Firebelly toads can be maintained quite well, with the proper care. The basis of this caresheet will cover the basic necessities for care of the firebelly toad. Topics covered are: feeding, watering, water changes, housing, temperature, & lighting. (The handling of firebelly toads is not at all recommended, as the oils from our skin are not good for amphibians of any kind. But, in emergency situations, handling may be required, if so remember to wash your hands before and after handling amphibians, but especially firebelly toads as they are slightly toxic and can cause skin irritations and possibly illness!)
List of necessities:
10 gallon or larger tank,
Screen top for the tank,
Gravel or moss,
Filter,
Heater(depending on size of tank and set-up chosen),
Thermometer(a must whether or not you use a heater)
Water Changes:
Without the use of a filter: Water changes should be done twice a month if you are not using a filter.
With the use of a filter: Water changes will need to be done once a month, the same as is done for a freshwater fish aquarium.
Tank Requirements:
Firebelly toads should be kept in a 10 gallon tank or larger. A recommended substrate for these amphibians, is moss. Gravel should only be used in the water area of the tank. Because of their small size, many people may be tempted to keep them in a smaller tank, say a 5 gallon tank. But, because a 10 gallon tank is hard enough to keep in balance, anything smaller can be near impossible to keep balanced. It is much easier to control temperature, humidity, bacteria and disease in a larger tank than a small one. A firebelly toad's tank can be arranged in many different ways, here are some ideas:
The 50-50 Tank:
A tank that is 50% water and 50% land, is one of the most popular ways of setting up an amphibian tank. It is also one of the most practical and functional. In this tank, you can either have all amphibians, or can have fish and other aquatic & semi-aquatic life(Keep in mind that firebelly toads are slightly toxic, and their skin secretions may or may not kill other amphibians and aquatic life). An easy way of achieving the 50-50 tank, is by putting one inch of gravel on one end of the tank and sloping it up as high as you want it at the other end. You can use pieces of slate or large rocks to hold the gravel up. You can also alter the percentage of land and water to suit the inhabitant(s) lifestyle.
Water World:
An amphibian tank can also be set-up as 100% water. This is achieved in much the same way you would set a tank up for freshwater fish, but keep the water level a couple of inches from the top to facilitate a floating island. This method does however have some drawbacks. First off, it is much more difficult to feed the toads, considering they eat on land and the only land in this set-up is the floating island. When the crickets are dropped into the tank, they will not stay on the floating island, and you run the risk of having a bunch of drowned crickets and some very hungry toads(Firebelly toads will not eat dead crickets!). Lastly, your toads may or may not survive in this type of environment because they spend more time on land than they do in the water. Since toads spend quite a lot of time on land, this is where they get most of their exercise, hunting prey and looking for spawning/resting spots. With this type of set-up, they can not possibly get the amount of exercise required for them to live long, healthy lives.
Regarding the above, I do not recommend this type of set-up for firebelly toads.
Land Lover:
This type of set-up is mostly land and very little water. In fact the only water that the toads will have is from a shallow dish that is at least 4 inches deep. To achieve this, simply put a one inch layer of moss down as substrate(gravel is not recommended as the ingestion of gravel can cause intestinal impactions). To provide them with water that they will need for swimming and drinking, put a reptile bowl that is at least 4 inches deep, filled with water on the floor of the tank. Make sure to put a rock in the middle so that the toads can get back out of the water once they are done. This type of set-up is easy, regarding feeding and maintainance.
Equipment:
Proper equipments is essential for maintaining healthy active toads, or any animal for that matter.(Note: Some equipment is set-up oriented.)
Heater-
A heater may or may not be required for certain set-ups. I will list the set-ups and whether or not they require a heater. Depending on the temperature of your house, a heater may not be required at all, a room temperature of 70°F or higher is fine for firebellies. Anything lower than 70°F and heating may be necessary. Note: Heaters can and will break. Extreme caution should be used when installing/uninstalling heaters, or moving them. Never move a heater that is plugged in!
50-50 Tank:
Depending on the size of the tank used, a heater may or may not be required. For a tank that is 10 gallons, a heater can not be used safely. When you divide the tank up, even if you use 60% water and 40% land, the maximum amount of water that can be given is around 3 gallons. Since there isn't a heater available that can heat less than 5 gallons of water, one simply can not be used safely. For a tank larger than 10 gallons, a small heater can be used.
Water World:
The size heater used for this set-up, depends on the size tank used. Read the heater box to determine the appropriate size, or check with a petstore clerk for the correct size.
Land Lover:
An under the tank heater, positioned so that only one half of the tank is heated(preferably the side opposite that of the water bowl so the water is always cool) can be used for this type of set-up. If you do not wish to purchase one, since they can be expensive, a heating pad can be used. Just make sure not to heat the tank up too high, always check the thermometer every 10-20 minutes when you initially set-up the tank.
Filter:
The size filter used for you toad's environment, largely depends on the set-up and size of the tank you use.
50-50 Tank:
The size of filter used here, again depends on the size of the tank being used. For a 10-20 gallon tank, a small filter made for 5 gallon tanks can be used. For tanks that are larger than that, go up the appropriate sizes(petstore clerks should be able to tell you the proper size).
Water World:
When choosing a filter for this set-up, pick the appropriate size for the size tank that you have. (Most filter boxes will tell what size tank they are suited for.)
Land Lover:
No filter needed.
Lighting:
Appropriate lighting can be achieved in the following ways-
Hood:
Frequently used for fish, they can also be used for reptiles and amphibians. They come in 2 styles: flourescent and incandescent. Whichever you choose, be sure to use a thermometer too. While flourescents burn cooler than incandescents, both can quickly heat up a glass aquarium.
Flourescent Plant Bulbs:
Same as a hood, only minus the fancy casing.
Thermometer:
Thermometers are a must, regardless whether or not heaters are used. They can be used to make sure that the lighting isn't heating up the tank too much.
Food & Water:
This may very well be the most important of all of the requirements for keeping your toad(s) alive and healthy.
Water:
You may be thinking,"Water? That's easy, they practically live in water, and I can get that from my faucet!" While this may be true, the condition of the water is very important. Because amphibians drink by absorbing water through their skin, they will also absorb any toxins that are in the water. They are very sensitive to the additives that are found in "city water", which include: flouride, chlorine, chloramine, and lead to name a few. That is why purifying your tap water is very important. Even if you have well water, there can still be lead and sulphur found in the water. To do this, you can either buy bottled drinking water or buy some tap water conditioner(found in the fish section of your local petstore). I think it is one drop per gallon of water being treated.
Food:
Food is much easier than water. You will need to feed your toad(s) a varied diet, consisting of: gut-loaded cricket, waxworms, red worms and small mealworms. You can also give them "field plankton". Field plankton can be collected by running a mesh net through an open field(make sure that it is not contaminated by pesticides and car exhaust), the bugs found in the net are "field plankton".
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