Care and Raising of Oriental Firebellied Toads

The oriental firebellied toad, Bombina orientalis, has become one of the most popularly kept species of amphibian in herpetoculture today. These engaging little creatures are delightful additions to a home terrarium, adding a lively splash of color, energy, and sound. The more advanced keeper can experience the added delight of breeding new generations of firebellied toads and watching the young as they progress through the intriguing series of stages from egg to tadpole to adult. Although firebellied toads are ideally suited to captivity, the owner should take care to consider the unique needs and environmental requirements that these toads have. With proper attention paid to these needs, the keeper can look forward to years of facinating experiences with their toads; without the proper care, however, the project will be destined to be short-lived and the toads will experience an unfortunate end.

It comes as a surprise to many that such a commonly held group of toads are accompanied by such a dearth of information concerning their captive care and rearing. Many new owners are unprepared to properly care for their the needs of their new acquisitions, and as a result end up killing their toads through easily preventable mistakes. Caresheets and other literature on the living requirements of firebellied toads are quite lacking. Many care manuals concerning frog keeping are too wide in scope to pay proper attention to firebellies. The internet is an easy place to find information on topics of all kinds, firebellied toads included, but the reader must be discerning as to what sources he trusts. Much of the internet information on toads is either simplistic, incomplete, too difficult to find, or blatantly incorrect. Sadly, most pet stores are the prime source of incorrect advice for pet owners. Generally speaking, I advise people asking my advice to ignore anything they hear come out of the mouth of someone working at a petshop.

At this point, the reader may be wondering where good information on firebellied toads is to be found. This caresheet is meant to provide a solid foundation of knowledge on which the beginning keeper can enter into the hobby. After learning what is contained here, the reader can expand his research by visiting other owners' websites, joining email groups, visiting forums, and of course, by reading books published on the subject.

During research, be aware that common names (e.g. 'oriental firebellied toad') can sometimes be misleading. Scientific names (e.g. Bombina orientalis) are universally understood and are thus generally preferred. That said, in this caresheet, since I will usually be referring to B. orientalis, I will use the common name of firebellied toad. Be aware that in many places, especially the internet, the term 'firebellied toad' can also used to describe any toad within the genus Bombina. The alternate terms 'firebelly toad' and 'firebellies' are also common, as is the abbreviation 'FBT'.