Bumble bee toad

[MonkeyFrogMan28]

I am looking for care needs and info if anyone has any. I can't find much on them and I am hoping someone who has experience with them will chime in please. Thank You,

[jeffr]

I found this. Not much but a start. They seem like they are hardy


Common Name: Bumble Bee Walking Toad
Scientific Name: Melanophryniscus stelzneri
Adult Size: Males are aprox. 25mm and large females can reach 40mm in some cases.

These toads are an easy to care for species from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Hills and plains there are not tropical. They like to live by, though not in, running water. Always wash your hands before and after handling your pet frog.

Captive Enclosure:
When housing them, a good rule of thumb is to allow a minimum of 2.5 gal. of tank space for each toad with no tank smaller than a five gal. and no more than 10 toads per tank no matter the size. Use gravel, ground coconut husk or reptile bark for a substrate. Live or artificial plants are recommended as they improve the terrariums looks, and the toads seem to enjoy climbing up the plants. However they are not very skilled climbers and often fall out of them. Keep in mind that they are from a savanna-type area where they have grasses and small shrubs. Use a screened lid for proper ventilation.
Temperature:
These toads are rather tolerant of the temperature range. The ideal range seems to be between 75 and 80 degrees. Use an under tank heat pad for 24 hour heat. Always use a thermometer to ensure proper temperature range is maintained.
Water:
A bowl of clean, de-chlorinated water should always be available. Frogs do not drink water, they absorb it through their skin, therefore a water dish should be provided that is large enough for the animal to easily get in and out of. Maintain the humidity at 60-80% most of the time as they are less active and hide when it becomes much higher or lower.
Food:
These toads tend to be very hardy eaters. Feeding is no problem as long as plenty of small food items are maintained. Keep in mind that they eat a lot of food for their size. Pinhead crickets, fruit flies, termites, small harmless ant species, small silkworms, wax worms, and almost any other harmless insects of similar size are all acceptable food items.

[MonkeyFrogMan28]

Thank you, that was extremely helpful

[Label]

Something I found...

Scientific name: Melanophriniscus stelzneri.

Common English Name: Bumble Bee toad

Range: They come from southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina.

Habitat: Hills, plains. Lowlands to highlands. Not tropical. They like to live by, though not in, running water. I have also heard they live on the Pampas, which I think would be a grassier, cooler place than lower Brazil. According to the scientist in Argentina, they live in hills, 500 to 1000 meters above sea level.

I have some carpet like moss in my vivarium and they like to hang out on it. It is also, by the way, where water splashes from a little stream. At night, they crawl under some leaves or in holes in some branches. They seem to have no "home." They may be in a different place every night.

Temperature: Most people posting on the forum have recommended cooler temperatures than you would have for tropical frogs. 65 F to 75 F. However, some have suggested higher -- 70 F to 80 F.

In the words of the Argentinean researcher, "a spring temperature like (COULD BE BETWEEN 15 TO 27 C)" would be fine.

Humidity: Humidity recommendations have also varied. I have read anything from 60% to 80%. For what it is worth, mine seem very happy at 74 F with humidity ranging from 60% to 80%.

Food: They eat small items like fruitflies and flour beetle larvae. They will also eat pinhead crickets, though I have never seen them do it.

Sexing: No one seems to know how to sex them.

Breeding: I have not found anyone who has successfully bred them in captivity. There was a reference to someone on one of the forums, but I have not found that person. All of these frogs are wild caught.

According to the researcher in Argentina: Their reproductive time begins (in South America, Argentina) at mid of october (spring), when the rains are diurnal and very hard, and make temporary streams.

It was not clear from my correspondence whether the researcher in Argentina successfully bred them. It does appear that she got them to stay in amplexus in cascading water with a high oxygen concentration.

Call: They make little noises like a little chicken or bird -- or so I've been told.

Territorial: They seem to like each other and I would not hesitate to get more than one. I have seen no territorial behavior.

Toxicity: They are very poisonous in the wild and may be after imported. Like dart frogs, they lose their toxicity in captivity.

Activity: The best thing of all about these guys are that they are active and diurnal. They are always exploring, always noticeable, and not shy at all. Sometimes even at night they are walking around.

Swim: You will see differing views on whether they can be near water. Some say that being toads, they will drown. However, my vivarium has a pool of water. When I first brought the toads home, the toads purposefully jumped in the water. It was no accident. They swam around a few times and crawled out. They then jumped in again and did the same thing. They never went back in. The funny thing is when I bought another one, he did the same thing! From watching them I know they can swim. Just make sure they have a way out.

Hardy: Yes. Perhaps that is why there are differing views on what conditions to keep them in. Maybe they are just hardy enough to survive in a wide range of conditions. Mine seem very healthy.

Endangered?: Not quite. According to the IUCN, they are a "rare species.

[stemcellular]

http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/c...ingtoad01.html

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.cann/Mstelzneri.html

http://translate.google.com/translat...egenthaler.htm

http://www.caudata.org/forum/search....uery=stelzneri

And, if you want to hear their call:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.ca..._stelzneri.mp3

[InnoEcto]

But did not want to start another post with the same title.
I am trying to figure out what a fair price on these guys would be.
I guess I would just like to know the $ amount one would pay per toad.

[chuckpowell]

There is an article on breeding them in one of the old ADG Newsletters. Don't remember which one off hand but its there.

Best,

Chuck

[tikifrog]

BTW: If you know of a source to acquire some please let me know.

Thanks,

John

[JoshH]

Those guys have not been imported in quite some time to my knowledge. They were pretty common just a few years ago with prices quite low, maybe $25 or cheaper in some cases. Then they stopped coming in befor they ever became really popular. Very similar in habit to some Atelopus, only alot easier to keep.

[stemcellular]

Pretty widely available as of yesterday (I picked up 10/another DB member nabbed 20 or so). PM if you want info about sources.