Anoles? Firebellies?

momar

momar

Born too late
Jan 6, 2006
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I posted a while ago that I am going to set up a 29 gal (30x12x18) vivarium, with a 3 gal (12x8x8) water portion. the substrate will be around 8" immediately around the water but will slope down to 2-3" or so. ATM I have 3 Firebelly toads in an 18x10x10 tank (1/2 water, 1/2 land), and I wanted to move them to a larger tank which I could landscape better.

I have ordered the 29gal, as I have read that fbts could be kept with other herps like anoles. However, other people say this isn't a good idea due to the poison of the toads and also because in many cases the toads have tried to eat tankmates (mainly newts). Many of these accounts seemed to show lack of prior research though, eg putting animals in with different care requirments. As far as I can see, the poison shouldn't be a problem in a tank this size with only 3 fbts, unless something tries to eat them.

So, what i'm asking is for any experience you might have of community vivariums with toads, and whether I could keep anything else ith them. I'm just thinking cos the tank is so high it would be good to have some sort of tree-dwelling species like anoles (I would only stock it to a low density (max. 6 - 8 animals). If not, what sort of animals could I keep in there if I kept the toads in their current tank? (only diurnal species rather than nocturnal if possible)

Thanks,
momar
 
I would avoid putting anything other that fire-belly newts in with your FBT...that's just my personal experience...I tend not to mix species in case there's a parasite or disease that one is immune to, while the other is not. I think the "poison" secreted from the FBT would taint the water in some way. No matter how dilute, I'd just not be willing to take that chance personally...
On the other hand, a 29 gallon tank can hold plenty of other creatures...

Several species good for a 29 gallon:
Anoles are fun, but if you get too many males, and they don't have the space to set up their own "turf" they will fight. It's not major carnage, but they can draw blood. I think 3-4 in that large of a tank would be doable. You could do a tank of non-aggressive females (or 3 females and 1 male). Females are smaller and more petite...They are definately diurnal and aboreal. Give them plenty of branches to stretch out on.

Gray and Green tree frogs can go in a tank together, in any combination. They are essentially the same animal, just different colouring. One is a brilliant green, and one looks like lichens or moss. LOTS of climbing branches for these guys...Once again, 3-4 individuals.

House geckos- I have seen these in with green treefrogs with no apparent ill effects. I would only do one if it's going to be in with something else...2 green/gray tree frogs and a gecko would be a good combo.
FAQ: http://exoticpets.about.com/od/geckos/p/housegeckos.htm

Here's some more that I know of but won't bore you with details:
Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
White's Treefrogs
Tokay gecko- good for a single showcase animal in that tank. Caution: will bite the hand that feeds them.


Make sure your humididty is high enough for the treefrogs. Buy a temperature/humidity measuring device sometimes called a "hygrometer", it's well worth the money.

The main advice I would give is to go with a lesser number of animals and give each individual more room. Herps are prone to stress just like fish, and less crowded conditions can ease their anxiety.
 
Back in the day, i had a 150 gallon tall aquarium with 5 red bellies, a couple kuhlis, and about 4 anoles. None of the anoles died, but im guessing that was because the tank was big and they were less stressed out.

bigger tanks=less stress= no poison
 
Yeah, basically you have to consider that since your Firebellies are going to be spending a good deal of time in the water, it stands to reason that if you keep another species with them, at some point they're going to come down to the water and satisfy their needs. That's the problem with firebellies and other species. If firebellies didn't need free standing water, then it'd be a different story.

I've seen anoles, tree frogs, walking frogs, and dart frogs successfully habit the same enclosure through the use of an automatic fogger. Of course in this set up, you'd also need a fair amount of space...
 
So if I got a fogger, it would provide enough moisture for lizards etc without them having to drink from the main water area? I have seen that some lizards like to drink from droplets on leaves anyway.
 
Guys? How about sixlined grass lizards? Is there anything reasonably 'large' that could be kept in there?
 
momar said:
So if I got a fogger, it would provide enough moisture for lizards etc without them having to drink from the main water area? I have seen that some lizards like to drink from droplets on leaves anyway.
Click to expand...

Anoles actually prefer this way to drink. They will lap "dew" from the leaves as opposed to drinking from a dish.

I don't know anything about the grass lizards...never had one. What have you learned about them??
 
Grass lizards get to about 12", but most of this is tail (the body and head together are only about 2.5"). they are active and diurnal, and should be kept at 25-30C. Mainly ground dwelling but climb around in tall grass and low level plants.
 
I'm now thinking I probably don't want to risk FBTs with lizards. So maybe a small 'community' setup in the 29gal? Maybe some grass lizards and a red-sided skink? (or something similar)
 
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