# Most cold tolerant bombina?



## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

Ok so I'm looking to house some fire bellied toads in my back garden in a cold frame next year when the weather starts to warm up and hopefully get some breeding going. I have heard this is a popular way of keeping them in the UK though im up in Scotland (Glasgow area) where summer can be pretty mild to say the least. Do you think it's worth trying and if so what species would work best?

Thanks.


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## Alex M (May 28, 2008)

BornSlippy said:


> Ok so I'm looking to house some fire bellied toads in my back garden in a cold frame next year when the weather starts to warm up and hopefully get some breeding going. I have heard this is a popular way of keeping them in the UK though im up in Scotland (Glasgow area) where summer can be pretty mild to say the least. Do you think it's worth trying and if so what species would work best?
> 
> Thanks.


I keep B.variegata, orientalis and bombina outside all year round. Given where you live, i personally would go for B.bombina, although the other 2 species would also do well in carefully constructed outdoor vivaria.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

My orientalis live outside too, although both Al and i live in a somewhat more mild climate


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

I'd be inclined to go for B bombina- I lived in Hungary for a while as a kid- typical Eastern European hot summers and freezing winters, with feet of snow. They thrived there.


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks guys. Do you know anywhere I could obtain b.bombina from? I don't see any on pollywog or exotic pets uk.

Thanks.


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

My lfs were pretty confident they could order me in b.bombina (they phoned the wholesaler when I was there) do you think this is possible or would you say the wholesaler probably will just send whatever type they have?

Also does anyone have pictures of outside FBT setups?

Thanks.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Sorry to be a bit of a party pooper,but I dont think that you will find Bombina bombina in the trade.Your reptile shop will be mistakenly supplying Bombina orientalis.
The only place that you will get B.bombina is from private breeders.


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

colinm said:


> Sorry to be a bit of a party pooper,but I dont think that you will find Bombina bombina in the trade.Your reptile shop will be mistakenly supplying Bombina orientalis.
> The only place that you will get B.bombina is from private breeders.


Yeah that's what I was thinking


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## Caleb (Oct 21, 2009)

I've kept B. orientalis and B. bombina, and I find orientalis to be just as hardy as B. bombina.

If you look at the climate for some of the places they live:
Seoul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nanjing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

they get colder winters than Glasgow:
Glasgow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My B. bombina did come from the trade, as there were some imports from Russia in the late 90s. I never bred them, and pretty much everyone else who had them failed too. In contrast, B. orientalis will spawn with pretty much every water change.


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## Alex M (May 28, 2008)

Caleb said:


> I've kept B. orientalis and B. bombina, and I find orientalis to be just as hardy as B. bombina.
> 
> If you look at the climate for some of the places they live:
> Seoul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> ...


Hello Caleb,

I totally agree regarding orientalis, so much hardier than what they're given credit - which i find bizarre given their natural range. I keep B.bombina aswell as variegata/orientalis - all do as well as each other outside and are all suitable. Do you still keep the maxima?

Hope you well, and are Peter D and yourself attending PRAS this Sunday?
Al
(YHC )


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## Bug_Juice (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah Korea is absolutely freezing in the winter but tropical in summer. I taught English there for a year or so and regularly passed rice paddies teeming with FBTs, which was cool. 

Our crappy Scottish summers and long drawn out springs would be more of a problem, but then you're gonna keep them in a cold-frame so they should be fine.


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## BornSlippy (Jan 11, 2010)

Cheers guys that's great I keep hearing conflicting reports about b.orientalis and im glad to hear some first hand experience. Do you know what I would need to keep them happy outdoors and maybe breed them. I was planning on a 50/50 land water setup in their enclosure and maybe adding a mini solar pump. I know I will still have to perform regular partial water changes.



Bug_Juice said:


> Yeah Korea is absolutely freezing in the winter but tropical in summer. I taught English there for a year or so and regularly passed rice paddies teeming with FBTs, which was cool.
> 
> Our crappy Scottish summers and long drawn out springs would be more of a problem, but then you're gonna keep them in a cold-frame so they should be fine.


That's cool and funny you should say that, me and the missus are looking into teaching in Korea in the next year or so. Would you reccomend it?


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## Caleb (Oct 21, 2009)

Alex M said:


> Hello Caleb,
> 
> Do you still keep the maxima?
> 
> ...


Hi Alex.

I won't be at PRAS, it's a bit of a trek from the NE... Haven't seen Peter D for a while, though I do hear from him occasionally. Yes, I do still keep maxima, they've done quite well this year. Some of this year's ones have been unusually green:











(This one has been discussed on caudata.org).

Back on the thread topic, B. maxima are pretty cold tolerant as well- mine have got down to 4C in the winter without any problems, and they'll spawn well into the autumn (I had a bit of spawn in the last week of september, at about 18C).


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