Froglet.us Firebelly Toads Week 3 & 4

Week 3-4 - Buying a Firebelly Toad

Most firebelly toads are sold at 1 month to 1 year old. Firebellies usually become sexually mature at 2 years old. Sexing firebellies is relatively easy. Males have "sharp" warts, thumb pads and thicker front arms. They are less fat and they call often, sounding like a dog barking somewhere down the street. Female are fatter and have rounded warts. Because frogs do not have ribs it can be hard to tell how fat they are.

It is likely you'll have to buy your firebelly from a pet store and in most cases pet store frogs are substandard. Pet stores usually lack the skill and interested to house and feed frogs correctly so these frogs tend to be less health the longer they are in the stores care. Pet stores are in the business of selling animals and the profit margin is thin so they are likely to go for cheaper frogs to beginning with and cheaper often means lower quality. Breeders aren't always the best source of frogs but they tend to be more interested in their frogs health. Pet stores are often a good source of crickets (which are a good food for firebellies along with small worms and almost any insect roughly the size of a house fly).

Whatever your source of frogs here is a rundown of what to look for in a healthy frog.

1st Frogs Activity. Many frogs (such as firebelly toads and Dendrobatid frogs) are active, especially in the presence of food. Make sure they are moving around the tank, that they don't loose their balance or have seizures when stressed by being chased or handled.

2nd Skin. Look for uniformly vibrantly colored individuals. Amphibians need moist skin to help them breath so make sure their skin is moist and shinny. When improperly housed or shipped frogs often rub their nose raw. Often this nose damages can be healed by treating with topical antibiotics (dabbing Neosporin on with a q-tip) but it's best to get un-injured frogs to start with. Look for any cuts or colored spots or fluid filled blisters, these can be bad signs. Look for scars (often large black sections of skin) these likely mean the frog is wild caught.

3rd Shape and Structure. Look at the frog's limbs and fingers to make sure they're all there and are of normal length and function. Cannibalism by other tadpoles can cause lack of fingers and toes (in extreme cases, lack of hands, feet and even eyes).

Tadpoles raised at improper temperature can cause limb shortness (SFS or short femur syndrome). Lack of proper levels of calcium cause stunted growth, crooked backs, bowed legs, and humped back.

4th Look at the frog's mass. A healthy frog is a well fed frog. As frogs don't have ribs, their apparent girth changes greatly due to how the frogs hold themselves as well as how well they are hydrated. So it can be hard to tell how fat the frog is based on its stomach (and therefore how well fed). Frogs tend to store extras energy (fat and protein in the form of muscle) in their thighs and so large thighs are a sign of a well fed frog. Compare the girth of the front legs and that of the back, the back should be at least twice as thick. You may not get the what you wanted but at least you can get the best of what is there.

A good sex ratio is 2:1 (2 males and 1 female). The males will compete and call more and the female will have a choice of males.

Before you buy your frog go over the tank once more:

1. Is there water quality good?

2. Is the tanks escape proof

3. Is the pump running well and quite?

4. Are the plants growing well?

5. Is the tanks stay at room temp 60-80ºF?

6. Is the lid working well?

7. Do you like the look of the tank?

If you said yes to all of these then it's time to get your frogs (if not then correct what is wrong)

Also buy some crickets... the crickets body length should be roughly or slightly larger than length across the toad's head (from one side of the toad's head to the other... you want the food to fit in the toads mouth). Crickets usually cost 7-10 cents each and you'll need 10 or so a week.

Buy the tads and add them to your frog tank. Add their first meal (5 - 6 crickets per toad) as well and you are on your way to being a frogger.

Feed every 2-3 days, check water quality every time you feed. Look for crickets if there are leftover live crickets in the tank then decrease the number you feed. Start dusting your crickets with ground up vitamins to give your toads a better diet.