Fire-bellied toads

Vlasta Peyerlová

Fire-bellied toads are very common pets and also the frog species I have most experience with. Despite their name they're actually frogs, but people call them toads because of tubercles on their back.

Adults are about two inches long. Their colouring goes from shades of green to brown and with red, orange or yellow belly with black spots. The ones with more colours and more complex patterns are usually more wanted. They're very social, so it's good to have at least two together, they do much better in groups. With proper care they can live up to 15 years or maybe even more.

They're suitable for beginners thanks to their very hardy nature. They should be fed two or three times per week, but they can last really long without food. They're a little poisonous, they self defend by producing toxins, but it's no big deal. The worst that can happen to you is rash.

They need a lot of humidity (50-80%) and they like to spend time in water, so it's best to keep them in semi-aquatic terrarium (plus when you do that, you won't have to mist it too much). Ideal temperature for them is between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (21-23 °C). Size of the tank for three frogs should be about 45 litres big.

They're relatively easy to breed. The males make very unique barking-like squeaky sounds (sort of like some toys do) when they're ready to mate. Females can produce about 60-80 eggs (but not all survive) from which after three days tadpoles hatch. And after a month they transform into froglets.

These are so much fun to keep. They're very active, so you should easily recognize if there's something wrong with them. They like to try to escape, so you must be careful, but luckily they're easy to handle. And they're very cute too.