Fishguy2727
12-30-2007, 04:19 AM
FIRE BELLY TOAD CARE SHEET
SET-UP: A minimum of 10 gallons is required to give an individual adequate moving space. This size can allow for multiple inhabitants, up to about four. This does not mean that 2 can be kept in a 5-gallon or one can be kept in a 2.5 gallon. There must be at least 10 gallons for one, but it allows for others. There should be land taking up no more than half of the tank. In a 10 gallon tank one quarter land is minimal to allow all to be out and feeding all at the same time without them crawling on top of each other. Shelter should be provided on the land, most easily by fake plants. They should be able to rest their front feet on something while in the water, this is also most easily done with fake plants. The water depth should be at least one inch (this may need to be deeper depending on the filter you choose), but three to four inches with things to rest on is more ideal. To provide the land, most people pile gravel up on one end. This also allows for a slope giving varying depths, which lets the toad pick the depth at which it is most comfortable.
FILTRATION: In small tanks a small filter is more than enough. A Duetto 50 is ideal for a 10 gallon with only one to two inches of water. If you would like to have three to four inches of water, a Duetto 100 is much better. In a larger tank an internal whisper is ideal. This same filter is also known as the micro filter. The Reptofilter is basically a whisper 10i with green plastic instead of black plastic, and a cover over the filter cartridge. All are forms of the same filter and all are equally effective. The 10i model would be okay for up to a 20 long tank with no more than 6 inches of water covering no more than half the tank. As the tank gets bigger, you will obviously need to compensate with a larger filter.
LIGHTING: Fire belly toads are active day and night, so low intensity UVB lighting is necessary. This would be in the form of a 2.0 rated full spectrum fluorescent bulb. An ambient temperature of 70-75F is ideal. This is easily achieved with a low watt bulb in a heat lamp over the land area. If it is a large tank a low watt (25 watts) heat bulb can be used. Otherwise a daylight bulb is better. These bulbs are shaped like a regular house bulb, but usually have light blue glass. The package will probably say it is full spectrum, but that just means it has at least a little bit of UVA light.
DIET: Fire belly toads can be kept just fine on an all cricket diet. The crickets should be dusted with a calcium/vitamin D3 powder every three feedings. They may accept other foods, but the crickets will provide a complete diet. Mealworms and similar feeders can bite at the inside of an animal, but they are harder to digest anyways so I would avoid them altogether. If it is possible the crickets should be gut-loaded. All this entails is feeding, at least most of them, very well for a couple of days before they are fed to the toads. This can be done with commercial cricket foods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure to provide water. The water cannot be liquid, it needs to be in the form of a commercial cricket water gel, a water soaked sponge, or from high water foods like apples.
SET-UP: A minimum of 10 gallons is required to give an individual adequate moving space. This size can allow for multiple inhabitants, up to about four. This does not mean that 2 can be kept in a 5-gallon or one can be kept in a 2.5 gallon. There must be at least 10 gallons for one, but it allows for others. There should be land taking up no more than half of the tank. In a 10 gallon tank one quarter land is minimal to allow all to be out and feeding all at the same time without them crawling on top of each other. Shelter should be provided on the land, most easily by fake plants. They should be able to rest their front feet on something while in the water, this is also most easily done with fake plants. The water depth should be at least one inch (this may need to be deeper depending on the filter you choose), but three to four inches with things to rest on is more ideal. To provide the land, most people pile gravel up on one end. This also allows for a slope giving varying depths, which lets the toad pick the depth at which it is most comfortable.
FILTRATION: In small tanks a small filter is more than enough. A Duetto 50 is ideal for a 10 gallon with only one to two inches of water. If you would like to have three to four inches of water, a Duetto 100 is much better. In a larger tank an internal whisper is ideal. This same filter is also known as the micro filter. The Reptofilter is basically a whisper 10i with green plastic instead of black plastic, and a cover over the filter cartridge. All are forms of the same filter and all are equally effective. The 10i model would be okay for up to a 20 long tank with no more than 6 inches of water covering no more than half the tank. As the tank gets bigger, you will obviously need to compensate with a larger filter.
LIGHTING: Fire belly toads are active day and night, so low intensity UVB lighting is necessary. This would be in the form of a 2.0 rated full spectrum fluorescent bulb. An ambient temperature of 70-75F is ideal. This is easily achieved with a low watt bulb in a heat lamp over the land area. If it is a large tank a low watt (25 watts) heat bulb can be used. Otherwise a daylight bulb is better. These bulbs are shaped like a regular house bulb, but usually have light blue glass. The package will probably say it is full spectrum, but that just means it has at least a little bit of UVA light.
DIET: Fire belly toads can be kept just fine on an all cricket diet. The crickets should be dusted with a calcium/vitamin D3 powder every three feedings. They may accept other foods, but the crickets will provide a complete diet. Mealworms and similar feeders can bite at the inside of an animal, but they are harder to digest anyways so I would avoid them altogether. If it is possible the crickets should be gut-loaded. All this entails is feeding, at least most of them, very well for a couple of days before they are fed to the toads. This can be done with commercial cricket foods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure to provide water. The water cannot be liquid, it needs to be in the form of a commercial cricket water gel, a water soaked sponge, or from high water foods like apples.