Cleaning your frog's Terrarium

Cleaning your frog's terrarium is not always the most pleasant task but is necessary and well worth the effort (if you're looking for a healthy and happy frog!). In this article, you will find out what you need in order to clean a frog terrarium and what the necessary steps are.

In order to clean out the terrarium thoroughly, you will need to transfer the frog to another place that he can't get out of. Never ever use soap or any other kind of chemical (such as Windex or Lysol for example) when cleaning the frog terrarium.

Before you start cleaning, prepare a plastic cup with seran wrap over the top. If the frog is a small frog, you can use a small cup without a rubber band to secure the seran wrap. But if you own a larger frog that could plow through the seran wrap, you'll need something other than a plastic cup that he could knock over, such as a large styrofoam bowl (cover it with seran wrap and rubber band, too). Rinse your hands (if you wash them with soap, they could easily irritate your frog's skin) then gently, using the thumb, index finger and middle finger, pick up the frog and place him on the palm of your opposite hand. For large frogs, pick them up using all your fingers either in a scooping motion or a lifting motion. Place them gently in the container.

You can purchase a cleaning chemical from the ZooMed company called Wipe Out. You can use it in cleaning your terrarium by squirting everything (it acts as a deodorizer) but I don't recommend this because frogs absorb everything through their skin.

What you need to clean a frog terrarium:

• Cloth or paper towels
• Warm water

How to clean a frog terrarium:
After picking up your frog and gently placing him in the temporary container, remove all plants (live or plastic) and rinse them with hot water (room temperature if they are live). Run the cloth or paper towel over the leaves, roots, stems and anything else on the plants to remove any frog waste.

Remove all logs, stumps, water dishes, food dishes, bedding (if you are doing a thorough cleaning) etc. and throw out the bedding. Run the water dishes and food dishes under hot water and wipe with the cloth/paper towel. After a few years, logs and wood stumps will start to rot and turn moldy. You will need to replace them when this happens. To preserve your logs/wood stumps, run a damp cloth over them and set them in the sun to dry.

Once everything is removed from the terrarium, wipe out the bottom and sides with a damp cloth. Warm water loosens things up better, but cold will work fine, too. Dry with a paper towel immediately after wiping the inside of the terrarium.

Replace the bedding with new and set up your terrarium with all the plants, dishes, etc. again. Mist it lightly and add your frog back into his home. Then mist the frog.

Things to keep in mind:
The bedding you use in your frog's terrarium will rot and mold much faster the more you mist it. To prevent the bedding from rotting quickly, mist the terrarium only 3 times a day generously. If your frog still seems dry, mist him more often but more sparingly. Also, keep a heat lamp turned on during the day to help evaporate any excess moisture that can cause mold to grow. Turn the lamp off during the night, especially if your frog is nocturnal.