Moving and temporary tank

Hi all. We are moving and need to downsize Luckys tank for a month until the new house is ready. He is currently in a 100 gallon tank. We are cramped into a very small space and only have room for a 20 gal tank until the move. He is full grown and I would never put him full time in this size but will he be ok for a month? We have a gap between closings on houses and have to make it work. Thinking if we get lucky out of tank more and let him roam more it won’t be so bad???

...And you call him "Lucky"? (Sorry, it popped out at me )

20 gal (24"L x 12"D x 16"H) is really too small for an adult. Barely enough room to turn around.
Nobody (friend, family, rescue, volunteer) you can leave him with in the 100 gal.?
If you haven't yet, I'd ask around at rescues (not just reptile), vets offices, local reptile clubs, breeders, church, school science teachers... and anyplace else I could think of who/where you'd be comfortable finding a volunteer (though I'd offer to pay something). Even though you might not be comfortable leaving him with some of these, they're still contacts who may be able to suggest other options/solutions (I'm a big believer in networking :wink: )

Worst case, it's probably not going to kill him, but I'd expect a really stressed lizard with possible (lasting? :dontknow: ) behavioral issues.

I do feel for you, but I gotta think there's another way. Good Luck/Best Wishes

He should be fine especially if he gets more time out of the tank to roam. If you could do it every day that would be great as long as he has time to bask. Another option, if possible, how about setting up his lights outside of the tank and letting him free roam?

Hi there, I agree that 20 gal. is too small but there is another way to make a temp. set up for Lucky. Get a large storage tote at any Walmart , they have 50 gallon size, and just put in a some of his regular tank decor and rig your lights up over it. He can be taken out to roam around if the area is safe .

Great tip about the large tote. Question tho about the lights. How would I rig them up safely without melting the tote?

You can get a piece of wire fencing with 1/4 holes to fit over the top and set the lights on top. You have to use a little ingenuity to do it but it's not that difficult.

I have some wire I could use , I was just worried the heat lights potentially melting the plastic. Obviously lights wouldn’t be touching the plastic but would still be warm.

Moving is easier with kids than pets

schwemermatt":vhz6irmw said:

I have some wire I could use , I was just worried the heat lights potentially melting the plastic. Obviously lights wouldn’t be touching the plastic but would still be warm.

Moving is easier with kids than pets

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Try moving with fish... LOL.

I was gonna recommend the plastic totes too but AHBD beat me to it. The plastic shouldn't melt as long as you have the heat lamp far enough from it and not resting up against the edge of it. You can always monitor it for the first day and make sure the temperature isnt getting hot enough at any point to start compromising the plastic. But many people use totes without issues.

-Brandon

The plastic won't melt if the bulb is not in contact with it or within a couple of inches, it's quite sturdy. I raised 1,000's of babies like that.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29889/full

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29895/full

Sounds great. I will go that route. Off work for the next week so I can monitor it.
Thank you all so much. Helped make me a little less stressed out. Lol

Regarding totes, it's not the volume--it's the floorspace/footprint. :wink:

schwemermatt":xhfa4mvo said:

Moving is easier with kids than pets

Click to expand...

Well... yeah, of course. You can't stuff pets in a drawer or sack, or mail them to the new digs... :roll: