Post by hopea2 on Jan 30, 2011 12:49:19 GMT
Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads are bright green with black markings on their body and have a bright orange belly with black marking, that’s why they are called fire-bellied toads. They normally grow to around 2 inches, and can live 10 to 15 years. They are natives from China, Korea and Siberia; they live in the rice paddies, mountain streams and in forest areas where it is humid.
They are very active toads which makes them a great pet. They are easy to care for which is why they are great first amphibians. This species of toad should only be housed with other Fire-Bellied Toads, do not mix them with other species. Fire-Bellied Toads secrete a toxin from their skin that can harm other amphibians with prolonged exposure and vice-versa other amphibians also secrete toxins that can also harm Fire-Bellied Toads.
To give your Fire-Bellied Toad a home you need an aquarium or vivariums. Fire-Bellied Toads are semi-aquatic; this means that they need to have a 50/50 split their tank, with half being covered with a burrowing substrate, and the other half being of water. A damp moss or peat based substrate is ideal, such as Orchid Bark mixed with some organic compost and lots of hiding places should be provided like wooden caves, plants, large stones, and hideouts are ideal, as with all amphibians, if they have nowhere to hide they may become stressed. They like to climb to, so put in some sticks or tall plants. They are escape artists, so you need to block holes or gaps they can get through and they can get through tight gaps!!!! Never use gravel in your Fire-Bellied Toad’s terrarium, as the gravel can become stuck in their body and can be fatal.
The water half of the terrarium should provide adequate water for your Toads. It is best to use a low flow filter to keep the water clean; otherwise you need to change the water daily. There should be a water depth of around 4 to 6 inches. To make your toads life easier you need to put a ramp or stones near the divide between the land and water so the toad can leave the water with ease. As with all amphibians, Fire-Bellied Toads are extremely sensitive to chemicals and cannot handle chlorines and chloramines in water. You should always use de-chlorinated or bottle spring water.
Fire-Bellied Toads are very inquisitive animals and like to explore new surroundings. To keep them from getting bored once in a while change the layout of their terrarium about, and when you’re finished and you put your Toad back in, he will start exploring.
Fire-Bellied Toads require the humidity to be kept quite high, but it is also vital to have good ventilation. A way to maintain a good humidity is to use real plants; Toads don’t eat plants and don’t dig them up, so they are plant safe.
The ideal temperature for your Fire-Bellied Toad is 24-26°C with a slight drop at night of 2 or 3 degrees.
Heat should be provided using either a heat mat with thermostat or aquarium heater with built in thermostat. Heat mats should only cover between a third and a half of the floor space to allow your Fire-Bellied Toad to thermo regulate. If an aquarium heater is used to warm the water side, then a heat mat is not necessary in the substrate side.
You should feed your Toad 2-3 times a week with a varied diet which is an appropriate sized gut loaded insects, like locusts, crickets, earthworms, spiders and flies. They will also take waxworms, but this should be considered as a treat item. Feed 3 or 4 insects per Toad per feeding. The live food should be dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements once a week as they can get bone problems otherwise.
You should never feed your Toad anything with hard shells, such as mealworms, beetles, snails and Woodlice, as they would digest the tough exo-skeletons.
The fiery orange belly of the Fire-Bellied Toad is made more vibrant when your toad has carotene in its diet. Gut-load your live insects with carrot peelings or sweet potatoes to keep your Toads belly brightly coloured.
Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads do not need additional UV, as natural day light should be sufficient to keep your toads happy, however if you have live plants in your terrarium they will die without any light. A fluorescent UVB tube is ideal as it won’t give out any heat and will help the plants thrive.
Your Toad’s terrarium should be inspected and spot cleaned daily. Every two to three weeks clean out the tank completely. Clean any décor and carefully remove any live plants to replace when the tank has been cleaned. The water side of the tank also needs to be emptied, cleaned and refreshed with fresh de-chlorinated water.
Your Toads should be moved to a temporary tank whilst you clean their vivarium and care must be taken to make sure no chemicals are used in the cleaning process, as these can harm or kill your toads.
Fire-Bellied Toads have very delicate skin and secrete a toxin when threatened that can irritate your skin. Regular handling is not recommended, as it stresses the toad. Before handling wash your hand to get all the chemicals off your hands as Toads are sensitive to many chemicals that may be on your hands, such as washing up liquid, soap residue, hand cream etc.
Males can be distinguished easily during the breeding season, as they will call for a mate, it sounds like a small dog barking. The breeding season occurs in spring, with spawning occurring only 10-24 hours after mating. A female can lay 150-200 eggs and they will hatch within 2 days. The adults should be separated from the spawn as soon as possible as they can eat the eggs. You should feed the larvae with Tubiflex or Fry food, until they are big enough to eat adult food. Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads generally mature at 12 months old.
They are very active toads which makes them a great pet. They are easy to care for which is why they are great first amphibians. This species of toad should only be housed with other Fire-Bellied Toads, do not mix them with other species. Fire-Bellied Toads secrete a toxin from their skin that can harm other amphibians with prolonged exposure and vice-versa other amphibians also secrete toxins that can also harm Fire-Bellied Toads.
To give your Fire-Bellied Toad a home you need an aquarium or vivariums. Fire-Bellied Toads are semi-aquatic; this means that they need to have a 50/50 split their tank, with half being covered with a burrowing substrate, and the other half being of water. A damp moss or peat based substrate is ideal, such as Orchid Bark mixed with some organic compost and lots of hiding places should be provided like wooden caves, plants, large stones, and hideouts are ideal, as with all amphibians, if they have nowhere to hide they may become stressed. They like to climb to, so put in some sticks or tall plants. They are escape artists, so you need to block holes or gaps they can get through and they can get through tight gaps!!!! Never use gravel in your Fire-Bellied Toad’s terrarium, as the gravel can become stuck in their body and can be fatal.
The water half of the terrarium should provide adequate water for your Toads. It is best to use a low flow filter to keep the water clean; otherwise you need to change the water daily. There should be a water depth of around 4 to 6 inches. To make your toads life easier you need to put a ramp or stones near the divide between the land and water so the toad can leave the water with ease. As with all amphibians, Fire-Bellied Toads are extremely sensitive to chemicals and cannot handle chlorines and chloramines in water. You should always use de-chlorinated or bottle spring water.
Fire-Bellied Toads are very inquisitive animals and like to explore new surroundings. To keep them from getting bored once in a while change the layout of their terrarium about, and when you’re finished and you put your Toad back in, he will start exploring.
Fire-Bellied Toads require the humidity to be kept quite high, but it is also vital to have good ventilation. A way to maintain a good humidity is to use real plants; Toads don’t eat plants and don’t dig them up, so they are plant safe.
The ideal temperature for your Fire-Bellied Toad is 24-26°C with a slight drop at night of 2 or 3 degrees.
Heat should be provided using either a heat mat with thermostat or aquarium heater with built in thermostat. Heat mats should only cover between a third and a half of the floor space to allow your Fire-Bellied Toad to thermo regulate. If an aquarium heater is used to warm the water side, then a heat mat is not necessary in the substrate side.
You should feed your Toad 2-3 times a week with a varied diet which is an appropriate sized gut loaded insects, like locusts, crickets, earthworms, spiders and flies. They will also take waxworms, but this should be considered as a treat item. Feed 3 or 4 insects per Toad per feeding. The live food should be dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements once a week as they can get bone problems otherwise.
You should never feed your Toad anything with hard shells, such as mealworms, beetles, snails and Woodlice, as they would digest the tough exo-skeletons.
The fiery orange belly of the Fire-Bellied Toad is made more vibrant when your toad has carotene in its diet. Gut-load your live insects with carrot peelings or sweet potatoes to keep your Toads belly brightly coloured.
Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads do not need additional UV, as natural day light should be sufficient to keep your toads happy, however if you have live plants in your terrarium they will die without any light. A fluorescent UVB tube is ideal as it won’t give out any heat and will help the plants thrive.
Your Toad’s terrarium should be inspected and spot cleaned daily. Every two to three weeks clean out the tank completely. Clean any décor and carefully remove any live plants to replace when the tank has been cleaned. The water side of the tank also needs to be emptied, cleaned and refreshed with fresh de-chlorinated water.
Your Toads should be moved to a temporary tank whilst you clean their vivarium and care must be taken to make sure no chemicals are used in the cleaning process, as these can harm or kill your toads.
Fire-Bellied Toads have very delicate skin and secrete a toxin when threatened that can irritate your skin. Regular handling is not recommended, as it stresses the toad. Before handling wash your hand to get all the chemicals off your hands as Toads are sensitive to many chemicals that may be on your hands, such as washing up liquid, soap residue, hand cream etc.
Males can be distinguished easily during the breeding season, as they will call for a mate, it sounds like a small dog barking. The breeding season occurs in spring, with spawning occurring only 10-24 hours after mating. A female can lay 150-200 eggs and they will hatch within 2 days. The adults should be separated from the spawn as soon as possible as they can eat the eggs. You should feed the larvae with Tubiflex or Fry food, until they are big enough to eat adult food. Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads generally mature at 12 months old.