My Fire Bellies are so scared

[heyjude2200]

I have a 55 gallon tank that I set up for my 7 fire bellies when I first got them last spring. I've been gradually adding things as I figured out what they liked & they seemed to be very happy little frogs. But I decided to redo my tank because someone gave me a great piece of old cypress & I want to make a waterfall with it & I also want put in a plexiglass divider between the water & land. (I had fiberglass mesh & the soil kept going into the water & clogging the filter & pump.) Anyway, I set up a 29 gallon long for them to live in while I do the renovations. I put some familiar things in--2 hides that they really like & I put two big pictures outside the glass that I had by the 55G, as several of them liked to sit on top of the hide & look at the pics.

I also thought that as long as I moving them, I'd try the ice cream bucket approach to feeding that I read about on here, because 2 of my frogs are hogs & have gotten sort of fat. Well, they all freaked out! When I put them in the bucket with a lot of crickets, they just tried climbing the sides to get out, stepping on the crickets & squishing them. So, I just put them in the 29G that I had set up for them. They've been there a day & they are all still clustered together trying to climb out. A couple of them are acting frantic. I feel terrible--they seemed to be having so much fun in the old one, and now they seem so scared.

So should I make my new set up as similar to the old as I can, with the exception of the cypress waterfall & the plexiglass divider? I wanted to do some other things but now I'm not so sure.

[John]

They just need time to get used to it. As for taking them out and putting them in the ice cream tub, that doesn't work for all frogs.

[Jace]

Getting frogs to eat in a separate environment will take time. It took mine about two weeks before they realized the smorgasboard they had and took full advantage. Like John said, some never get used to it. However, it does take more than one feeding. In the ten years I had my toads, I changed their setup 10-15 times. At first, they were out of sorts and frantic, but within several days, they were back to their usual amusing toady selves and calling and climbing, eating and pooping. These are hardy little toads and it would take a lot to fully get them out of whack. Just like us, frogs and toads are adaptable and as long as they have a dedicated owner, they can adjust to anything!

[Dot]

Well that sure is encouraging and good to hear.......

[ToadTee]

I think its a good point that FBTs do differ toad to toad, they really do have personality for amphibians.
My toads actually seem to enjoy having their enviroment moved around. I do it once a month when I do full tank cleans and they seem to really enjoy exploring the new terrain.

[FinnyBird]

In addition, making two drastic changes at once isn't a good idea. Let them get used to their new enclosure before trying to make them feed in a tub. One step at a time

[FriedrichsFrogs]

I think its a good point that FBTs do differ toad to toad, they really do have personality for amphibians.
My toads actually seem to enjoy having their enviroment moved around. I do it once a month when I do full tank cleans and they seem to really enjoy exploring the new terrain.

I also change their setup everytime i do a cleaning once a month. It seems to keep them occupied, FBTs are really curious and will explore every nook-and-crany that is unfamiliar territory.

[MantisMan]

I also change their setup everytime i do a cleaning once a month. It seems to keep them occupied, FBTs are really curious and will explore every nook-and-crany that is unfamiliar territory.

holy cow are u correct! when mine come out of hibernation and go into a new spawning setup they make a point of exploring every cubic inch of it, uprooting every plant, and pooping on every surface they can sit on!!

[FriedrichsFrogs]

ha yea theyr tenacious little things, like children they have to half-destroy something to find out what it is