Cats and lizards and humidity

[scorch1]

We have had our bearded dragon for a little over a month now. We were originally keeping the door to the room closed to keep the cats out but the humidity got too high. At first the cats didn't really notice him but now they have jumped on top of the cage twice and knocked part of the screen out. It could be they are just jumping on it because it is a higher surface to sit on but I'm not sure. I know it must be stressful for our little guy.

Ideally I would like to move the lizard out of my boys rooms so that we don't have to worry about the lights being on when someone is sleeping but I need to find a way to make sure the cats can't get in the cage or break the screen.

How have those of you with cats kept them off the tops of the cages? We have a friend who put an invisible fence around the cage and a collar on the cats but our cats are indoor outdoor so I wouldn't want to risk them getting the collar caught in a bush and not being able to free themselves.

Other option I have considered is putting a dehumidifier in the boys room but they are $$ and large for a room shared with two boys and a lizard.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jamie

 

[Taterbug]

What's yor humidty at and what sort of guage are you using? Is the guage calibrated? Generally humidity will be lowest under the baskin lights so where you measure matters too.

Unless your home is especially humid usually ambient humidity is ok. dragons can do well in a wider range than generally thought and "as low as possible" isn't really so great either (35-60% is considered acceptable). I aim for 35-45% but fluctuations aren't a big deal. Stagnate stale air (my enough ventilation) is a problem though.

I can't keep my cat off things either, all my enclosures have solid lids. :/