I can't recall just how I became interested in Firebelly toads, but I remember thinking how striking they were once I "discovered" them. I bought my first toad, a darker male I named Marble, from your average pet store. I also had bought a book on the subject to read up on their care. Shortly after I brought the male home, I bought a female toad. She was a brighter green and I named her Swirl. GENERAL INFORMATION This toad photo is borrowed from John Christian's site listed at the end of this section. Firebellies are small toads of Asian and European origins, with the most popular pet variety having a latin name of Bombina orientalis. They are a member of the Discoglossidae family. The main trait of this family is that the toads cannot extend their tongues to catch their prey. They must leap forward and grab it with their mouths. They will then use their forelegs to help position their food so they can swallow it. Another trait of this family is their brightly colored bellies to warn predators that they are poisonous. Their poison is from their skin secretions, although it seems that it may be only mildly toxic to humans. It's best to not handle them very often and when you do, wash your hands thoroughly afterward. Their bodies measure about 2 inches long, not including their legs. They are a shade of green which can vary from individual to individual. My male, for instance, is a dark brownish-green, almost olive in color; while my female is a more vivid, brighter green. Firebellies also have black markings swirled all over their little bodies and legs, creating interesting patterns that differ among individual toads. Their bellies are a shade of orange, which can vary from a lighter yellowish tone to a brighter reddish color. Both my toads have a rather vivid reddish-orange abdomen. This color also appears on their toe tips, but isn't as noticeable as it's a bit pale. Telling males from females can be difficult. However, in most instances, the male is generally smaller and narrower than the female. He will also have slightly larger forelegs and is the only one of the pair who will vocalize. If you'd like to hear some males calling, visit the following website. Scroll to the bottom of the page and there are two .wav files you can click on. Hit your back button to return here. John Christian's Firebellied Toad Info. Page HOUSING Toads of this family prefer more water and humidity than other toads. They spend most of their time in water or on wet surfaces. I set up an aquarium for the toads' vivarium, as it's normally called, to be part land and part water. The aquarium is a "20 gallon long," which measures 24 inches long, 12 inches deep, and 12 5/8 inches high. To separate the land area from the pool, I got a section of aquarium glass measuring 12" by 6" and using the same caulking for aquariums (and hubby's help), we divided the tank. The land area measures 12" by 9". I used aquarium gravel as a 1" base before adding plain, clean soil. I packed it firmly and added some moss and small plants such as ferns. I gave it a woodland type setup. The pool section is the rest of the tank. I have an under-gravel filter setup with the water being circulated and returned to the pool via a waterfall. I placed a few inches of aquarium gravel, which is colored like natural river gravel, over the filter plate. I added a few natural rocks on top of the gravel. This give the toads something to climb on to get out of the pool if they so desire. It also provides a good place to set their food at feeding time. The rocks also give them a way to reach the land area if the toads want to get out of the pool completely. The water used should be plain spring water. I buy it at my usual grocers for about 99¢ a gallon. The water level is kept at about 3 inches deep. I add water to the pool every time I notice the water level has dropped about ¼". A little evaporates every day. Water changes should take place regularly about every two weeks. One can use a turkey baster to suction out the water, a cup to scoop out the water, or a wet/dry shop vac. My mentor and advisor, Rich, owner of the Nature Nook store which provides all my toad supplies, recommends the shop vac as it gets the job done faster. Of course, one must be careful that the toads are not in the way! Rich recommends getting down into the gravel layer too to suction up any debris stuck between the small stones. I also remove the rocks and scrub them clean under running tap water. The filter is also cleaned at this time. Once clean, the gravel and stones are repositioned and fresh water is then added. Then the toads are free to swim around again. Since these toads can jump very well, a screen cover is kept on top of the tank to prevent them (or their food) from escaping. The cover is a fitted frame that sets over the edges of the tank. The screen used is the same type as regular window screening. This type is probably the best to use because of the type of food these toads eat, which I'll cover in section below. LIGHTING/HEAT Firebelly toads are Oriental in origin, coming from China. So these toads don't need supplemental heating. Lighting, however, is a good idea, especially when you have plants in your aquaterrarium like I do. The best to use is a broad spectrum florescent light tube that can rest on the top of the tank. Most aquarium or pet supply stores sell these. My light sits right on top of the screen cover. I try to partially mimic the seasonal daylength according to our own seasons. We live in Pennsylvania and are exposed to varying daylengths as the year wears on. After the sun comes up and the morning sun begins to move around, the tank light gets turned on. I turn the light off after the sun has set, but there is at least one room light on. Most of the year, the toads get about 12 hrs of light. FEEDING Firebelly toads must have live food. It is the movement of their prey which attracts their attention. The Firebelly toad would normally eat a rather varied diet in the wild. Most pet owners find it easier and more convenient to feed crickets. One way to get around any deficiencies from such a limited diet is to either provide other items, such as meal worms, or to dust the crickets in a vitamin powder before feeding them to the toads. This is what I do for my own toads. I keep a small container in which to keep the crickets and buy a new batch each week. The size of the crickets is important to a degree. If the crickets are huge adults, then the toads may not bother with them and could starve. The recommended size is 14-days old in most instances. Crickets this size are pretty small. I don't like to feed crickets that are over ½" long to the toads. It also seems that my own toads prefer the smaller size crickets. For more information on crickets and their care, please see the Cricket Care in the links near the bottom of this page. I hope this has been helpful and if anyone has any questions regarding Firebellies, please email me. The link is below.
