Firebelly toads

[stacwase]

Does anybody here have firebelly toads?

We do - but we got them by accident. It's a really funny story, actually.

I have a garden pond. This past summer, I decided I wanted a frog for my pond. So I went to the pet store and said "Do you have any frogs for my pond?" The pet store lady said "Yes we do - we have these red bellied frogs."

I asked "Will it live in our pond?"

"Oh yes!"

"What do I have to do to take care of it?"

"Absolutely nothing. It will live in the pond and eat the bugs. And you're in luck! We're going out of business. If you buy one I'll give you two for free, and you can have these two crayfish!"

So I went home happy as a clam. I picked up my cute little red bellied frogs and played with them. I put them in the pond, but they didn't look happy! They kept trying to get out and they couldn't. I put a piece of styrofoam in the pond for them to sit on, and went inside to check them out on the internet.

To my surprise I found out I had oriental Firebelly Toads. They couldn't live in the water all the time like frogs - they had to be able to get out to the air once in a while. They couldn't survive our winters here without freezing. They also couldn't live in the pond with my goldfish, as they're toxic and could kill them!

So - my husband built them a terrarium and stuck them in the greenhouse. Two died, but we were left with one very healthy and vigorous little fellow who is living in my son's bedroom now, quite content with his mealworms. We just bought him a little mate.

So - anybody else have them? What do you know about them?

[luckies4me]

Are you only feeding him mealworms? They need crickets and moths, flies and butterflies as well. Mealworms are hard for them to digest.

We have had our fire bellied toad for about 7 years, and he's still in good health. We have him in an elongated critter keeper, with fakes plants, and the bottom is fish rocks. One side is steeper than the other and the other is shallow allowing him to swim when he wants. Then he also has a wooden hidey area, which he likes to sit on. He also talks A LOT! He's really fat too, as he's really spoiled. My brother likes to hunt moths to give to him and he gobbles them up really fast. But yes, please buy some crickets for him, and maybe some fruit flies as well.


Their actually supposed to be forbidden pets now, as the Department of Agriculture has named them threatened.

[stacwase]

Oh - I guess we'll get some crickets! We did feed some crickets this summer, but the pet store (different one from the crooks that sold him to us!) said that meal worms were better. If they need variety, no problem.

We've got a 10 gallon aquarium with fish gravel on the bottom and a big piece of flat stone in the middle with a bonsai tree on it, to make a little island. We fill the tank up to the stone so that he has a dry island surrounded by water. We don't have a heater or filter, we just change the water and keep the house above 70 degrees.

I honestly never had much interest in toads - never intended to get one. But he's so robust, I think he'll be with us a while! We might as well take good care of him. Actually we just named him today, after we got his "mate" (we don't know the sex of either actually). We named them Mary and Leo after my grandparents.

[luckies4me]

They sound so cute! Do you have any pictures?

[G.P.girl]

i don't know anything abou them , but i'd like to se some pics!