Thefire-bellied toads are a group of six species of small frogs belonging to the genus Bombina. The name "fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly colored red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown. When confronted with a potential predator, these toads commonly engage in an Unkenreflex, "Unken-" being the combining form of "Unke", German for fire-bellied toad. In the Unkenreflex, the toad arches its back, raising its front and back legs to display the aposematic coloration of its ventral side.
The female of the species typically lays 80–300 eggs that can be found hanging off plant stems. The offspring develop in pools or puddles. Their metamorphosis is complete within a few weeks, peaking in July–August. The toadlets attain a length of 12–15 mm. The eggs, laid in August, metamorphose only after the winter, with the toadlets attaining a length of 3–5 cm. These toadlets still have white bellies. Tadpoles eat mainly algae and higher plants. The young toads and the adult toads consume insects, such as flies and beetles, shrimp and larvae; but also annelid worms and terrestrial
Several species in the genus Bombina, particularly B. orientalis, B bombina, and B. variegata, are commonly kept as common pets and are readily available in pet stores. In captivity, they are easily maintained in vivarium, and when provided with proper food and environmental conditions, often prove to be robust, flamboyant, and long-lived amphibians. Captive fire-bellied toads can live from 3-10years, some captive specimens have reached over 20 years. In captivity, they eat a wide variety of food, including crickets, moths, minnows, blood worms and pinkie mice, though some frogs cannot handle certain foods, due to their size. They can sometimes act very aggressively against each other, particularly males. They have a ferocious appetite. Due to this, its best to monitor their food intake to ensure they're not over eating. Fire-bellied toads breed extremely easily in captivity. Pet owners can expect to hear their mating calls largely starting in May and continuing to mid-August. Breeding will happen unprovoked by the owner. Younger females will have smaller clutches of around 60 to 80 eggs where older females can lay around 200. Fire-bellied toads bred in captivity will often have darker and less vibrant coloration having a more orange underside. Wild caught specimens tend to be brighter and have deeper red stomachs. Fire-bellied toads are easy to raise and handle in solitude. This makes them advantageous to study in various sciences.
