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Care Sheet: Clown Toad (Melanophryniscus stelzneri)

Common Name: Bumble Bee Toad, Clown Toad, Pampus Toad, Red-bellied Toad.

Scientific Name: Melanophryniscus stelzneri

Distribution: Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and eastern Argentina.

Size: 2 - 4cm.

Sexing: The males of this species can be heard making a chirping call (rather like a small bird), this is the most reliable way of sexing.

Colouration: These small toads are marked with irregular yellow patches on a jet-black background. Red flash colours are present on the underside around the vent and limbs spreading to the fingertips

Requirements: These small colourful toads require a fairly small terrestrial enclosure. A 15-gallon tank would be adequate for 4-6 adults. They require a woodland / riverside type set-up with a substrate of bark chips, topsoil, and moss. Furnishings such as logs, cork bark, rock and sturdy leafed plants can be arranged to provide a number of climbing and hiding places. These toads are fond of moving water and so it is a good idea to use a waterfall or stream in the terrarium, this will also raise the humidity to the 70-80% required. Alternatively a small-medium sized water bowl (no deeper than the toads height at rest) must be provided with clean de-chlorinated or spring water. The water will need to be changed daily to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water whilst changing the water it is a good idea to visually inspect the tank and remove, clean and replace any soiled items. The tank will need to be heated to a daytime temperature of 25 - 26°C with a drop at night to 20-22°C this can be done with an under-tank heat-mat controlled by a thermostat. It is not advisable to use spot / heat lamps with amphibians and so a separate light source should be provided by the means of a fluorescent UVB tube. Once every two-three weeks the tank and its contents should be completely cleaned and sterilised using an amphibian / reptile friendly disinfectant.

Feeding: Juvenile Toads should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including whiteworm, springtails and fruitfly. The food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement two-three times a week. Adult Toads should be fed every other days with a mixture of fruitfly, small crickets, and mini-mealworm. The food items should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement once a week.

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