Releasing a Fire-Bellied Toad into the Wild

  What happens when you release a fire-bellied toad into the wild?

DISASTER!

Fire-bellied toads are not native to most of the world.  Oriental fire-bellied toads are found in the wild in parts of Northeastern China, Southeastern Siberia, Korea and the Tsushima and Kyushu islands of Japan.

That cute little toad you have in your home as a pet most likely was born at a toad farm and not in the wild.  It has never been in the wild and should never be in the wild.

If you grow tired of taking care of your fire-bellied toad (or any critter that is not native to your area) find a good home for it.  Or, take it to a pet store and ask them to find a good home for it.  Many pet stores will take pets in and adopt them out to another good home.  This goes for fish also.  If a fish gets too big for your tank or you need to get rid of it for some reason a fish store will take it in.  Owners of pet stores realize that it is in their best interest to take in these creatures rather than have them released into the wild and hurt the native habitat.

If you released your fire-bellied toad into the wild the native animals that live in your area would be negatively affected.  Whole ecosystems have been changed because of people introducing non-native animals into areas.  A good example is the cane toad that was introduced into Australia in 1935 and have been raising havoc ever since.  Check out the complete story at: http://www.fdrproject.org/pages/toads.htm

The cane toad is highly poisonous but it seems this was not taken into account when authorities decided to use them to get rid of cane beetles in the sugar cane fields in Gordonvale, Australia.  After being introduced into Australia in hopes that they would take care of this pest problem (which the toads never did take care of) the cane toad continued to flourish because it had no natural predators.  Almost all of Australia is now overrun with large, poisonous cane toads.

All stages of a cane toad’s life they are poisonous.  They have no natural predators to keep their numbers under control.  There is evidence that they may be eating Australia’s frog population.  Fish who eat toadpoles die.  Animals who eat adults die.  Snakes have been found killed by toad toxin so fast that the toad is still in their mouth.  Small amounts of water such as a pet’s water dish can be fouled by the toad’s poison and the pet will become sick from drinking out of it.

The pests have spread across most of Queensland, the Northern Territory into the wetlands of Kakadu.  They have hitched a ride to Sydney in vegetable trucks and now are entering the native habitat of the already endangered Green and Golden Bell frog.

All of this havoc is now reducing many species of Australia wildlife even crocodiles!

No one thought when a little over 100 cane toads were released into a few sugar cane fields in a very small area to eat cane beetles that the whole of Australia’s ecosystem would be negatively affected and that effect would reach the crocodile population.

Let’s use more of our common sense than these “intelligent” authorities did in Australia and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER release your fire-bellied toad into the wild.

Kind Regards,

Greenie, Brownie & Limey

  Limey, Brownie & Greenie

P.S.  That goes for fire-bellied newts also.     Randal 1 and Randal 2

9 reasons why fire-bellied toads and newts got their name

Fire-bellied.  Why?  Let us count the ways.

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Fire-Bellied Toads and Personality Plus

Hi again,

April asked us to write to you about personalities.

As animals, and especially amphibians, many people out there probably think “How boring having a toad as a pet.” or  “Give me an active dog or persnickety cat any day.”

But, you would be extremely surprised at how entertaining we are.  It became more noticeable when Limey came to live with us.  Then suddenly there were three very different personalities in one aquarium.

Brownie is a little shy and retiring (partly due to Greenie constantly attempting to show his affection).  You will often find her in the corner of the aquarium hanging onto a rock and just keeping an eye on things from afar.  She doesn’t jump and swim away when the tank top is opened–just watches to see what is going to happen.  She is an expert cricket hunter and when she is hungry nothing scares her away from a juicy cricket.

Greenie started out being very aggressive and not afraid of anything.  Then suddenly he became “jumpy.”  Any time April opens the top of the aquarium to talk to them and see what is going on Greenie will slip into the water and even swim down to a hiding place.  Occasionally he will just slip into the water and then hang onto a rock with just his nose and eyes protruding above the water line.  Curious, but not brave enough to  come out of hiding.

Then Limey came on the scene.  Limey doesn’t like emerging himself totally in the water.  He spends 99 percent of his time on the rocks.  And, nothing gets by him.  Every time April or Tony opens up the top of the aquarium they see Limey’s body on alert.  He is either stalking one of the newts–ready to pounce if they move their tail.  Or he is intently looking out into the water at Brownie, Greenie, or a fish.  He seldom just sits around like Greenie but is turning and moving to get a better view of the next object of his attention.

Limey even observes what is going on outside the aquarium.  You will find him with his face up to the glass looking out.  His body posture shows he is following the movement of something outside his home boundaries.  April walked up one day and she had a top with white buttons on it.  As she got closer Limey, who had been very intent on watching her, pounced against the glass and tried to bite the button on her shirt.  For 15 minutes April tested him with different objects and he never gave up attempting to eat small objects on the other side of the glass.  We didn’t say he was smart–just entertaining.

There are a lot of dogs and cats out there that give a person less attention when they show up than Limey does to April when she comes to see him.

He is an avid cricket hunter albeit not a good one.  He spends three times as much energy to catch one cricket as Greenie or Brownie do.  But, he is young and may learn to be more patient and wait for the cricket to come to him.  In the meantime, the entertainment value is at a very small price (the price of a few crickets).

He still likes to pounce on the newts tails.  April caught him pouncing on Randal 1’s tail and actually grabbing his tail with his mouth before letting it go.  This was weeks after Limey had arrived so we know he is well aware of the fact that a newt’s tail is not food.  In fact, today he jumped at a newt and had the newt’s whole head in his mouth.  He slowly let the newt go.  The newt didn’t even flinch.  Like a patient dog with a baby pulling his hair the newt sat there and just waited for Limey to let him go.

Limey may have a little kitten in him (or lion).  He certainly behaves like one.

And, he is a camera hog.  Bring out a camera and he’s hopping, jumping, stalking all with a winning smile on his face.  Yep, this guy may be heading to Hollywood.

   Perhaps a comedy role would suit him.

Kind Regards,

Brownie, Greenie and Limey

  Limey, Brownie and Greenie

The Best Cricket Hunt Yet

Hi,

We just finished the best cricket hunt ever.  April filmed most of it.  And, she said it ended so sweet with all three of us basking in the glory of the hunt.

See for yourself.

Kind Regards,

Limey, Brownie and Greenie

P.S. April still doesn’t know if Limey is a male or female yet.  We plan on keeping her guessing for a while.

We Love Waxworms!

Hi,

We are Randal 1 and Randal 2 – the fire-bellied newts.

April cleaned our aquarium again last weekend and we really like the new way she put our digs together this time.

Lots of rocks to sun on and hide under.  But this time we really like those plants (they are fake – but that is okay) that are long enough that their tops float on the water.  We can walk on them and play in the water without actually having to get real wet.

April can’t figure out why we don’t like to get wet.  Other fire-bellied newts seem to like to swim around, but she never sees us just swimming around the tank.  Perhaps it is because she makes it so nice and easy to stay out of the water by giving us lots of rocks, etc.  It could be those other fire-bellied newts are kinda forced to swim that much if they don’t have enough land area to bask on.

She got a good video of Randal 2 eating a waxworm the other day and wanted to put it on the blog.  That is why Greenie and Brownie let us write the blog today.

Which reminds us of the newbie in our digs – Limey – the fire-bellied toad April brought home on Sunday.

April thinks he or she is so cute.  We think it is a pain.  As mentioned in previous blogs we don’t move very often or very fast and every time we moved Limey jumped at us the first two days he was here.  He even had the gall to try to bite Randal 2’s tail when he moved it!  Like Randal 2’s tail looks like a cricket.  Not!

And, he was so embarrassing to be by when that cricket hopped on his head and he didn’t even know it.  He looked like a frog with a crown on his head.

The worst part about Limey is he is so inconsiderate.  He jumps on us and then just sits there.  Thankfully April got some good pictures of him doing all these stupid things.  She made a video of him also and maybe he will watch it and get a clue that he is a pain.

Have fun watching our video.

Kind Regards,

Randal 1 and Randal 2

  Randal 1 and 2

There’s a Newbie in the House!

Hi,

April went to the pet store Sunday to purchase bird food, crickets, salt for the aquarium and a couple fish.  That is always a dangerous thing around here.  Sending April to the pet store for a few items.

She came back with bird food, crickets, a couple fish and a new fire-bellied toad called Limey.

She says she couldn’t resist it because Limey is bright lime green–a different color from both Greenie and Brownie.  Well, we hope she doesn’t find any other “different” colored toads or we’ll be too crowded.  Three fire-bellied toads and two fire-bellied newts are just about the limit for our 30 gallon tank.

She also bought a female guppy for the male guppy.  Ever since his female died he has been chasing the neon tetras around.  He is very aggressive about it.  And, we have two more neon tetras to watch swim around.  They seem to be the most hardy fish so far to live with us and our toxins.  None of the original neon tetras that were in the tank when we came have died.  There were a lot of baby guppies for awhile, but now there are only about 4 or 5.  April doesn’t know if they died because of our toxins, were eaten by the other fish or if we ate them and no one is telling.  Mums the word when it comes to who ate what fish–if you know what we mean.

Anyway, below are some pictures of the newbie.  You can decide for yourself if he is that cute.  April isn’t sure whether it is a boy or a girl.  We know, but again, we aren’t talking.  She will just have to wait and see if he starts barking for Brownie or if Greenie starts barking for her.

Check out the videos.  There is a new one that stars Limey.

 Kind Regards,

Greenie, Brownie and the newbie – Limey

  Greenie

   Brownie

  and Limey

  Okay, granted Limey is a nice color.

  But it is stalking Brownie!  Doesn’t it know the difference between a toad and a cricket?

  Obviously not, since it wears a cricket for a hat!

  Did we mention how clumsy it is?

  And, what a show off.  Yes, we see your red-belly.

Fire-Bellied Toad Fun Facts

 

FIRE-BELLIED TOAD FUN FACTS

Fire-bellied toad eggs hatch in about seven days, and tadpoles metamorphose within 45 days of hatching.

Fire-bellied toads have glands that secrete toxins which make them very untasteful to their preditors and even poisonous.  These glands are on their back and often can be seen as a lighter color than the rest of the toads skin.

Here is Brownie and Limey showing off their toxin glands.

         

To restore the bright color in a toad’s fire-belly that has faded you can feed your crickets baby carrots chopped up.  The orange color passes through the crickets to the toad and helps maintain a bright reddish-orange belly.  You should use organic carrots to avoid any pesticides passing through to the toad and making it sick or worse.

Male fire-bellied toads have nuptial pads, enlarged bumps on their first and second fingers.  These nuptial pads help aquatic frogs hold on to females during breeding. 

There are two genera of fire-bellied toads — Barbourula and Bombina.  We are in the genera Bombina.  We are sometimes called oriental fire-bellied toads and are found in China, Russia, Korea and the Tsushima and Kyushu islands of Japan.  There are other genera of Bombina that look similar to us found in Europe, the Philippines and Borneo.

Fire-bellied toads have heart-shaped pupils. 

Releasing fire-bellied toads or any other non-native wildlife into the wild poses a very serious threat to the native wildlife population.  One should never release a fire-bellied toad into the wild.  Find a proper home for your fire-bellied toad if you no longer can care for it.  Many pet stores like Petco will take it in and find a good home for it.

When a fire-bellied toad senses danger it arches its body, flashing the brilliant warning spots on its belly.  This reaction is called the unkenreflex and is derived from the German name for fire-bellied toads (unken).

Adult fire-bellied toads reach a length of 1.5 to 2.5 inches long.  They weight approximately 1-2 ounces.

         Fire-bellied toads (and fire-bellied newts) love to cuddle together.  Sometimes they even make a hog pile.   

  Fire-Bellied Toads come in a variety of colors.  Here we have Limey (lime green), Brownie (brownish) and Greenie (dark green).  Their color will vary during the day also.  Greenie will be almost as brown as Brownie sometimes and then later he may be a bright green almost as green as Limey.

Fire-bellied toads can be found in parts of China, Eastern Russia and Korea living in mountain lakes and ponds from 5,300 to 10,000 feet above sea level.

  Greenie is definitely a male.

Males usually have rougher backs and their forearms are thicker than the females. They almost look identical except during the breeding season, when males have black horny nuptial pads on their fingers and forearms.  The best way to tell which toads are male is to observe them.  Whenever a toad tries to jump on the back of another toad and use its arms to grasp it, it’s definitely a male.  

 Male fire-bellied toads make a barking noise when they want to mate.  Here is Greenie barking for Brownie. 

Fired-bellied toads shed their skin.  They rip it off with their mouth and eat it as it sheds.

Fire-bellied toads are EXOTHERMIC AMPHIBIANS.  This means they are cold-blooded (exothermic) and they live both in water and on land (amphibians).

Fire-bellied toads do NOT cause warts.  Warts are caused by human viruses, not toads.  They do have glands which secrete toxins.  This can cause skin irritations and may be poisonous to some animals.  Do NOT handle your fire-bellied toads unless you absolutely have to and after touching them wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Check out our videos

Randal2 and Limey taking showers. 

Fluffy eating a mouse.

 Morning with Brownie.

 Feeding time for the fish.

The best cricket hunt ever! 

Limey, the newbie!

Home Sweet Home!  

  

Our Family Album Newts Rule!  

  

Poor Greenie.  He really loves Brownie and she ignores him.  

Watch the hunting machines.  Just like lions stalking their prey. 

Can fire-bellied toads be left alone for 5 days?

Hi,

We couldn’t write for a while because our typist, April, was too busy.

She wasn’t too busy to take a vacation and visit her grandchildren . . .

Anyway, she left us for 5 days alone!  She put all the live crickets from the cricket keeper into our house and just left.  There were about 6 of those crickets and after we ate them we didn’t have anything to eat.  But, when she got back we were still fat (according to her observation) and we weren’t even that hungry.

So now she thinks she can take that next vacation to Hawaii without us.  She says that will be 10 days.  But, perhaps since we will be living in Kemmerer by then our neighbor can stop by after 5 days and feed us again before April returns.

Another bit of news is that we got our tank cleaned and rearranged again.  Here is our new tank set up.

We have lots of water and places to hide submerged or partially submerged.  We also have long plants in the back to hide in (these are fake plants, but April doesn’t think we know the difference).  And we have rocks to sit on and to hide under.  And, our favorite is the waterfall in the back.  April says it is just the way the filter works, but we like to believe it is our own rainforest waterfall to play in.

We need lots of water in our house because we have fish living with us.  The water dilutes our toxins and keeps the fish from keeling over.  Since the fire-bellied newts also live in here that is four of us giving out toxins in the water.

 It has been about 2 months and the fish are doing fine so we figure there must be enough water in the tank to dilute our toxins.  We have neon tetras, guppies (lots of guppies) and some bottom feeders in the tank.

Those two guppies we started with have been having lots of babies.  Since April set the tank up with great hiding places for us and the newts the baby guppies have been taking advantage of those same hiding places which gives them time to grow up and avoid being eaten by the larger fish.  Pretty soon the larger ones are going to be shipped out to April’s friend’s house to live with his turtles.  We have the idea they might not “live” to long there.  We heard turtles like to eat guppies.  So far, April hasn’t seen us eat any fish, but she heard we might eat guppies also.  Another reason why she thinks she can leave us alone for 10 days since there are plenty of guppies in here to eat if we wish.

We also researched how to keep wax worms alive longer.  The ones April has been buying at Petco are either dead already or die within a few days.  This time she bought ones at Pet Smart but they were already in the store for a week and didn’t look so good.  So, like she always does, April decided to find a way to feed them and keep them alive for as long as possible.  We will have this information on another blog later.

Well, the rest of this blog will mostly be pictures of us.  April made us pose for portraits and she seems to think we are darn cute.  Oh, yeah, there are some of the newts also.

  The grass (or water) is always greenier on the other side.

  Sometimes I hang out this way.

  Sometimes I hang out that way.

  Brownie says I have bedroom eyes.

  Let me out of here!  He does NOT have bedroom eyes.

  But, I can understand why he has such a hard time staying away from me.

  You can make it.

  Stacked newts.

Hope you liked the pics.

Kind Regards,

Brownie and Greenie

  Brownie

  Greenie

Newts Rule!

Hi,

Greenie and Brownie turned the blog over to us today.

We are Randall1 and Randall2 the fire-bellied newts that live here.  Named after the very famous actor Randall in Monsters, Inc.

This is a great place to live.  We have lots of “land” space and lots of “water” space.  Also, there are some wonderful places to hide.

The food is great.  If we act like we aren’t eating we even get fed wax-worms by hand.  Now that is room service!  And, there is plenty of other food we love like brine shrimp and crickets.

Mostly we either sit under an overhanging rock or out in the open on a rock where the light from above warms us while we stare out into the water.

We are good friends with Brownie and Greenie the fire-bellied toads that live with us.  We often just hang around with them.

There are a lot of fish in our realm which we watch all day.  Just staring down into the water.  The male and female guppy had babies which are very tiny right now and catch our eye often.  The neon tetras don’t come close to the surface of the water but if we concentrate hard we can see them way down there.  They are very pretty to watch.  Then those pesky striped fish which started out as three and has now dwindled down to one are interesting to watch because they swim so fast.

April complains because we don’t move much.  So, the other day we thought we would show her and she actually got footage of Randall2 moving.  Not real fast, but moving.

Randall1 is the quiet one and she hardly ever moves when people are watching. 

Randall2 will move but seems to think very hard before he even moves his head.  He makes every movement precise and deliberate.  It reminds April and Tony of the chameleons they saw at the pet store one day.  Even when Randall2 blinks his eyes it seems like slow motion.

But, when we get in the water we move like lightening!

Here is a great video of us “moving.”

Kind Regards,

Randall1 & Randall2