Care Sheet for ToadsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.60 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 11/21/2003 |
Main Category: | Aquatic/Land |
Sub Category: | Toads |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Brimadison |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Oriental Fire-bellied Toads |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Sexing is difficult, especially when you’re picking them out at a pet store. However, if you are able, you may be able to hear some of the toads "barking;" these are males. Also, males tend to have thicker forearms. |
Mostly Active During: | Both |
Substrate and Water Needs: | The toads’ habitat should be part water and part land. My water/land ratio is about 60% water/40% land.
In the water portion, I have medium-sized river gravel, too large for the toads to accidentally swallow. Make sure you have a good, submersible filter here as well. Also, ALWAYS dechlorinate your water.
On the land portion, I have gravel lining the bottom for drainage, gravel abutting the border with the water portion, then a layer of Lizard Litter Jungle Mix for plant growth, and a top layer of live moss so the toads don’t ingest the Lizard Litter (though the toads do love to burrow a bit in this moss). |
Lighting and UVB: | Lighting is not critical for these toads, as long as it is not too harsh or too hot. Do not use reptile lights on these toads. If you have live plants in the water/land portions like I do, however, you may wish to use a decent plant bulb in your fluorescent fixture. I’m using a Coralife Nutri Grow lamp right now, and both the water and land plants are vibrant and healthy. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | This species of fire-bellied toad is rather hardy and thrives in a range of temperatures. For optimum health, though, you should try to maintain the water at between 68-78 degrees. They can stand it a little cooler in the winter and a little warmer in summer, but that ten-degree temperature range is best.
Humidity should be high, especially if you’re growing terrarium plants in the land portion. However, good drainage on the land portion and some ventilation is needed to keep any live plants from becoming waterlogged or rotting. |
Heating and Equipment: | I actually have a small heater in my water portion to keep temperatures steady during the cold winter months. Like other care sheets say, this is not necessary, but my toads seem happiest when their water temp is at about 75 and the air temp is about 75 daytime, 70 night. |
Caging Provided: | I have three fire-bellied toads in a 29-gallon tank. You don’t need to have a tank this large for only three toads; however, if you like growing lots of plants like me, a tank this size is perfect. In general, about four gallons per toad is a good guideline to use.
My tank specifically has plenty of rocks in the water portion, the arrangement I change every so often to keep the toads interested, and they actually seem to appreciate it. I make sure there’s always one rock balanced or sticking out of the water, to allow the toads to climb out onto it if they want to get out of the water but not move fully onto the land area. I also have one submersed aquatic plant (Cryptocoryne lutea), some floating hornwort, and a bunch of duckweed that the toads love to hide in when they’re in the water.
On the land portion, I have two smooth rocks, a hunk of driftwood that the toads love to climb, a pre-fab hiding cave that they use, and a bunch of live plants. A great plant that I would recommend to beginners is golden pothos, if you can find it anywhere that it hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | These toads eat just about any live foods, but don’t feed them anything with a hard shell (i.e. mealworms, beetles, etc.). Mine eat crickets, small or chopped earthworms, and the occassional feeder guppy when they’re in the mood to do a little fishing. They’ll also eat waxworms, flies, small grubs, etc. Just make sure any insects that you feed your toads have not been contaminated with any sort of pesticides; your toads are extemely sensitive to chemicals and poisons. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Calcium and D3 are important for bone health and other health factors. There are a variety of "dusts" out there, and you should also feed your crickets with Gutload; there are some good "cricket drink" gels on the market now, too, some with calcium supplements right in the gel.
One other note: Sometimes, a fire-bellied toad’s signature "firey belly" can fade in captivity. To maintain your toad’s bright colors, occassionally feed your crickets with chopped-up organic baby carrots; the beta carotine in the carrots passes into the crickets and to your toads, maintaining that nice reddish-orange belly. |
Maintenance: | Maintenance is fairly simple. Every couple weeks, do a partial water change, siphon away any obvious lingering waste, and change your filter cartridges as often as recommended by the brand you use. Do a full water change every six months or so.
Maintenance of the land portion will vary; if you have plastic plants, you should rinse them from time to time to remove any toxin build-up. Also rinse any pre-fab hiding places and rocks. Never use chemicals or soaps in your rinsing.
If you have live plants, make sure to remove any dead leaves as you notice them; if they fall to the substrate, they can grow fungus in the high humidity, which is unhealthy for the toads. |
Some Words on this Species: | Oriental fire-bellied toads are very easy to keep and quite long-lived (10-15 years) if you provide them with ample clean water, a good diet, and keep chemicals and soaps far away from them.
A few other things to note. First, these toads are slightly toxic; always wash your hands if you need to handle them and after cleaning their tank. I would also advise against allowing children to handle these toads, both because of their slight toxicity and their small, somewhat fragile legs which could be broken accidentally by a child.
You should also avoid handling these toads whenever possible, even if your hands are free of perfumes and soaps. The oils in your skin can irritate the toad’s skin.
Note that some individuals enjoy climbing; all three of my toads love to climb whatever they can: rocks, driftwood, the hiding cave, plant leaves large enough to support them. Be sure to have a tight lid on your tank, because mine have even managed to scale the glass a couple times!
Finally, remember that every toad is different and they each display some fairly unique behaviors. For instance, two of my toads are very aquatic, generally only venturing onto the land portion at night or when there are crickets running around, while the third toad rarely goes for a swim. Some toads are also more active during the day, while others prefer hopping all over the place at night. |
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