Can Fire-bellied Toads and Newts Live Together?

Okay, we are going to let you know what others think about housing fire-bellied toads and fire-bellied newts together.

Below our article are links that discuss the potential dangers of housing us together.  They have very valid reasons NOT to put fire-bellied toads and fire-bellied newts in the same terrarium or aquarium.

We have been together for over a year and April or Tony has watched us for hours on end during that time and have yet to see any stress between us, etc.

We (all of us – newts and toads) are approximately the same size and that may be why us toads do not see the newts as a food source.  Or, it could be pure luck that we do not eat the newts. 

Randall1 and Randall2 (the newts) will actually decide on their own to come over to us toads and cuddle.  That obviously shows they are not stressed by our presence in the tank.

Although we do not question the opinions expressed in the following links, we have decided to stay together for the time being.

Our recommendation to new owners or owners that have had previous bad experiences is to house us separately.  Unless you will be watching us carefully and be prepared to separate us by having another housing area ready nearby if it is needed.

Here are the links we mentioned earlier:

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/frogsandtoads/f/fbtandfbn.htm

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/reptilesandamphibians/f/mixingspecies.htm

http://forum.kingsnake.com/newt/messages/24775.html

Kind Regards,

Brownie, Greenie and Limey

  Brownie

  Greenie

  Limey

How to Care for Fire-Bellied Newts

I received an email from someone who wanted to know how to care for fire-bellied newts so I decided to share a couple care sheets I found with you. 

I personally do not have my aquarium set up the way explained in the care sheets.  My aquarium is described in my blog: How we like our tank set up

My particular newts like to eat crickets, waxworms and nightcrawlers.  I have to cut the worms into a reasonable size for the newts to swallow or they will ignore the food.  I love to dangle the worm at the end of a toothpick and watch the newts go after it.

But, I imagine the people writing the following care sheets have more experience than myself so you may want to set up your aquarium like they describe.

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/salamanders/a/firebelliednewt_2.htm

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/amphibians/Newt_FireBellied.pdf

Moving Fire-bellied Toads and Fire-bellied Newts

Hi,

Well, we made the big move from Denver, Colorado to a small town in Wyoming.

 It was a long ride but we didn’t get cold and everyone lived through it.

April put us (Limey, Greenie, Brownie, Randal1 and Randal2) into a small aquarium with just an half-inch of water in the bottom.  She was nice enough to add some plants for us to hide in and to soften any bumps along the way.  Then we rode on the floor of the car in the front seat to be near the heater.  Not too close–we didn’t want to get too hot.

We arrived at the new house just fine.  We haven’t acted very hungry but we are just adjusting to the new environment.

We would like to add a note for future reference.  Do not put crawfish in with toads and newts!  April put a crawfish in with us because they eat guppies and she hoped it would reduce the number of guppies in the fish tank.  Well,  a crawfish will eat anything it can get a hold of and it holds on real tight!  Randal1 is now missing about 1/8th off the end of his tail and Limey’s webbing on his foot was being chewed off when April saw what was happening and removed the crawfish.

We found out who was her favorites when the crawfish disappeared and we’re still here.

Kind Regards,

Limey, Greenie, Brownie, Randal1 and Randal2

Good Temperature for Fire-Bellied Newts

Hi,

 April read how we like the temperature of 68 F more than 70 F or above so she lowered the temperature in our home.  Actually, she just turned off the heater in the tank.

She says it made a very noticeable difference in how much we move around now.  Instead of sitting in one place all day everytime she checks on us we are either moving around or have moved to another area.

Also, she has seen us eating crickets which she never saw before.  In fact, she said we may even have pot bellies now.  What is a pot belly?  It seems to have something to do with eating a lot.

She also cleaned and rearranged the tank yesterday.  She found another large flat rock and gave us even more above water space.  Now all 5 of us can be in different hiding places if we wish.  It gives us more elbow room.

     

The other news is that the female guppy had a bunch more babies.  April said if we don’t start eating guppies she is going to have to find someone to take them off her hands.  There must be about 30 of them in the tank right now.

The male guppy died the other day.  April is not sure why and we didn’t tell her what happened.  But, that means there shouldn’t be any new guppies born for a while.

Well, got to go.  There is an interesting look hiding place over there we haven’t investigated yet.

Kind Regards,

Randal1 and Randal2

  Randal1

  Randal2

Randal2 Takes His Morning Shower

Good Morning!

 Randal2 took a shower this morning and thought he’d share it with you.

NEWTS RULE!

Kind Regards,

Randal2

Fun Facts About Fire-Bellied Newts

   

 FUN FACTS ABOUT FIRE-BELLIED NEWTS:

Fire-bellied newts like cool temperatures of 68 F or 20 C.  But they can tolerate 70 F or 21 C.  They may become sick if you keep your tank at higher temperatures.  I’m going to go lower the temperature for Randal1 and Randal2 right now.  Perhaps that is why they are sluggish and very seldom move. 

  Fire-bellied newt have glands on the side of their head that secrete toxins.  This can cause skin irritations and may be poisonous to some animals.  Do NOT handle your fire-bellied newts unless you absolutely have to and after touching them wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

There are two kinds of newts that are referred to as fire-bellied newts commonly kept as pets.  The Cynops orientalis is the Chinese fire-bellied newt (also called the oriental fire-bellied newt or the dwarf fire-bellied newt) and the Cynops purrhogaster is the Japanese fire-bellied newt.

  The Chinese fire-bellied newt, Cynops orientalis is approximately 3-4 inches long (6-10 cm), with smooth skin that is dark brown to black over most of their body.  Their fire-belly usually has orange as the predominant color. They have poison glands on the sides of their head.  Randal1 and Randal2 are Chinese fire-bellied newts.

The Japanese fire-bellied newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster, is approximately 3.5 to 5 inches long (9-12 cm) with a rough or bumpy appearance to the skin.  Usually its fire-belly is more of a speckled pattern of red-orange. They have poison glands on the side of their head.

Fire-bellied newts will regulate their intake of food and do not usually become obese even if food is available at all times.

How We Like Our Tank Set Up

Hi,

Today we’re going to tell you what we like and dislike about setting up a home for us.

First, we have seen some tanks that are just water and a small flat area of dry land.  YUKKKK!  How boring.  Don’t they realize we are animals in need of variety and fun?

How do you know whether we like to spend most of our time in the water or on land?  You don’t unless you provide us with a lot of both.  For instance, Brownie spends almost all of her time in the water hanging on to the edge of the land area.  Greenie spends most of his time on a rock that is submerged by the waterfall.  And, Limey hardly ever goes into the water at all.  He likes to sit up high and overlook his domain.  Sort of like “King of the Mountain.”

Limey would spend more time in the water if he had to because there was only one small rock in the tank, but he wouldn’t be happy.  Brownie would spend less time in the water if the tank had only a small area of water, but she wouldn’t be happy.

If you are going to keep pets, let them be as happy as they can be.

Here is how April has our tank set up right now so we can all enjoy what we like.  She rearranges our tank every time she cleans it making new hiding places to find which keeps us interested in our environment.  Toads can get depressed just like any other animal.

April has a 30 gallon tank and likes to keep fish in it so she has to have a lot of water in the tank.  But, she wanted a lot of land for us and the newts also.  So she put 2 vases in the water upside down.  As you can see in the picture below the larger vase is clear so it doesn’t block your ability to watch the fish in the tank.  She also has a tall underwater cave structure and puts a plastic baby fish holder on top of that.  She used to use the baby fish holder to protect the baby guppies from the other fish when she raised guppies.  She puts decorative rocks, shells and some small plastic plants in the baby fish holder to add weight to it before setting it on the top of the underwater cave.  She places that structure and the two vases in a triangle to be the support structures of the land mass she is going to construct.

She has an upside down ceramic bowl on one of the vases to help start making the land mass above the waterline.  She has a flat piece of plastic from the top of an older hexagon aquarium that she balances between the three tall support columns.  Then she adds some large flat rocks until she has a large flat land mass (most of this area is still slightly under water).

  You can see the underwater cave and plastic baby fish holder on the right side of this picture.

Now comes the fun part.  She adds different size rocks to the land mass and builds hiding places by placing flat rocks across the top of round rocks.  That way we can hide and she can still see us.

     

She also puts in extra long plants so their tops float on the water.  We all love to sit on those sometimes.

  

Then we are almost set.  One last thing she does is make sure the rock under our waterfall is placed just right.  She doesn’t want us hopping up into the water filter but more importantly she knows how much Greenie loves to sit below the waterfall hiding under a rock for hours at a time.  So, she makes sure the flat rock under the waterfall has a good hiding rock on it for Greenie.

  Of course, Limey has to keep an eye on Greenie at all times.

We all like to climb up on the waterfall rock and take showers every so often.  The newts don’t though.

Did you notice the piece of carrot in some of the pictures above?  It is for the crickets.  With all the rocks in the tank the crickets can hide from us so April sometimes puts a bunch of crickets in the tank.  She puts the carrot in so they have something to eat and will be fat and plump even if they manage to hide from us for a few days before we catch them.  She changes the carrot stick out for a new one every day though otherwise it would get moldy.

This is a good home for the fire-bellied newts also since they really don’t like to be forced to spend all or most of their time in the water.  At least Randal1 and Randal2 would prefer to be out of the water in a damp area instead of directly in the water.

April thinks having fish in the tank keeps us entertained.  She catches every one of us watching the fish every now and then.

We love our tank!

Kind Regards,

Brownie, Greenie and Limey

  Brownie, Randal1 and Randal2

  Greenie

  Limey

Full House

Hi,

Our house is full of animals today.

April bought us all food–even Fluffy, the corn snake.

He got three mice.  But, he didn’t eat the third one so April got rid of it.  Mice smell whether they are alive or dead and this one was dead so out it went.  Fluffy gets 15 minutes to decide whether he is going to eat it or not and then he just has to wait until next time which in his case is a couple months.  We’re glad we don’t have to go two months between meals!  April got what she thinks is a great video of Fluffy eating his mice.  She plans on putting it up on the blog soon.  We think she is crazy.  Why would anyone want to watch a snake eating when they can watch us–the mighty hunters eat?

More important than Fluffy and his mice are the wax worms and crickets she got for us.  April makes a house for the wax worms so they don’t die in a couple days like they used to.  She takes an empty Glad plastic container (Tony’s lunch meat comes in it) and puts a mixture of oatmeal and honey on one end.  Then she puts the wax worms in the other end including the bedding them come in (after picking out the wax worms that have already died).  They like the oatmeal and honey mixture because in the wild they eat honeycomb from bees nests when they are in the wax worm phase of their life.  She does poke holes in the top of the Glad plastic container and keeps it on in case the worms think about crawling out.  She hand fed both of the newts pieces of a wax worm today.  She also hand fed Limey, but ,as we all know, Limey will eat anything so that isn’t too hard.

She also fixed up the cricket keeper with carrots and oranges for the big batch of crickets she bought today.  They think they are in heaven with so much good food and fun places to hide in in the cricket keeper.  April said we have to eat wax worms until the crickets get bigger.

So our house is full of animals today.  We can see the crickets and wax worms from our aquarium and if toads could salivate we would be doing just that.

Best Regards,

Brownie, Greenie and Limey

  Brownie

  Greenie, and

  Limey (Hey, Randall 1, why is everyone laughing at me?)

We hate those red wiggle worms!

Happy New Year!

  We thought we would report on our diet today.

The other day April bought those skinny red wiggly worms (the kind you can use as bait for catching fish) at the pet store for us.  The lady at the store said we would eat them.  Boy, did we prove her wrong!

April cut one up into pieces so they would be small enough for the newts to eat.  They really wiggle even after being cut up so she thought that would attract our attention and it did.

  First Randal 1, the fire-bellied newt, ate one.  That was a good sign she thought. 

  Then she held one out for Limey who immediately jumped at it, bit it and pushed it all into his mouth.  Remember, Limey jumps at anything and tries to eat it.  He had Randal 1’s head in his mouth just last week.

  Randal 1 and Limey going head to head.

April couldn’t get the rest of us to even show any interest in those worms.  She tried and tried.  It would be so nice and easy if we would eat them because they stay fresh and last longer than the wax worms or the crickets. 

After she was gone over Christmas and we were hungrier than usual she tried again and Limey took the bait but the worm had some dirt on it and Limey dropped it and tried to push the dirt out of his mouth with his front feet.  It was real cute watching him do it just like some little kid who accidently ate dirt.  After that even he ignored those wiggly red things.

So, yesterday, April went back to the pet store and bought us more crickets.  When she put in 3-4 this morning we all were hopping after them because we were so hungry.

  Where did that cricket go to?  Do you see it Randal 1?

April says we can be as fussy as kids when it comes to eating.

Perhaps your fire-bellied toads and newts will eat those worms, but we are way to spoiled to eat them.

Kind Regards,

Brownie, Greenie and Limey

  Limey, Brownie and Greenie

Where do Fire-bellied Toads come from?

Hi,

Ever wonder where wild fire-bellied toads live?

There are two different genera of toads referred to as fire-bellied toads.  We are in the genera of Bombina.  There are others in the genera of Bombina but we are the ones that are also sometimes called Oriental fire-bellied toads.  In the wild we live at 5,300 to 10,000 feet above sea level in parts of Northeastern China, Southeastern Siberia, Korea and the Tsushima and Kyushu islands of Japan.

 China     Russia      South Korea     Japan 

In our natural habitat we are able to withstand a low temperature of 41F (5C), and a high temperature of 86F (30C). Toad owners need to keep in mind that in the wild we have our natural habitat to help us survive these temperatures.  Since you cannot provide us with our true natural habitat we need a more even temperature of 64.4-68F (18-20C).  We may need extra heat in the winter months, or we could hibernate (if you provide the right environment for hibernation) at 41-59F (5-15C) for a few months.

  We usually are found hanging out floating or swimming in ponds and streams near the shore in the wild.

  We are very special because, unlike most toads, our tongues do not fold out to catch crickets (YUMMMMM!).  Instead we have to stalk our prey, jump right up to it and grab it with our mouth.  (See “The Best Cricket Hunt Yet”)  Then, if the prey is too large to be just one bite we use our front legs to shove it into our mouth.

   When we are in the wild and a predator comes along we often arch our back, raise our front and back legs so they can see our bright “fire” belly.  Sometimes we roll over on our back so all of our belly shows.  That way they know if they eat us they are going to get sick from our toxin.  But, in captivity we don’t usually do this since we are pretty much safe from any predators.

  We love to cuddle and we even hug    (if one of us is a male and one is a female).

We all have fire-bellies on bottom but can be very different colors on our top sides.  We come in many tones of brown and green ranging all the way from dark, dark brown to lime green.  In fact, we sometimes change our colors and a lime green toad can become dark green.  We don’t know why this happens but it may be temperature changes or even mood changes.  A naturally brown toad can’t change its color to bright green, but a bright green toad will become dark green on occasion.  We all have glossy black spots on our backs and two areas where we secrete our toxins.  These two areas usually are a slightly different color than the rest of our body.

When we are in the wild and between 2 and 4 years old we will mate in the months of April and May.  A male hugs a female just like you see in the picture above when they mate. The female then lays anywhere from 80 to 300 eggs!  The eggs can be found hanging off plant stems.  Tadpoles eat mainly algae and plants.  The toadlets live in pools or puddles where they eat insects like flies and beetles but also worms and water spiders.  They turn into toads in just a few weeks. Their metamorphosis is complete some time in July or August. Some eggs are laid in August and these will metamorphose in the spring.

We didn’t come from the wild but from a toad farm.  In order to protect the ecosystem of any habitat please never take animals out of the wild to keep as pets.  Just as we mentioned in an earlier blog that you should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER release your pets into the wild.  We could destroy the ecosystem of your backyard if you released us out there.  If you find you can’t care for your pets any longer take them to a pet store and ask the manager to find a good home for them.  Most pet stores are more than willing to help you find a home for your pets.

Kind Regards,

Greenie, Brownie and Limey

  Limey, Brownie and Greenie