. If your frogs shed improperly, you will have to peel their skin off yourself by gently massaging the frog until the skin slips off. As fire-belly toads dislike being handled, this can be stressful.[3]
    • You will have to increase the humidity in the tank during shedding time. If you notice your frogs crouching, and that their overall energy has slowed down, start misting the cage twice a day instead of once a day.
  2. Give your toads privacy. Fire-belly toads are not that social. They dislike being handled often and need a great deal of privacy. Only pick up your toads when necessary and be sure to provide lots of hiding places for the toads. You can buy structures for toads to hide in online or at a pet store.[5]
  3. Wash the tank regularly. You need to wash the tank regularly to keep your toads healthy. The water container should be clean daily with mild dish detergent. It should then be replaced with filtered water or de-chlorinated water.[3]
    • Once every two months, clean all items in the tank with mild dish detergent and wipe down the inside of the tank with vinegar and water (one parts vinegar to eight parts water).
    • Make sure to rinse all items thoroughly before returning them to the tank.

Warnings

  • Wash your hands after handling your toads as their skin can be mildly toxic. You should also refrain from handling your toads unless it's absolutely necessary.[3]



Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://amphibiancare.com/2008/03/21/fire-bellied-toad/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Frogs-Amphibians/The-Fire-Bellied-Toad/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://www.petsuppliesplus.com/content.jsp?pageName=fire_bellied_toad
  4. ↑ http://zoomed.com/cm/resources-stuff/Care%20Sheet/fb_FireBellyToad.html
  5. ↑ http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/mypets/firebellies.html
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