Fire Belly Toad info need fast!

[BoidKeeper]

I'm a snake guy and tonight I was a newbies house checking out some of his stuff when I saw the Toads.
He has two toads in a 10g on newspaper with a small plastic cat dish for water. No lighting, no heat nothing. They were given to him and he has no clue how to look after them but is willing to make changes if I can find the info.
If anyone can provide me with some links that would be great. So far I've only found one no so bad sheet.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Dani33]

Here are some good links:
http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml
http://www.livingunderworld.org/

[Bartman]

I used to own three at one point..realized i didnt like amphibs and sold them..great looking animals though..ANYways

hes should use peet moss as bedding, get 2 pieces of cork board that are above the substrate but not to high..i found this to be an exelent hide for them because they were very hidden. You could also get some big fake leaves and put them in so they can hide under them. He should also keep the peet moss very moist. Their should also be a rock or something where they can get out of the moistened peetmoss. Get a big water dish, deep enough for them to go totally under until there eyes/nose. If you have a bowl thats to deep (you can do this anyways) put a small rock in the dish so they can climb a little over the water..get it?
As for a caresheet with some more detail to temps and humidity try this
its a pdf
http://www.petco.com/assets/articles/caresheets/pdf/raafirebelliedtoad051503.pdf

or this

http://exoticpets.about.com/library/weekly/aa082801a.htm

[Emily-Fisher]

I used to own one when I was 9... lets see what I remember..

I used fine, round, aquarium gravel as a substrate. I made a beach sort of... the gravel sloped upwards so that some of the gravel was under water while a small beach opked out of the water on one side. I covered the part out of the water with spaghnum moss. In the water, you will need a LOT of water plants... preferably floating ones, for the toads to float on. I got some small water lillies, underwater live aquarium plants, and some terrarium plants (whose roots go underwater but whose leaves are above the water) from one of the petstores in town. I dug the roots into the gravel and put some pieces of corkbark in the water and on the beach for a hiding spot. In the water, I put a few feeder guppies and small goldfish to eat. I also fed him frozen bloodworm.

Hope this helps!!

10 gallons of space is perfect for 2 firebelly toads.

[BoidKeeper]

Thanks guys. After readng about them I think I may take them formyself if he still wants to part with them.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Double J]

Well, I can't say I totally agree with evertyone here. Gravel is the WORST thing to have in you Bombina tank unless it is totally submerged. The frogs can ingest it in their feeding frenzies and this can lead to their demise as a result of impaction. No supplemental heating is required... I would not want to keep these frogs above 80. Lights aren't totally necessary.. but are nice, especially if you wish to have live plants in your tank. Stick with fluorescent, as incandescent will likely dry out the tank to much. Now.... as for the newspaper substrate... this is a VERY brutal choice for any amphibian... as the dyes can be absorbed through the frogs skin and cause internal damage. Stay away from any mulches when housing any amphibians for a few reasons.....
1) They often contain some sort of pine in them which is loaded with pine tars and phenols.. this is deadly to any amphibs (I would never keep any animal on pine, period)
2) Mulches are also undesirable for frogs as many are messy feeders and will likely ingest some opf the wood pieces, which may lead to impaction and ultimately death. Stay away from repti-bark as well... as this is no good for your frogs either... and I do not care what zoo-med says... frogs cannot digest fir tree bark... that is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.
I actually found the petco care sheet to be not entirely terrible... they generally have a history of ignorance.. though I think this is more that many of their employees are not very experienced with herps. IF your buddy put them on paper towel.. their setup would be acceptable... though ridiculously boring. The only time I use paper towel as a substrate is when I am raising froglets, or in quarantine situations. I think eco-earth is the best all around substrate. I wouldn;t use pure peat as this may become too acidic for the Bombina... though I do not know for sure... but better safe than sorry. A pure peat substrate is proven to be detrimental to the health of some salamanders.
As for feeding... stay away from fish, especially goldfish. Having a few guppies in the tank is fine... but goldfish are not a good food item. All you need to feed is crickets. Give each frog 3-4 crikets three times per week, dusted with Miner-all or Rep-cal every feeding. This may not sound like much food... but my Bombina are ridiculously fat... and have bred successfully. Throw some pothos in the tank. It is a cheap and easy plant that is bulletproof as long as the roots are kept moist. You can root it in the water or plant it in the eco-earth. It will grow like a weed underneath a standard fluorescent bulb. One word of warning... do not house them with firebelly newts... this will end in disaster. Check caudata.org for some horror stories.
These frogs are a lot of fun.. enjoy them.

[BoidKeeper]

Thanks so much for the great post!
I have the toads with me now. They're in a 10g on a thick layer of paper towel. I have in a food dish, big piece of cork and a large bowl to serve as a pond. The room is 80-82 DTH and 72-75 NTL. I had a heat lamp for a basking spot of 85 but I think I'll remove it.
My plane is to put in ecco earth and pathos wich I already have.
So no heat needed but what about UVB?
Thanks,
Trevor

[Double J]

no UVB is needed.... but I would use a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 in it... I have been using Miner-All 1 which has worked well. If you want to have some light in the tank... an 18 inch fluorescent fixture will work wonders for your plants. You can get them at Wal-Mart for around 8 dollars.
Good luck

[Pugwinkle]

Originally posted by Double J
no UVB is needed.... but I would use a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 in it... I have been using Miner-All 1 which has worked well. If you want to have some light in the tank... an 18 inch fluorescent fixture will work wonders for your plants. You can get them at Wal-Mart for around 8 dollars.
Good luck

Hi Double J, wow you sure seem to know your toads! I'm new here and I really enjoyed reading all the info you have about firebellies. I have a set up of 1/3 land and 2/3 water for my toads but they spend most of their time on land so I want to change things in a month after I have moved to my new place. Can you tell me where I can find the eco-earth that you spoke of. I have been using peat moss and sphagnum moss for my toads. I don't like the sphagnum moss cuz they end up getting it in their mouths when they are trying to catch their crickets. I'm a bit worried now about the peat moss as well after reading your post.

[amazongirl]

Ecoearth looks like peat moss and is sold in blocks. You rehidrate the blocks and it turns into a fuffy subrtate. Ecoearth is just a brand name for coco eath or coco fibre - I use it for all my herps.
I've sometimes found ecoearth to be a little salty so you may want to rinse it a few times - this will also help remove tanins.
Just stay away from gravel I've seen whites treefrogs ingest amazing quantities of gravel - luckily they pooped it all out but it was a definate scary moment for me when I realized it. They are fine now but they continued to poop it out for about 10days after I had removed it.

[Double J]

Some other names for products like eco earth include but are not limited to:
1) Forest Bed
2) Bed a Beast
3) Millennium Soils Coir Fiber

Coir fibre, coco-husk fiber, millennium coir...... all the same thing. You can actualy find it quite cheap at a plant nursery (Belgian Nurseries in Guelph sell it for $2.49 per brick!)
As for the tannins.. I wouldn't worry about them too much..... My dart frog, mantella, and treefrog vivaria have water loaded with tannins... and they can be a good thing.
As for the peat... it may be alright if you mixed it with the eco earth...... but some brands and types of peat can be a nightmare to re-hydrate and work with. I use a little peat in my soil mixtures with my frogs... but never with my terrestrial salamanders (my ambystomids).
Either way.. eco earth is a cheap and useful substrate and is a good choice for amphibians in general.

Double J

[Pugwinkle]

Thanks for the info, Double J do you know what the nursery's call it? I will check with them before resorting to buying it at Petsmart.

Also, what about the toads ingesting it. Is the stuff anything like sphagnum moss? I hate that stuff cuz my toads get it in their mouths. Last night one had a long piece stuck and I had to help him remove it which wasn't easy. It must have been stuck in his throat. :(