Lamps, broken screens, and cats!

Hi!
We are new bear die owners and have a problem already: our cats are interested in Scorch and now our screen top is not proving to hold their weight. The lamps also just sit on the screen...my question is can we rig some sort of cover for the lamps to rest on that won't break the screen and possibly hurt our dragon? We bought the zoo med 20 gallon starter kit and I'm surprised that the lamps are just supposed to sit up there...

Advice!? Thanks!

There are lamp hangers available that will allow you to suspend the lights without leaving them on the cage, the cats would be my bigger worry. It will be hard to keep the cats out and still allow ventilation for your dragon. Can you place the dragons cage physically out of reach for the cats? It may even need to go in a room they don't have access to.

Your little one will quickly outgrow the 20g. There are plans to build your own or you can buy ready built enclosures with solid tops that would solve both the light and cat problems and give your baby the space they will need.

I hate to say it, but the starter kits are generally poorly outfitted. I'm not sure your plans for upgrades etc but i want to mention a few things... My apologies if you've already got plans/made adjustments. Check to make sure you have the proper components and if not, maybe you can return or exchange the kit. You want to have a long tube style UVB (zoomed is the reptisun 10.0) most kits come with compact bulbs that aren't so good for dragons. The thermometers in the kits are often unreliable and depending on the type and what you have already may need to be replaced. Finally, some kits come with "reptile sand" that shouldn't be used (or sold IMO)

Thank you! We have a UVB light and will be looking into an enclosure with a solid top! In the meantime doors stay closed :wink:

:lol: I'm laughing because my youngest cat (and biggest - 16 lbs!) climbed onto the screened top of Smaug's tank, and - yep- loosened all the screen up, pushed it in on one side, and I had to re-tighten it. A few times, I had the top off (the 1/2 that slides off to access the inside) and he jumped/fell into it. No one was hurt, so it was kinda funny. Eventually, he learned NOT to get on top of the container, and everyone was happy. My other cats (2 of them) don't bother with the tank.

IMO, there is no place that you can put the tank that's safe from cats, and you want Scorch to be near you, not hidden away. If we leave the house for an extended time period (more than an hour or two), we just close the door to my son's room as an extra safeguard. It also helps that the cats can watch her from the comfort of my son's bed, rather than on top of the tank and next to hot lamps; it gives them a safer alternative. Once the "newness" wears off, things should be a lot easier! But I *never* trust any of my cats alone with her while she's out of her tank!

My cat (who has never even looked at my lizard anyways) is only alowed in my room if I'm in there, otherwise I close the door. As for the lights on top, there's nothing wrong with that though they make holder (or you could DIY one).

I had the exact same problem. I built something to keep my cat off of the tank. I'm still monitoring how my beardie responds and such. But I got wood from the hardware store, measured the front and back (my tank has a slide top for the front) and I had them cut it. I put hinges on and drilled a bunch of holes. We'll see how it turns out!