Frogs?

[sparkyisnumber1]

Hey I know this is a guinea pig website. But I am so lost with frogs. I thought piggies were hard. Man I was wrong! Do you how long you have to de-chlorinate the water before I can put it in my tank? If you do I would be most grateful for any information on this. Thanks a lot!

[katiecavyNC]

If you set out tap water for at least 24 hours, in an open container, that will de-chlorinate the water and also get it nicely to room temp.

There are also chemicals you can buy that de-chlorinate the water immediately - look in the fish supply aisle.

If you are on well water, then you don't have to worry about chlorine, but it is still a good idea to let the water sit to get it to room temp before using it.

Hope this helps.

[sparkyisnumber1]

Okay. Thanks. I have had the water sitting since this morning so by tomorrow morning everything should be good to go.

[VoodooJoint]

You should still use a water conditioner in the water. Standing/aging will remove most chlorine but it does not remove the heavy metals. Heavy Metals in the water can kill. Use a water conditioner that not only removes chlorine but also metals.

[sparkyisnumber1]

I have used the water conditioners already. I just had the water sitting out all day and night for extra protection for the guys. Dont want them to die because I was not prepared. And I Have done tons or reasearch they should have the best possible life. Thank you for the tip.

[Suisan]

Chloramine does NOT dissipate with just standing. You must remove chloramine with water conditioners, and more and more municipalities are using chloramine rather than straight chlorine in the tap water.

Depending on the frogs you have, you may have to monitor the pH of the water too. Our tap water is fairly basic, which not all frogs appreciate.

Good luck with them.

[VoodooJoint]

Good catch Suisan. I forgot all about chloramine.

[aqh88]

Water conditioners work instantly. You don't have to leave it sit. I'd stir it around a little but that's all you'd have to do for chloramine and heavy metals. Leaving it 24hours does no good since most places use chloramine now instead of chlorine. However some water is high in co2 and will need to be left to degas preferably with an airstone before use. It's not a problem in most locations but I've seen it frequently enough that I'd grab an aquarium ph test($5 or less) and test the water out of tap and then some water that's been sitting for at least 12hours. If there's much difference you should aerate your water before use and if it stays the same you are safe. My wellwater goes from 6.8ph to 8.2 ph after sitting with an airstone. Huge difference. The co2 concentration is so high straight from the faucet that the fish suffocate if I don't run an airstone on it for a few hours first.

[sparkyisnumber1]

Well we got them and all is well. They are both fire-bellied toads. They love thier new home and have been swimming and jumping all over the place. The one has a green back with her bright colored tummy the other is darker on top and is bigger than the green one. I think I may have got a male and female, not sure thou. How can you tell? The people at the shop couldnt tell me anything.If you guys know I would like to learn if I will soon have a tank full of these cute guys.

[RayFay]

I have a fire bellied toad and I love him! I use spring water in his tank and I usually let it sit out for a while. I think that males "chirp" or "bark" and the females don't make any sound but I'm not sure. I love watching my fire bellied toad and I also like to talk to him.

[sparkyisnumber1]

Well they both made it through the night so I'm happy. I havent heard anything come out of them, so I guess twey have no complaints about the tank. So I kind of want to have both male and female so I can have tadpoles and raise them from there. I think that would be really cool. And believd me all i have been doing is talking to these guys, just so they can get used to my voice. How often do you feed yours?

[VoodooJoint]

If they breed what are you planning on doing with all of the tadpoles/toadlets?

In all honesty I thought you already had the frogs or got them dumped on you somehow. I had no idea I was helping you to go out and buy animals. If I had I would have had a lot more to say on the subject.

Reptiles and Amphibians are not pets. They are wild animals. They are difficult to care for (despite the reputation of FBTs being good for beginners) and are not something you should have jumped into. It's one thing to find a couple you rescued and need to learn about their care fast and as-you-go. It is quite another to rush into buying animals, especially ones that require specialized care, without being properly prepared and educated.

Your one stop reptile community - Fire Belly Toad Care Sheet
The Reptile Rooms :: Bearded Dragons, other Lizards, Snakes, Turtles and more!
Amphibiancare.com >> Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis) Care

[sparkyisnumber1]

Well i didnt just jump into it. I have done a lot of research i just like to double check everything. Do you own any of these guys? If not you shouldnt be all bossy about it. I am a great pet owner and take care of the animals I have. If they do breed I wil keep them, raise and give them the best life the could ever have.

[VoodooJoint]

I certainly hope you have the room and money for up to 100 more toads if you allow them to breed.

I don't have to own them to understand that people often buy exotics on impulse without doing proper research. If you had done proper research you wouldn't have had to ask people on a Guinea Pig forum about dechlorinating water.

I have rescued enough exotics, including many reptiles and amphibians, to understand the novelty aspect of most of the purchases, the disasters that happen when an owner does not fully research and the predicaments they get into when they decide that breeding for the sole purpose of creating more animals.

Let me point out that this site is RESCUE oriented. We do not support the breeding of animals nor the buying of most animals. I also know that the owner of the site agrees with my stance that wild animals, like reptiles and amphibians, do not belong in pet homes most of the time.

[sparkyisnumber1]

Well I'm sorry you feel that way. Im sure people would be happy that I was double checking everything I read. If you have such a problem with people getting exotic pets then dont respond to the post. I didnt ask for your advice I was happy with everyone elses advice. You judge way to quick to give good advice.

[RayFay]

I find my little guy quite easy to take care of. Every couple days he gets 4-5 small crickets. Everyother week I change out his entire environment. I do usually use soap just very hot water and then I let it sit for a while. Of course I first take out the toad and put him in a small container.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by sparkyisnumber1

If you have such a problem with people getting exotic pets then dont respond to the post.

As a moderator I need to enforce the rules. That includes speaking up against issues of breeding and buying animals.

We also are not on a reptile/amphibian board. I wouldn't dream of going to one of those and telling them that I think they are wrong to own wild animals. You happen to be on a guinea pig board where I have made it quite clear on numerous occasions my feelings about keeping wild animals as pets.

Originally Posted by sparkyisnumber1

You judge way to quick to give good advice.

What bad advice did I give you? My advice was sound and I believe the links I provided about proper care are can also be trusted. I will not give you feeding advice though as I do not own FPTs myself or personally know enough about them to advise you on a subject like that.

[Suisan]

Originally Posted by sparkyisnumber1

If they do breed I wil keep them, raise and give them the best life the could ever have.

You're kidding right? Do you KNOW how many tadpoles you are looking at there? And how many tanks? And how many bacterial outbreaks due to cramped conditions?

On the other hand, amphibians are fairly difficult to raise in captivity without regard to proper humidity, temperature, pH, and brumation considerations, so you probably wont' get many surviving into adulthood.

There ARE a number of excellent reptile and Amphib forums on the web. The two that I frequent most are *very* moderated and their members tend to be quite impatient with new owners who neglect to read the care guides associated with those websites. Perhaps it's rude or unfair, but the experienced keepers do get really annoyed after a number of years trying to inform people about these animals who have fairly specific care guidelines and very little in the way of veterinary care available to them to combat the diseases which usually come about through poor husbandry.

I wish you luck with your fire bellies. There's a lot of material out there. Please try to research your animals' needs and listen to experienced keepers. Good luck.

[sparkyisnumber1]

Im pretty sure that I have read the pages of information from all over the web. I like to double check with other people who know and own them too. If thats a prolbem then i wont ask question any more I didnt know so many people have problems with people having toads as pets. If they do breed I will handle it. If worst comes to worst I will have to get out my 150 gallon tank I bought from a pet store that had to get rid of it. I have the room and money to provide them if it come to that. Believe me Im not going to just get rid of them if they breed. Im not a horrible pet owner.