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Care Sheet: Yellow-bellied Toads (Bombina variegata sp.)

Common Name: Yellow-bellied Toad.

Scientific Name: Bombina variegata sp.

Distribution: Western Europe, Dalmatia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, southern Balkans, Italy.

Size: 3-5cm.

Sexing: The males of this species can be heard calling throughout the year, this is the most reliable way of sexing. The males also tend to have larger forelimbs and nuptial pads are visible on the thumbs however these pads are very difficult to spot.

Varieties: There are several sub-species of the Yellow-bellied Toad. The most wide spread of the sub-species is B. v. variegata, found across western Europe it has a black-brown dorsum with a yellow and black belly it is the largest sub-species and often attains a length of around 5cm. The one most commonly available to the hobbyist is B. v. kolombatovici, found in Dalmatia and grows to a length of 4cm. It has a green-grey dorsum with a light bluish-yellow belly. The smallest sub-species is B. v. scabra growing to only 3-4cm it is found in the southern Balkans, its back can vary from a dark green-grey to brown-black and has the highest proportion of black on its belly. The last of the species is B. pachypus, found in and around Italy it grows to 4.5cm and has a green – brown dorsum and a light yellow – orange belly with blue markings. In regions where the Yellow-bellied Toad shares its habitat with the European Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina bombina) crossbreeding is known to occur.

Bombina variegata variegata

Bombina pachypus

Bombina variegata kolombatovici

Requirements: These small colorful toads live best as a group, a 15-gallon tank would be adequate for a group of 6 adults. These toads can be housed in a woodland / marshland type set up with a substrate of bark chips, gravel and moss. Furnishings such as drift-wood cork bark, rock, pebbles and plants (live or otherwise) can be arranged to provide a number of hiding places. A number of large shallow water bowls must be provided with clean de-chlorinated or spring water. The water will need to be partially 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 not usually require additional heating as long as the temperature of the room does not drop bellow 15°C. A fluorescent UVB tube can be used as a source of light. Once every two-three weeks the tank and its contents should be completely cleaned and sterilised using an amphibian / reptile friendly disinfectant.

Feeding: For adults a mixture of suitably sized insects including crickets, mealworms, flies, waxworm, earthworm, caterpillars and moths should be fed every two-three days. A calcium and vitamin supplement should be used once a week. Young toads will take whiteworm, bloodworm, hatchling crickets, fruitflies and aphids, these should be fed every day and a calcium and vitamin supplement used two-three times a week.