Question about FBT calling!

[TeenyToad]

At what age does a fire belly toad begin to call?

I have two new babies (well, the size of babies, but they are about 13 months old from tadpole stage) and I've yet to hear them make a sound. Is this abnormal? They are active, and have proven to be great hunters!

[Jayne Irlam]

I have found that there is considerable variation in the onset of calling with FB Toadlets, having bred these guys for a number of years. They are certainly capable of making sounds at 13 months but some are vocal at that age and some take longer. Do you think you might have two females? If so, this would explain why you haven't heard anything, as they tend only to vocalise when giving a 'release call' and if there are no males in with them, they are unlikely to need to. They can be hard to sex at around a year, but if you look at the hind feet, the males tend to have webbing which reaches right up to the toes, whilst the girls have webbing which doesn't extend that far up. I say tend to, because there's always the odd exception.

[TeenyToad]

Thank you! That was very helpful! I'm not sure of their gender, they are pretty small, which makes it difficult to tell. In your experience, have you ever had a 13 mo that is an inch long? The person that bred them was housing them in a pretty small container, so I'm wondering if their small size could be due to this.

I have found that there is considerable variation in the onset of calling with FB Toadlets, having bred these guys for a number of years. They are certainly capable of making sounds at 13 months but some are vocal at that age and some take longer. Do you think you might have two females? If so, this would explain why you haven't heard anything, as they tend only to vocalise when giving a 'release call' and if there are no males in with them, they are unlikely to need to. They can be hard to sex at around a year, but if you look at the hind feet, the males tend to have webbing which reaches right up to the toes, whilst the girls have webbing which doesn't extend that far up. I say tend to, because there's always the odd exception.

[Jayne Irlam]

An inch in length for a 13 month-old FB toadlet does sound a bit on the small side, but I have sometimes given some of my own toadlets to friends and then, when visiting them, noticed that theirs were much smaller than my own, spawned at the same time. I have put this down to general husbandry differences, particularly, temperature and diet. I'm not sure if the size of the vivarium makes much difference, although stress can occur if the area is too small, and that effects general health. Food quality is a big factor in growth rate, in particular, making sure the feeder items are properly 'gut loaded' (fed on good quality plant material plus appropriate supplements) prior to feeding to your toadlets.

[TeenyToad]

Interesting! I dust crickets/worms with calcium at the moment. Is there another supplement I should be using? Perhaps, a brand that you reccomend?

Also, the toadlets I received were two toned (lime green and copper) I have noticed, though, that a great amount of the lime green has disappeared and been taken over by the copper brown color. Could growth be the reason for this? Sorry to bug with so many questions, you just seem much more knowledgeable than others I've talked to.

An inch in length for a 13 month-old FB toadlet does sound a bit on the small side, but I have sometimes given some of my own toadlets to friends and then, when visiting them, noticed that theirs were much smaller than my own, spawned at the same time. I have put this down to general husbandry differences, particularly, temperature and diet. I'm not sure if the size of the vivarium makes much difference, although stress can occur if the area is too small, and that effects general health. Food quality is a big factor in growth rate, in particular, making sure the feeder items are properly 'gut loaded' (fed on good quality plant material plus appropriate supplements) prior to feeding to your toadlets.

[Jayne Irlam]

Test reply - I have just made two unsuccessful attempts to reply, so just want to try before typing it all out again!

[Jayne Irlam]

No problem with asking me questions, I am happy to help if I can.

There are many differing opinions on supplementing, based, I believe, on the fact that no-one really knows how much in the way of vitamins and minerals amphibians consume or need in the wild. I tend to rely mainly on feeding the insects good quality materials - grains, fruit and veg - in the first place, and supplement sparingly BUT with toadlets, I would supplement at every feed (Daily). I use 'Cricket Diet ILF (Insect Loading Formula) made by T-Rex, onto the food and then a little onto the insects, with a twice weekly addition of some calcium power. And for youngsters, lots of use of fruit and veg with a high colour pigment, orange/yellow/purple, so they can develop their red bellies.

Colour change is interesting in FBTs. They can to some extent mimick the substrate, and humidity changes will sometimes produce change, but I am sure there is a link between colour change and mood. I have two individuals who spend a lot of time together, and I noticed that if they get seperated, they both go dark green, and once united, go light again! Are they expressing anxiety when they darken? I did once try to discuss this with the vet but he tactfully suggested that I get out a bit more.