New Tank advice

OK so we got a rehomed possibly 18 month to two year old dragon a few weeks ago. We’ve been introducing him to each other and getting him used to us. He still unsure but he doesn’t mind eating that Berry from any of our hands. He’s very curious, alert, and now that I have a proper light over him much more willing to roam around his enclosure.

Unfortunately we only have a 40 gallon for him, and he’s quite large. I’ve noticed that to get his basking spot up to temperature there’s not really a cooler spot for him to go to except for his actual food dish. That’s the furthest away from his basking area.

I did find a used 75 gallon tank that I will be putting him in. Given his nature to not like new things, he seems a little unsure and not very dominant. I want to make his transition quite easy. Is there any advice you could give and/or tips or tricks to make his transition from one cage that he’s known his entire life, to the larger almost double the size the enclosure?

As well I have cleaned it out with soap and water, but it’s not watertight so I have to do it in small increments. Then I went through with a bottle of stuff/reptile cage cleaner that I got. After I washed that out and then went back through with basic alcohol because I don’t know what happened to the other beardie that was kept in the tank. The biggest issue I have with the tank is some of the silicone seal on the inside is fraying/peeling and I’ve been trying to cut it off with a sharp knife so that there’s not pieces everywhere. As for disinfecting the tank really well other than soap water and alcohol is there another suggestion? It’s quite heavy and I’m afraid to use bleach as it’s not water right and it is just on my carpet atm.

Hello,

Do you have pictures of the tank we could see, that might help out.
For cleaning, you can use a steamer if you don't want to use a bleach & water solution.
Or, a strong vinegar & water mixture is great for disinfecting it also.
Just to double check, he is housed in his own enclosure alone, correct? A 40 gallon is not
too bad but if you get the 75 he would probably feel a lot more comfortable in that sized tank.
When changing them to a new tank, try to make it duplicate of your older tank. Just try to place
everything thereabouts in the same general vicinity as it was. He will most likely go through a
little bit of anxiety though, going to his new home.
If his tank decor has his scent on it, that will definitely help out.

Tracie

Try to relax. Every dragon is different (EDID). He may go through a period (usually 1-3 days) of relocation stress, or he may not (unless you look for something). Sometimes we stress more than they do.

My advice is not to make a big deal out of it; animals pick up on our stress (or lack thereof), whether by scent, body language, or ooga-booga (i.e. whatever...) and if you want to rearrange things/make improvements, again, EDID. Change is change.

Bottom line, he'll be fine; they're tough little guys, and he'll love the additional space. Who doesn't like getting a bigger room/apartment/house?

Drache613":2t97liph said:

Hello,

Do you have pictures of the tank we could see, that might help out.
For cleaning, you can use a steamer if you don't want to use a bleach & water solution.
Or, a strong vinegar & water mixture is great for disinfecting it also.
Just to double check, he is housed in his own enclosure alone, correct? A 40 gallon is not
too bad but if you get the 75 he would probably feel a lot more comfortable in that sized tank.
When changing them to a new tank, try to make it duplicate of your older tank. Just try to place
everything thereabouts in the same general vicinity as it was. He will most likely go through a
little bit of anxiety though, going to his new home.
If his tank decor has his scent on it, that will definitely help out.

Tracie

Click to expand...

Hi Tracie! Another Tracie here,LoL. I go by Trai mostly tho.

Here is what he’s going to, it’s 4’x 18” x 21”. Not as deep as I’d like but it is what I could afford with buying all new lighting. My DD offered to help measure.

He’s by himself - just him. Here is his current set up. Lights should be here Friday and Monday.

Drache613":30ixhotn said:

Hello,

Do you have pictures of the tank we could see, that might help out.
For cleaning, you can use a steamer if you don't want to use a bleach & water solution.
Or, a strong vinegar & water mixture is great for disinfecting it also.
Just to double check, he is housed in his own enclosure alone, correct? A 40 gallon is not
too bad but if you get the 75 he would probably feel a lot more comfortable in that sized tank.
When changing them to a new tank, try to make it duplicate of your older tank. Just try to place
everything thereabouts in the same general vicinity as it was. He will most likely go through a
little bit of anxiety though, going to his new home.
If his tank decor has his scent on it, that will definitely help out.

Tracie

Click to expand...

Hi Tracie! Another Tracie here,LoL. I go by Trai mostly tho.

Here is what he’s going to, it’s 4’x 18” x 21”. Not as deep as I’d like but it is what I could afford with buying all new lighting. My DD offered to help measure.
https://ibb.co/GWctzvc
He’s by himself - just him. Here is his current set up. Lights should be here Friday and Monday.


https://ibb.co/VNWxgLP

MrSpectrum":ympecue5 said:

Bottom line, he'll be fine; they're tough little guys, and he'll love the additional space. Who doesn't like getting a bigger room/apartment/house?

Click to expand...

Lol yea true. I wouldn’t mind nearly doubling my current space and getting someone to clean my house every time I poop - just saying.

Here is the peeling like I was saying. The inside of the tank is 17”x47”

If it needs re-caulking, I'd use GE #1 silicone (NOT #2). The #1 stinks more on application, but once it's cured it's supposed to be beardie safe.

The only thing I've ever used for cleaning is Nature's Miracle for Stinky Dragons. If you need something stronger, I'd go to a veterinary disinfectant like F10, et al.