Fire belly toad stories
64Adding to what I said in "Fire bellied toads have personality," here are a few more things I might've forgotten.
These toads are Chinese. From what I've learned, they're Bombina Orientalis.
I'll note this: get these toads into a routine and you'll find them just about the same as a dog or cat. They'll be waiting for the routine to begin. For example, get them into a regular feeding schedule - freeze-dried or live food - and they'll look like they're expecting the food with an attitude of, "Hurry up, dumb human! I'm HUNGRY!" Get them into a regular tank cleaning schedule, and they stop arguing when you try to gently remove them from the tank. They instead give you an attitude of, "Okay, you're going to clean things, here I am."
For mine, those routines work very well as reminders since their tank is right behind my computer. When it's time for feeding, they come floating to the front of the tank. When it's time for cleaning, they sit patiently on the island.
They're sociable toads, too. Though I haven't managed to keep more than two successfully in a ten gallon tank. I've found that an undergravel filter cut down a few inches and seven gallons of water suit my pair just fine.
They love sunlight, too. I've been known to find my toads sitting on top of the filter cartridges in the water simply enjoying the sunlight.
Routines that make them like a dog or cat doesn't mean they should be completely treated like a dog or cat. Don't forget their belly means, "I'm pretty, therefore I'm YUCKY!" and they're slightly toxic. I find myself constantly washing my hands during the weekly cleaning of their tank.
On the other hand, with constant supervision, even a little kid will enjoy these toads. My nephew, at 2 1/2, with my direct supervision, gave the toads a cricket and happily watched them trying to eat the live insect which included delighted cries of "You MISSED!" as the toads hunted their food. His older sister was also allowed to give the toads a cricket. She wasn't quite as sure about it as he was, but still enjoyed watching the toads hunt.
For writers like myself: I've found these toads to be an incredible source of inspiration, believe it or not. For me, they've done two things: inspired one of my leading characters in my soon-to-come e-book and inspired their own private photo comic book. I flatly refuse to spoil either one here, you'll have to check out my site for the first and the second's not finished and therefore not posted. Don't worry, it might be posted soon, maybe.
