fire belly toads

Question
hi i have two fire belly toads and last month they starting making squeeking sounds and they was in the water on top of each other and they keep doing it they both got very fat and there bellys droped down i didnt know if they was carrying eggs but they both lost it now the other one is really fat again and the other one is fine.

Answer
Hi Mason,

It is not unusual for fire belly toads to be seen mating in captivity without any eggs being produced. There are a few possible reasons. Obviously, you have to be quite sure that you have a male and female. It sounds like you definitely have one male but the second frog could  be male as well. In breeding season, male fire bellys will attempt to breed with almost anything, including your finger, plants and other male frogs!

If you do have a male and female it might be that one or both is not quite mature enough to reproduce.
They tend to breed better if they have gone through a cool period through the winter. Being warmed up in spring triggers them to produce eggs and sperm.

The females develop eggs before the male mates with them. The eggs are not fertilized inside the female as happens with birds and mammals. Fertilization occurs after the eggs leave the female's body. When the male grabs the female around the waist that prompts her to discharge her eggs which the male then covers with sperm.