Not eating and noisy?

[vmaxchick]

Hi there folks had my new 2 firebellied for about just over a week now and have done everything to make sure all is perfect , i am starting to become convinces something is going on as i can hear one of them kind of chanting and caught one on top of the other but not sure if its a male female scenario and sure its the wrong season?......the problems is i am not sure the frogs are eating i have tried everything to find out from putting crickets in loose from sitting them on a glass dish along with wax worms etc and nothing for days...nothing is been taken have put them in at night when all is dark and closed off the .....any advise would be great

[bshmerlie]

Firebellies are usually voracious eaters. But their prey items must be active and moving or the toads wont go after them that is why they prefer crickets. I feed mine in the daytime when I can see them eat. What is the temperature? Sometimes they don't eat if theyre too cold. Also try feeding them in their original enclosure sometimes if you move them to a different place to feed them they're more interested in escaping than eating.

[Jace]

Male toads will make a variety of sounds, from barking like a far away dog, to chittering to a release call if another male grabs them in a love squeeze. They will sit on each other all the time, but if you notice one grasping on to another one just in front of the back legs and hanging on for dear life, you definitely have a male who is seeking true love. Males will doe this all day, all night, with females, other males, regardless of the season. This is part of what makes them so charming and comical to watch.

If you are feeding them outside of the tank, I would do as Cheri suggests and feeding them inside their enclosure. If any crickets are trampled or drowned, it will mean a bit more cleanup for you, but getting them to eat is the main thing. I have a bucket that I feed mine in, but it took a couple of months before they stopped trying to escape and just eat the smorgasboard I provided for them. These frogs are tough and full of personality, so don't worry to much-they like to see their owners panic a bit. They find us just as amsuing as we find them!!!

[vmaxchick]

hi there no i been feeding them inside the tank, placing some crickets inside a small glass bowl day and night, i was advised to be careful leaving crickets in as such as they are know to bite the toads and there skin is delicate........hence why thought the bowl was better option, the calling thing still going on as i say its nice more like a pleasant Caribbean chittering as such.......can i also ask lighting wise i have placed them inside a 50ltr aquarium and placed a large glass dish inside for water that they use, the reason for the dish is i can change there water daily to water that's been sitting for 48 hours if needed to freshen it and they seem to like the fresh water change........maybe i am wrong there i make sure its about the same temp for them.......i have placed over the top to get temps right a double canopy with a 15watt sun glo bulb and a 15watt moon glo bulb...........is this the wrong thing to do i can get the temps to about 73 degrees using the lights etc humidity is a bit harder for some reason but working on it. rescued all these animals i have and trying to do my best

[Jace]

I think you are doing a great job. FBTs can handle a surprising range of temps and humidity levels, and they will let you know when you've hit the range they want. Your temperature is good-I would actually not go any higher than that. My toads did not like temps above 75 degrees. As for humidity, they love to soak and if they need to, they will hang out in the water dish. The bigger the water dish provided, the more chance for water to evaporate and raise humidity, so that is an option as well. In one of my tank setups, I used a huge glass bowl and then filled it with natural rocks and floating plants for my toads. It allowed for evaporation and my toads loved the space for everyone to join the pool party! Your toads sound very lucky to have someone who really cares about them. Kudos to you!

[s6t6nic6l]

hi there no i been feeding them inside the tank, placing some crickets inside a small glass bowl day and night, i was advised to be careful leaving crickets in as such as they are know to bite the toads and there skin is delicate........hence why thought the bowl was better option, the calling thing still going on as i say its nice more like a pleasant Caribbean chittering as such.......can i also ask lighting wise i have placed them inside a 50ltr aquarium and placed a large glass dish inside for water that they use, the reason for the dish is i can change there water daily to water that's been sitting for 48 hours if needed to freshen it and they seem to like the fresh water change........maybe i am wrong there i make sure its about the same temp for them.......i have placed over the top to get temps right a double canopy with a 15watt sun glo bulb and a 15watt moon glo bulb...........is this the wrong thing to do i can get the temps to about 73 degrees using the lights etc humidity is a bit harder for some reason but working on it. rescued all these animals i have and trying to do my best

that problem will be if your feeding black crix, provide brown only.

try for a 50/50 land/water ratio build, your making hard work for yourself. then you can do a twice weekly water change. TIP: when anyone does a water change, also wipe down any area the water is in contact with. if anybody rubs their finger where there has been water it will feel like grease. the mucus needs to be cleared often. i wipe down with every water change. i assume you are using distilled/de-chlorinated water!!

try for higher wattage sunglo "day glow"(15 seems way to dim)

any pics!!

[vmaxchick]

hi there and cheers the most powerful bulb i can get with using the reptile exo terra canopy is a 25watt bulb have placed that in along with a 25watt moonlight one to keep temps up a bit. I have been working my butt off to look at pics here and research as much as i could and noticed it was mostly more water they preferred in a tank and watching them myself they were rarely out of the water dish.........

oh yeah also think they ate last night put 4 crickets in a bowl in the tank and gone today.....

i went out and spent another 100 quid and got a turtle cliff etc to try and get this tank set up right i will post a pic and hope that feedback from you all would be a bonus i have done my best.........as i say set up was made like this through checking out pics on here etc.........let me know what ya all think............the little guys are a bit miffed today and i am hoping that's just temp and due to the change........keeping fingers crossed oh yeah the turtle cliff has a little filter in it but i think it is best to do good water changes weekly anyway dealt with large fish for years......meant to say did have the tank half and half and rarely saw them use the moss area and i seemed to create more mess and hassle was i wrong to change???

cheers again H x

[bshmerlie]

Your tank looks great. I have a similar set up with an all water base with two turtle docks for land. I have found this type of setup easiest to keep clean for firebellies. I dug a hole into one of the turtle dock to recess a cricket bowl. Otherwise crickets tend to drown. Don't worry about the humidity at all. They will spend most of their time in the water. If your house is cold you can use a small fish tank heater. Get the kind that has a built in thermostat that will keep the water at 78 degrees. They really are the easiest frogs to keep. They aren't that picky and they're definatly not delicate.

[vmaxchick]

thanks for that Cheri just so glad i am on the right track now, so the water should be about 75 to 78 good will get little heater tomoz to be on the safe side......