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Thread: Crickets, UTH, noise and more questions

  1. #1
    foghat
    Guest

    Default Crickets, noise and more questions

    Hi all,

    My son is interested in buying 2 or 3 fire belly toads - and I've got a few questions/concerns.

    Biggest issue for me right now is the food - crickets. I know pretty much nothing about crickets, but the the thought of keeping them is, honestly, not that appealing.

    We would just be buying from the pet store. If guy had, say, 2 FBT and bought 100 3-week old crickets, would the crickets survive long enough to get through all of them (2 or 3 per toad every couple of days?)? While it may be preferable, is it necessary to gut load the crickets? Are they difficult to handle? Do you have to worry about a bunch escaping from then container they came in every time you go to get some out? Is it even okay to keep them in the container they came in?

    Can blood/meal worms be used instead? Or should you really use a combination of all 3? Do they require any sort of special care?

    The toads would be kept in my son's room, which is pretty much next door to ours. How loud do they get when croaking? Do they croak all night long or is it somewhat sporadic?

    Lots of questions, appreciate any help. Trying to figure if FBT are a decent fit for us.

    Our house is at about 70f. Is this too cold? What is the best option for heating, if required.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by foghat; March 19th, 2012 at 02:30 PM. Reason: getting my pets confused....

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  3. #2
    s6t6nic6l
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    ok. how old is this toadmeister in question. old enough to feed and look after the toads himself or will it be your undertaking? if the former applies then fine but if it comes down to you with the crickets well.......

    Kricket keeper: some like these some don't but i've had no problem using this method. simply empty the pack into the keeper. keep the kricket keeper in a dry warm place, keep the dishes provided with water and your gut loading food. my method for feeding the toads: you won't need the four tubes that they provide just two will be suffice BTW, clean jam/coffee jar, dusting powder. empty the required amount of your type of dusting powder into the jar, take a tube from the keeper and again tap the tube to get the amount of crickets you want into the jar, put lid on jar and shake to coat the crickets well, empty into enclosure.

    the toads will eat anything that can fit in the mouth. please dismiss any nonsense you see about food being only the size of the gap between the eyes to give them(if it's to big it will be ignored). blood/meal & earthworms can be given which are a suitable size as well as waxworm occasionally, woodlice and all matter of bugs really and even small coc..... the more varied the diet the better. no these are very hardy toads these and make for an easy way into the hobby. but........ later.

    unless your lucky to get all female they WILL be heard. if i go to bed and leave a door open downstairs then it gets shut. but this will depend on how your son percieves the chorus that will ensue. time of day is not a factor for the "barking" sessions either i'm afraid.

    you don't use heat in the right enclosure.

    ok. on the enclosure build. if you provide a pool area with at least a 4" depth and of bit of swimming space and a land area for some decent clambering to do with shade from plants and hides from the lighting and a secure lid with no gaps whatsoever then you have the start to a welcome home for them. look thru this thread for ideas on a setup.

    good luck with the critters if all appeals to you both.

    nic

  4. #3
    Kurt
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    Fire-bellies are a primitive frog that lack a resonating chamber like most frogs possess. So their call is very quiet and kind of soothing actually. Half inch crickets and smaller do not make noise. Inevitably, some do escape, get used to it. It is a very good idea to gut load crickets, also you should be feeding them if they are not going directly into the frog's habitat.
    Blood worms are no good as they come frozen and don't move, thus not gaining the frogs attention. Mealworms are ok once in a while, but at high in chitin, a material similar to keratin. Over use of them can lead to gastrointestinal impaction, which in turns leads to death, if left untreated.
    Fire-bellies, Bombina orientalis are a temperate zone species, so 70 is fine.

  5. #4
    S13
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    I use the "cricket keeper"

    I dont give the crickets much hiding space within the container itself so they usually hide in the tubes. Remove a tube carefully, tap the tube against a counter top with the open end leading to my glass bowl. (crickets cannot escape from a glass bowl). Place the tube back into the cricket keeper's opening, then I place the bowl in the enclosure. When I have to dust I do the same exact thing however, once they are in the bowl, I put them in a sandwich bag with the calcium or vitamin and i dust them, then return them back to the bowl. Hope this helps.

  6. #5
    foghat
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    Thanks for all the great information. Will have to give things some more thought.

  7. #6
    foghat
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    Okay, been digesting this info and thinking some more. A few more questions:

    In a 10 gallon tank, would 2 toads be sufficient to keep each other company? Or should I have more?

    As I understand it, for 2 toads about 6 crickets every 3 days is sufficient. Correct? If so, 100 crickets would last me about 50 days. Will crickets live that long (assuming they are being gut fed)? Will 3 week old crickets be too large come day 50?

    Regarding gut feeding - should I just have a constant supply of eligible food in the keeper? Or do crickets need to go on a feeding schedule as well?

    I've read crickets smell? Will a max of 100 crickets at a time stink much?

    Any further opinions on depth of water? My pet store has the toads in half to 2/3 filled tank with only turtle islands for the land. Sounds like it does not need to be that deep. Is a pump/filter necessary? I would imagine using one will allow for less frequent water changes? At what depth does some sort of pump become beneficial/necessary - would like to keep the tank as low maintenance as possible in terms of water changes.

    Reading the care guide, it sounds like the regular fish tank gravel is not a good idea for the land portions due to possible ingestion? I would imagine it is fine for the water portions?

    If I end up with a male and female, do I have to worry about breeding? I don't want any unplanned toads..

    Thanks a lot.

  8. #7
    foghat
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    Also, for the tank lid, does it need to be screen? Or will the regular 'aquarium' lid that came with the tank suffice?

  9. #8
    heyjude2200
    Guest

    Default Re: Crickets, noise and more questions

    Yes, FBT's require ventilation, therefore need the screen top. Also, buy crickets for my 7 FBT's online, 500 at a time & keep them in cricket keepers. I buy 3 week crickets, they are fairly small, and so the frogs eat more of them initially, but otherwise they get too big before I use them all. I keep chunks of egg cartons in the critter keepers for them to hide under. They are relatively easy to maintain. I have 2 cricket keepers and I keep them in the bathtub (when it isn't in use of course) If one escapes it can't get out of the bathtub, so it's very rare that one escapes.

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