Care For The Fire-bellied and Oriental Fire-bellied Toads
By Devin Edmonds
Often, one of the only amphibians that you will see in non reptile specialty pet stores is the fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) and the oriental fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis). Both of these are usually fairly cheap (under $10.00) and are very hardy if given the right care. The fire-bellied toad is greenish grey or brown on top and the under side is bright orange red. The oriental fire-bellied toad is bright green with small black spots or bumps on its back and underneath is a remarkably bright red. The cage for them should have a land area and a water area. First, fill half of the 10 gallon or larger aquarium with small pea gravel about an inch or so deep. Place a piece or two of slate rock or some other flat rock on its side right ware the inch of small pea gravel stops so it acts like a barrier or wall. On the side of the aquarium that isn't filled with gravel, fill it with gravel to the top of the slate (which should be at least 4 inches high). Now, fill the side of the tank that only has one inch of pea gravel with water so the water line is just barely touching the top of the slate. Place a piece of driftwood on the land area and some water plants in the water area. Most of the time the toads should just sit in the water with there eyes just above the water line. Make sure you have a very secure lid on the tank because my oriental fire-bellied toad use to scaled the wall of the tank. He some how got out and I think one of our dogs ate him :-( Both the fire-bellied toads and the oriental fire-bellied toads will eat most small insects like crickets and mealworms. They will also eat black worms and red worms along with some earthworms. To make sure they will be healthy I would give them a fairly varied diet.When you are feeding mealworms or crickets left over dead ones should be removed after feeding. If they are not they may start to encourage bacteria growth.
Care sheet by Devin Edmonds:Mantella Homepage