How to Build a Small Cage for a Frog

Several frog species can be kept healthily in small enclosures. A 10- to 20-gallon aquarium with a secure top provides a safe environment for keeping frogs in your home. While the specific environmental conditions required varies greatly by species, most pet frogs will thrive when provided with basic materials in the aquarium including a water bowl, plants, branches to climb on and a suitable substrate to hide in. Building a small cage for a frog is a simple process.

Things You'll Need

  • Bleach
  • 5-gallon bucket
  • Washing cloth
  • 10- to 20-gallon aquarium
  • Sphagnum moss
  • Small water bowl
  • Driftwood
  • Water bottle
  • UVB reptile light
  • Heat lamp
  • Thermometer
  • Hydrometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add 1 part bleach to 9 parts water in a large bucket to create a mild disinfectant solution.

    • 2

      Sterilize the cage and the cage materials by soaking a cloth in the bleach solution and thoroughly washing all surfaces of the aquarium. Place all of the cage materials in the bucket with the bleach solution and allow to soak for 30 to 60 minutes.

    • 3

      Rinse the cage and the materials thoroughly with water to remove the bleach solution. Allow to dry.

    • 4

      Soak sphagnum moss with fresh water and squeeze the moss to remove excess water before placing it in the aquarium. Ensure that the moss covers the entire base of the aquarium and press the moss gently to the floor with the palm of your hand to create a firm surface. Sphagnum moss helps maintain high humidity levels in the cage and is easy to spot clean.

    • 5

      Remove the moss from one corner of the aquarium and place a small bowl of water in the cage. Pack the moss around the water bowl to fill any gaps. Use a shallow water bowl that the frog you plan to keep can climb in and out of easily. Even though most frogs can swim, captive frogs can drown in deep water bowls if they are unable to climb out easily.

    • 6

      Place pieces of driftwood in the cage and ensure that they are positioned in such a way that they will not shift and fall when the frog is climbing.

    • 7

      Mist the cage thoroughly and place the thermometer and hydrometer in the cage.

    • 8

      Place the top over the aquarium and turn on the UVB reptile light. Frogs require special ultraviolet light in order to metabolize vitamins and calcium properly when kept indoors.

    • 9

      Turn on the heat lamp and position it over the cage so that there is a basking location on a portion of driftwood. Frogs are exothermic animals and require an external heat source, such as a heat lamp, in order to warm their bodies and effectively digest their food in captivity. The specific temperature range of the basking site and enclosure will vary by species, but most frogs require ambient temperatures in the upper 70s with their basking site between 80 and 90 degrees.

    • 10

      Monitor the thermometer and hydrometer to ensure, before introducing the frog to its new home, that the environmental conditions of your cage are stable and in the required range for the species of frog that you want to keep.