Fire Belly Toad tank Size Discussion

[Cricket1234]

I have been planning on going into keeping fire belly toads, as I had kept them in previous years, and realized people's opinion of things like diet and tank size has massively changed. One of the main things I noticed is that there are now people saying that they need 20 gallons or so, with 5 gallons more per additional frog.
In my opinion this is kind of overkill. Keep in mind that I would build my own tanks, so the 5 gallons that I would house my toads in had a larger footprint and were more lengthy and wide, while opposed to the standard ones that are higher with less floor space. Can you guys explain to me why exactly a 5 gallon is or isn't suitable? There was literally no behavioral or lifespan difference between those I kept in a 15 gallon than those that I kept in a 5.

[DJC Reptiles]

Originally Posted by Cricket1234

I have been planning on going into keeping fire belly toads, as I had kept them in previous years, and realized people's opinion of things like diet and tank size has massively changed. One of the main things I noticed is that there are now people saying that they need 20 gallons or so, with 5 gallons more per additional frog.
In my opinion this is kind of overkill. Keep in mind that I would build my own tanks, so the 5 gallons that I would house my toads in had a larger footprint and were more lengthy and wide, while opposed to the standard ones that are higher with less floor space. Can you guys explain to me why exactly a 5 gallon is or isn't suitable? There was literally no behavioral or lifespan difference between those I kept in a 15 gallon than those that I kept in a 5.

Fire belly toads seem to do better when kept in larger enclosures, this isn't to say that they won't do well in smaller ones, but most of the time, they will be happier. This species really likes to get out every once in awhile, and they have much more room in a 20 gallon then in a 5 gallon. Overall, it is up to the keeper, but you should always take into account the happiness of your animals. BTW, the 20 gallon I am pretty sure refers to more then groups of three, while the smaller size 10-15 is only good for less than that. An individual frog should be fine in a 5 gallon, though it might be hard to provide that semi-aquatic environment in a small space.

[Cricket1234]

Originally Posted by DJC Reptiles

Fire belly toads seem to do better when kept in larger enclosures, this isn't to say that they won't do well in smaller ones, but most of the time, they will be happier. This species really likes to get out every once in awhile, and they have much more room in a 20 gallon then in a 5 gallon. Overall, it is up to the keeper, but you should always take into account the happiness of your animals. BTW, the 20 gallon I am pretty sure refers to more then groups of three, while the smaller size 10-15 is only good for less than that. An individual frog should be fine in a 5 gallon, though it might be hard to provide that semi-aquatic environment in a small space.

Thanks. Upon measurement of the tank I realized that it has more floor space than the average 10 gallon becasue I custom built it, so that might be why I was successful in keeping these guys. You make some fair points.