Tha art of owning pets in a no-pets-allowed apartment

Dave and I have really been wanting to get a dog. So, naturally, we got a toad instead.

Our apartment complex, lovely as it is, absolutely does not allow pets of the furry variety (or most varieties, really). We were told upon moving in that fish were okay, which was good since we already had some. No one counts fish as pets, right? Well, we have been fishless for a long time now, and lately the urge to own a pet has been too much to eschew any longer. When we were casually strolling through Petsmart one day, we saw just what we wanted: Fire Bellied Toads. I did a ton of research on the little fellows and we found that they would be a great pet for us--they can live in a fish tank with a land and water source, so the management shouldn't have a cow that we are keeping them ("Oh, that? It's just a fish tank...").

When the idea to get a toad came to us a couple weeks ago, I began a new venture: creating the perfect semi-aquatic vivarium for them to live in. I have been loving this project! The possibilities are endless when it comes to setup, and I have been inspired to try many things with it. Our first attempt failed. We wanted to install a glass divider in the tank with sealant, but every time we tested it there were holes. It proved impossible to patch them all, so we scrapped that idea.

After a little more trial and error, I was happy with the tank that i had been working on for nearly 2 weeks. It was time to add toads! We dropped by Petsmart the other night (since their toads look better by far than those at any other pet store) and brought one home, along with 4 crickets to feed to him over the next few days (the live food part was the most off-setting thing about getting an amphibian, but I'm getting used to the idea now).

So, without further ado...my masterpiece! (and a toad):

(the final set-up.)

(our amphibious friend.)

(check out the red belly on this guy!)

Someday we'll get a dog, but until then...