Fire belly Newts acting weird
-11/18/07
For a long time, I've had two fire bellies (Japanese). They have a knack for
stopping everything they are doing and they will just sit for a really long
time, until I just shake the aquarium to make sure they are alive. I am worried
it might be from a sickness or something and I wanted to verify that nothing was
wrong.
<For the love of all that is holy why are you shaking the vivarium? Newts, like
virtually all other amphibians, mostly do nothing for about 23.5 hours out of
every 24. They have a low metabolism and when not actively foraging for food or
engaging in breeding/social behaviour, they sit still. It's what they do. If you
want an active pet, get a dog and take long walks across the rolling hills.
Shaking the vivarium is only going to make the newts more stressed and less
likely to move about when they see you. By sitting still they hope that horrible
animal that hurts them and disrupts their world (i.e., you) won't notice them
and will GO AWAY!!! So please, sit down, read a book about amphibians, and
respect their biology. Once they've learned you're a source of food and not a
threat, they're more likely to move about when you're in the same room watching
them. Cheers, Neale.>
Tadpole Development –
08/11/07
I purchased Uncle Milton's Planet Frog and ordered 2 tadpoles. One of them
now has its back and front legs, but the other is not growing. Is there
something wrong or is it just a really slow grower?
<In nature tadpoles normally develop over a few weeks depending on the
temperature and available food supply. When all things are equal some normally
develop faster than others. If the pond dries out too quickly then ay least some
will survive and go on to reproduce. If there are predators waiting then the
first ones out will be eaten and allow the late bloomers to make it out safe and
sound. make sure the little guy is getting enough algae to eat just to make
sure.-Chuck>
Firebelly Toad Changing Color 3/21/07
Hello! I am writing to you because I have a firebelly toad in my
kindergarten classroom. I have two frogs in the tank, one of which was adopted
from our local petstore because he was born with only three legs. Normally his
color is green, but today we noticed that his coloring is much darker than usual
and the frog is not as active as usual. Could it just be an off day or could
something be wrong?? Thanks!!
< They do shed their external skin so this just could simply be a case of a toad
getting ready to shed. Just in case do a water change and clean the filter to
see if he perks up.-Chuck>
Fat Fire Bellied Toads 3/4/07
I have one female who has become large in the stomach region. Tank has
river rock and lots of live plants. She is active and likes to stay in the
shallow end of the water. Just recently, another female has begun to get large
but spends most of her time in the deep end. Their diet consists of small
crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and chopped up earthworms. Humidity is between
80 - 100 and water temperature ranges between 70 - 75 degrees. There is a total
of 9 fire-bellies in a 56 gallon tank. Can you tell me what is wrong with them?
Some people have said they are with eggs and others say bloat but have no idea
how to tell which is which. Like I said, both are very active and act
completely normal. Any help will be very much appreciated since I have been
researching this for quite a while and haven't found any answers. Thank you!
Nicole
< Keep track of where the food goes. If these two in particular are actively
eating prey then I am going to assume that they are healthy and may indeed be
pregnant. If they are not eating at all and still getting fat then it may be an
internal infection.-Chuck>
Frog Legs for Dinner? Hymenochirus beh., sys. 2/22/07
Thanks again, Pufferpunk.
<No problem>
I'll return Jet this weekend so he can mix with his own kind. Now I have a
question about the frogs, Slim and Chance. They used to be so cute every
evening, swimming and playing and crashing into things. But lately they've
become reclusive and sluggish. I really don't think I feed them too much but
they aren't as eager for their food anymore, which is those delicious Frog and
Tadpole Bites. I've given them frozen bloodworms a time or two, but not many at
a time. I shook them (gently) out of their hidey holes tonight so I could
photograph them to show you how normal they look. Do you think the light is too
much for them?
It's just your standard 150W bulb.
<Not if you plan on boiling them for dinner. Sounds like an awful lot of light
for that tank. I would think a 60wt bulb would be enough to warm up a 5g
tank. What's the temp in there?>
At one time I had some floating plants in there, and that diffused the light
some. But I took all the live plants out and replaced them with fake because
the live ones were rotting and stinking up the water. What do you think? Am I
just being a worrier
(a general tendency of mine)?
<Probably too hot for even the plants. Check the temp--should be around
76-80. ~PP>
