Fire Belly Toad Tadpole Care

[Rebel]

I have kept Fire Belly Toads on and off for over 25 years, and despite my efforts, this is the first time I have seen tadpoles. The tank is in my greenhouse, which pretty much follows the seasons here (New York) but is heated enough that it doesn't go below about 45 in winter. The tank is overgrown with Pothos and Java Moss, and the water contains a population of blackworms and various pond life. Stems and moss stick above the water level in many areas. Besides removing the adults, what else should I do? Anything?

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! This excellent care article has a "Breeding" section at the end with good info on tadpole and froglet care: Frog Forum - Fire-Bellied Toad Care and Breeding - Bombina orientalis and relatives. Good luck !

[MantisMan]

I have bred these for 2 years and they are really fun! first off, you only want to use spring water for the tadpoles. I would go to walmart and get a few 5 gallon Rubbermaid bins (the transparent ones that cost like $5). I wouldn't house more than 20 in each bin, and each bin should be half full of water. I notice that overcrowding tadpoles leads to smaller toadlets at metamorphosis (I've kept dozens in just 2 gallons of water, and after half of them metamorphosized, the other half grew slower and got much bigger before metamorphosis, so less crowding is good but don't undercrowd either or else the tadpoles may not eat. 10-15 per gallon of water is good for them) and smaller toadlets have higher mortality because of the size food they need. don't feed the tadpoles food too high in protein just yet or they may metamorphosize too fast. I blanch lettuce and collard greens, chop them up finely, then store them in a bag in the freezer. I chip off a chunk and thaw it in a bowl of spring water and then I feed them. smaller tadpoles don't eat as much but after 10 days or so they should be fed 3 times a day instead of once a day. I use a turkey baster to suck up waste and I change the water frequently to keep it clear. algae wafers are also really good for them. when you start to notice back legs, introduce higher protein foods, like omega-one fish flakes. these are high in pigments and very nutritious, but should not be a staple but rather an addition to the plant matter they are fed. also, do not have ANY plastic plants in with the tadpoles, as they will eat them and this can lead to high toadlet mortality. once they develop front legs, offer a rock for them to climb onto but DO NOT remove them from the tadpole tank completely until almost the entire tail is absorbed, or else they may dry up. these guys don't stop eating, so offer small fruitflies (d. melanogaster) to the babies even with tails. then when they are ready for a land setup, use the bins and don't overcrowd toadlets, since they will bully each other out of food and kill each other. I use the bins or critter keepers (u can clean and reuse the tadpole tank when everyone metamorphosizes) and I usually ventilate the lids and then I have a piece of mesh over the top that the lids will hold, this helps to prevent feeder escapees. the metamorphs can be somewhat crowded, I know it's hard when half are land dwellers and the other half are still tadpoles, I've even had to take the last few slow growers and put them in smaller cups or something or feed them to burrito to use the big tadpole tank for toadlets. the toadlets should have moist paper towels as a floor (these will need to be replaced daily) and should be fed at least once a day with dusted (with calcium dust daily and also vitamin dust once or twice a week) fruitflies, melanogaster at first then hydei. once they are big enough to eat pinhead crix or small roaches, switch over and remember to keep using suppliments. repashy superpig can now be introduced and once they can handle crix, moist peat moss can be a substrate. I would not recommend using a water bowl until the toadlets are at least 6 months old, and remember that a few may die and dead ones should be removed ASAP.