Oriental Fire-Bellied Toads are native to China, Korea and Siberia. They are a small, semi-aquatic toad commonly found in rice paddies, streams and even temporary pools. Reaching only 5-7 cm they are the ideal size to keep as pets and are very easy to keep, being good for first time amphibian keepers. Fire-Bellied Toads range in colour from pale brown to bright green, with black spots on their backs and bright red and black bellies. The colour on their stomachs are formed from compounds absorbed from their food and captive bred toads will often have pale yellow bellies instead of red. This can be rectified by supplementing their food with carotene, or even feeding their food with carrots or sweet potato before use as these vegetables naturally contain carotene which is then absorbed by the toad.
Housing
Setting up a habitat for your fire-bellied toad might be more difficult than the upkeep and care for them. These frogs need water. A lot. So, naturally, their enclosure needs to reflect that. An all-water bottom or 50/50 land/water is ideal. This can be accomplished by filling their tank with water and adding several floating cork bark flats or by laying slabs of rock in such a way that it creates a land area and a water area. We always recommend you research their habitat and try to replicate that as much as possible, you must remember to treat the water with Tapsafe or Reptisafe to take out any harsh chemicals. All frogs have absorbent skin so they are particularly sensitive to the quality of the water they are put in. Ensure any decorations you intend to put in your tank are safe and free from any fungus or Bacteria
Substrate
For the bottom of your tank you can use a thin layer of gravel at the water end and then use rocks and gravel/drainage medium to build up your land end, topping it off with a mix of coconut fibre & and forest floor substrate then laying some moss over the top of that.
Lighting and Heating
Fire Bellied Toads are a diurnal species and active during the day so appreciate good lighting, and using a tube with low level UV would be beneficial this will also satisfy your frogs day and night routines Ideal temperatures are from 20 to 24 centigrade. This is around room temperature in a modern type house.
Humidity
Assuming you have set up your environment correctly you shouldn’t need to be concerned about the humidty
Water
With all amphibians, water quality is extremely important. Faeces from the frog and dead feeder insects cause the water’s acidity to increase rather quickly. It doesn’t take long for the pH balance to shift into a dangerous range. For this reason, it’s important to perform regular water changes once a week. Water filters can help decrease the number of water changes you perform but you’ll still need to change the water when needed.
Feeding
Any of the normal livefood insects are suitable for Fire-Bellied Toads and they will happily eat Locust, Crickets, Earthworms and Waxworms, supplemented regularly with a good quality vitamin mix.
Rons Pet Supplies Promotes good husbandry with all its live stock. We always recommend that a feeding, cleaning and health check routine is put in place and a record of your Toads behaviour is recorded.
Please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff for any help and advice you need we are always here to help.
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