A little info on

[SRC]

I've read every thread on these, but there are so many (and many were very old, like 2004 and earlier) with so much information..and I dont' have a printer, here at home, to print them out so I can't compare what all I have read....so I thought I'd post a thread with all the questions I have all in one place.

I saw one at the pet store today, and thought it'd be a pretty cool pet to get and have in my son's room (he's 9). I've got a 10 gallon community tank in there currently, and I've got an extra 10 gallon that doesn't have a lid, that I'd like to make use of...but I don't wanna really spend the $25 for a hood to use it for fish (on top of I am getting a L20g and I have another hooded 10g I'm fixing to stock with tetras).
My son is feeling left out because I won't let him mess with the fish lol.

****************************
OK so here are the questions:

01. Can 1 be happy alone, or do you need 2 or more?

02. Will a screened top work? Or do I need a regular hood? Or could I use a screened top with half of it covered with plexiglass?

03. Do they like to eat fish (like feeder guppies) or will they do alright on a insect only diet?

04. Do they need filtered water? Or is just changing the water out weekly good enough? And if changing it out is good enough, would rain water be better then dechlorinated water?

05. Do they mostly need crickets? And are the ones that you buy already dead ok, or do they absolutly have to have live ones?

06. Do they need a heat light, or heat pad, or is room temperature (between 78-81) ok for them?

07. How often, and how much do they generally need to eat?

08. I saw they need both land and water, but which do they prefer more of? And how deep should the water be?

09. Do they need live plants, or are silk ones ok for them?

10. Are they ok to handle? Do they like it, or do they seem to prefer being left alone?

****************************
Thanks for reading all that lol..and hopefully I'll get some good replies.
They only have one at the pet store (or that's all I "saw" in the tank lol) and I was hoping to go back and get it this weekend, and surprise my son when he got back from visiting his grandmother..as he's been being really good at school lately.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[Valkyrie]

01. I'm not entirely sure, but I think they would be happier when kept in groups. These are very active frogs, and would most likely appreciate the stimulation of having a few of their fellows around. A 10 gallon is good for 2 to 3 of them.

02. I would recommend a hood since it will hold in the humidity better making for a better climate for the frogs. UVB lighting/full spectrum lighting (look in the lizard section at the petshop...you can just put one of these fluor. bulbs in a regular hood) is recommended but not a necessity. I'm sure a screen/plexiglass cover could work.

03. An insect-only diet is just fine. They might nab a feeder guppy once in a while, but bugs are preferred. Don't forget to supplement their diet by sprinkling their food with calcium a couple times a week. A carotene supplement might also help the brilliant red underbelly color.

04. Filtration is recommended; you'll be doing 50% water changes once a week with, at least twice a week without. I would recommend dechlorinated water as rain water might have a lot of unknown substances/dirt/etc that might risk your frogs unnecessarily. For added comfort for your frogs, you can add some of that stress coat for fish.

05. Live food is a must. Like most frogs, firebellies hunt by sight, and if it doesn't move, it won't relate it with food. When they nab it, they often have to feel it move or they spit it out, too. You don't have to feed them crickets only. You can give them earthworms (don't get the baitshop kind!! Very nasty!!), mealworms (but only once in a while--high in fat), and most any other insect you can find. "Field plankton" can be caught by running a net through a pesticide/exhaust-free field. The "plankton" are the bugs you catch, and can be fed to your frogs. Not a good idea to feed them fireflies, though; these are poisonous.

06. No heating necessary unless it gets really cold. Water temperature can be from 68-78*F.

07. They should generally be fed once a day. One large cricket (or cricket-sized bug) is probably good for a smaller one, two for an adult. If the large crickets are a little big, you can just feed them 2 to 3 smaller crickets (bugs) instead. Never feed them too much at once as they have practically no discretion when it comes to how many crickets they should actually eat at one time, and can literally eat themselves to death. These are NOT bright animals!

08. A setup that is 3/4 water 1/4 land is recommended. Land can be created by using large flat stones (never use gravel or anything small enough swallow--this could cause gut impaction and death!), cork bark floats, and/or floating plants. Give them a place to hide in the tank such as a cave or plants. The water should probably be from 4 to 6 inches deep, a little deeper should be fine, too.

09. Live plants are better, as they help keep the water healthier for the frogs. Silk plants can be used, however, just remember to wipe them off a bit whenever you are cleaning the tank, as toxic residue from the toads may build up over time.

10. Frogs are like fish in that they should never, ever be handled unless absolutely necessary. Handling them stresses them out bigtime. Always use plastic gloves for both your safety and theirs--they are mildly toxic, so getting their toxins on your hands isn't good for you, but any foreign chemicals/oils/etc of any sort that might be on your hands would be even worse for the frog, and could make it sick. It's because of this that they aren't always good pets for young children, but as long as your son is content just to watch them, I'm sure they'd be fine.

Hope that helps!

P.S.--Surgeon General's warning: Frogs are very addictive and may be harmful for your paycheck. Do not keep if you are pregnant or nursing because you might end up neglecting the baby so you can fuss with your frogs.

 

[Dwarfs]

01. Can 1 be happy alone, or do you need 2 or more?
I keep two together, they communicate at night (Low whooping noise)

02. Will a screened top work? Or do I need a regular hood? Or could I use a screened top with half of it covered with plexiglass?
My tank has a screen top

03. Do they like to eat fish (like feeder guppies) or will they do alright on a insect only diet?
Crickets are good (As long as you have some land in the tank)

04. Do they need filtered water? Or is just changing the water out weekly good enough? And if changing it out is good enough, would rain water be better then dechlorinated water?
They should have a filter (Internal filters are best) With water changes every other week (dechlorinated water is fine)

05. Do they mostly need crickets? And are the ones that you buy already dead ok, or do they absolutly have to have live ones?
My two generally ignore all things that aren't moving

06. Do they need a heat light, or heat pad, or is room temperature (between 78-81) ok for them?
These toads aren't tropical, so 65-75 is ideal

07. How often, and how much do they generally need to eat?
Mine get around 20 small crickets every week

08. I saw they need both land and water, but which do they prefer more of? And how deep should the water be?
4" of water is good, they tend to stay in water but will go on land to bask

09. Do they need live plants, or are silk ones ok for them?
They will do fine with java ferns and java moss

10. Are they ok to handle? Do they like it, or do they seem to prefer being left alone?
These toads hate being handles IME, and if you do try to handle them, wash your hands afterwords (As with most toads, their skin secretes toxins that can make people sick)

 

[SRC]

Thanks for the info!!! and @ the disclaimer .

I think I will go back to the pet store tommorrow. I called them today after I posted this and they said they actually had more, that they were just hiding. So I will get atleast 2 of them.

I already started on the tank...I'd say it's atleast 3/4 water. I made a box out of plexiglass to hold the dirt for the land section and siliconed it to the tank walls so that it is water tite.

The water is about 5 1/2" deep. And I have several nice size, sturdy sticks for them to be able to climb out of the water on.

I've got some pea gravel for the bottom of the water section, organic potting soil for the land section...and I'm going to try and dig up a section of moss to put on top of the soil for them to hop on.

I gathered some large sections of bark for them to hide in. I'm going to make a run to the garden center to see if they have some of the plants I decided I wanted (White Rabbits Foot, Timm's Petticoat Fern, Variegated Cretan Brake Fern, and some Pothos) ..and if not I am going to order them.

I'll also have to pick up a filter and make a plexiglass partion to hold it...since the land/water section won't be high enough for the intake to reach down into the water, plus I'll have to make it where they can't hop out (I'm thinking that leaving it hanging on the side might let them do that) After I do that it'll kinda make it like a waterfall.

Probably go with the screen/plexiglass cover for now...since I already have the material here to make it.

He is gonna love this, regardless of if he can touch them or not lol.

*****************
edit, how do you move them around..without touching them? Like when you need to clean the tank out?

 

[Dwarfs]

I haven't cleaned out my tank, the water evaporates and I fill it up

 

[MasterP]

Thatt sounds like a really nice setup.Can you show us pics of the frogs and the tank. Good luck!

 

[SRC]

Who.....ME....post pics??? lmao you gotta be kidding..I would NEVER do anything like that..are you nuts?









Yeah right ...like I'm not one of the most picture taking fools on this board . Of course I will, I'd be happy too. If it turns out half as pretty as I have envisioned in my mind..I'm gonna be quite proud of this one .

I ordered the filter a few minutes ago..I found this 1-3 gallon filter the other day, that actually goes on a betta vase. And for the amount of water that will be in this tank..it seems perfect. And a steal at only $8 . (I'm like a super bargain shopper btw lmao)
http/www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F2...6/Itemdy00.aspx

Who knows...I may even carve out, and fix up a styrofoam base to put around the filter/plexiglass stand I make for it..so it looks like real rocks lol. We shall see. Of course..that all depends on how much school work I start ending up with when college starts up in October.

 

[Kiarra]

01. Can 1 be happy alone, or do you need 2 or more?
I think one would probably be okay alone, but I think 2 or 3 would be happier.

02. Will a screened top work? Or do I need a regular hood? Or could I use a screened top with half of it covered with plexiglass?
A hood or something similar would be best. Mine have a fully enclosed lid (they're in a rubbermaid container) with air holes poked in. They spend more time out the water now than they did when I had more ventilation.

03. Do they like to eat fish (like feeder guppies) or will they do alright on a insect only diet?
They'll do just fine on an insect-only diet. Mine are fed crickets and frozen bloodworms.

04. Do they need filtered water? Or is just changing the water out weekly good enough? And if changing it out is good enough, would rain water be better then dechlorinated water?
I don't use a filter, personally. I just change all the water out once a week or so.

05. Do they mostly need crickets? And are the ones that you buy already dead ok, or do they absolutly have to have live ones?
Live is MUCH better. That guarantees an immediate feeding response. It takes mine FOREVER to realize that something that doesn't wriggle is actually food.

06. Do they need a heat light, or heat pad, or is room temperature (between 78-81) ok for them?
They are not tropical, and don't need heat. Room temp is adequate. Mine are kept in a room temp of about 70.

07. How often, and how much do they generally need to eat?
I feed mine (I have a pair) about 8 crickets every 3 days, or a good squeeze of bloodworms. It keeps them from getting skinny, and they're usually a healthy plump shape.

08. I saw they need both land and water, but which do they prefer more of? And how deep should the water be?
A good 50-50 or 70-30 (less water) should do it. Water ought to be at least a few inches deep.

09. Do they need live plants, or are silk ones ok for them?
Silk are fine. Mine love their silk lily pads.

10. Are they ok to handle? Do they like it, or do they seem to prefer being left alone?
Mine HATE being handled. It's a pain to catch them to clean their cage. Plus they're somewhat toxic, so I wouldn't recommend holding them.

 

[Valkyrie]

I haven't cleaned out my tank, the water evaporates and I fill it up

[snapback]907771[/snapback]​

You...what? You NEVER...?!!! GEEEEZ!!!




Um...anyway...as for handling these frogs, like I say, just use rubber gloves. Protects both you and the frogs. Like fish, though, you might not need to remove them to do water changes...I have no doubt they'll successfully avoid you on their own. Just make sure they can't jump out. Also, for a filter, there are mini filters you can buy that can be hung or stuck to the glass with suction cups so they'll reach the water no matter how shallow the water is. This is what I used for my frogs. Works great. Mine is from Whisper.

--Val

 

[SRC]

Well I got 2 little toadies . OMG they are so freakin CUTE!

Everyone at Lowe's were gooo'ing and coo'ing at them in the checkout line (I had them in a kritter keeper..didn't want them to "croak" out in the car lol)

I bought 8 plants...but could only fit 5 of the 8 in the tank...I wanted them to atleast have a little room to hop around.

The ones in the tank are a moss called Seliginella, a nice big leafed plant called Syngonium, a cute little red spotted plant called Hypoestes, and 2 that had no names but are really cute. One looks like a miniture palm plant and the other kinda the same but with more rounf oblong leaves instead of long and narrow. And of course the hunk of carpet moss I dug up from outside that is theri "floor".

The frogs seem to love it so far. I can't wait til Drake gets home in a few minutes...I'm gonna have him feed them some crickets...they look hungry, one of them is quite thin looking IMO. But despite looking thin their coloring is very bright and vivid, and they are very active.

And btw...I think the little tank turned out quite cute. Can't wait to take some pictures of it .

 

[Valkyrie]

Sounds like a great setup you have for them! I'm sure both your son and the frogs will be very happy!!!

 

[Dwarfs]

I haven't cleaned out my tank, the water evaporates and I fill it up

[snapback]907771[/snapback]​

You...what? You NEVER...?!!! GEEEEZ!!!

[snapback]908164[/snapback]​

It sounds worse than it is, I fill the water to about 5 inches, and it goes down to about 2" over a week, at which point I fill it up. The tank has a lot of plants and snails, as well as a ten gallon internal filter (This tank is a 20g long with about 3 or 4 gallons of water in it). The toads are happy and the leftover food doesn't get a chance to rot, i see no problems with the tank just yet

 

[Kopix Nation]

I had four fire bellied toads. I had to give them away to make room for the fish. They loved to eat worms and crickets. They are really cool. Their croaks sound like a dog barking .


claire

 

[SRC]

He absolutely LOVED the frogs. He was like FROGS!!!!!


They seem to like their new "habitat"...much to my delight .

Only thinig is, one of them has some clear-ish stuff hanging off parts of it's body (throat, back feet, tummy). Drake seems to think that it is shedding. From what I can find to read about it, it seems it may be..but I dunno.

They seem to "hug" sometimes..which is kinda cute. lol...haven't heard them make noise yet. But I did get to see one catch a cricket. It hopped into the water and it hopped in after it and swam over and nabbed it. Was pretty cool lol.

 

[SRC]

**frolicks in with pics**

Personally....I think I have 2 boy's lol. I read that when they try to breed that if it is 2 boys the one being..*erm * humped will croak (or in their case chirp)...well lets just say, I had some serious chirping going on earlier .

Check out the look on Lin's face (Lin in the one on bottom)...he's like

Dude, come on now..seriously QUIT!

*sigh* come on....please??!

lmao...oh well...I dunno what'd I'd do with a bunch of little toadies anyways lol.

Here's their tank...

Had to remove the moss I had at the edge..it was sucking water up like a kid drinking chocolate milk with a straw. The dirt under the moss was so water logged..at first I thought I had a leak...turns out it was just a greedy plant lol. Hopefully I can find some artifical to replace it..as I think it looked much better with it there.

I have named both of them in Chinese..since this variety is predominately from China.

This is Lin, Chinese for Beautiful Jade...

...hmm...wonder how you get over there....

Hey, you..2 legged thing...bring me a cricket...I'm hungry

...hey hey now! You're getting a little personal dontcha thinK??!

..aren't I a handsome fella...

This is Wie, Chinese for Dangerous...

...I think I saw a cricket running around here somewhere...

...skinny? Not me, I'm just watching my figure...

...I could go for a cricket though, now that you mention it....

I can't wait for the filter to come in..so I can make them a little waterfall. That way the right side of the tank won't look so bare. I gotta find a nice backdrop too..that garbage bag just isn't cuttin it for me lol.

**edit**

ooooh yea..I almost forgot...

These are the little guppie kids I bought to put in there too. I dunno if thy'll get eaten or if they'll just die..but I was hope'in they'd last a while. I read they might.