CATS

[ThatLizardLady]

My beardie Mystic lives in a 50-gallon terrarium, which sits next to my Xbox. He is very energetic and love to crawl around on my bed. But I also have a cat named Hidey, who basically acts like she's the princess of my bedroom. She constantly climbs on top of the terrarium and most of the time ends up falling in. It's usually at night to, which means I'm asleep and sometimes don't know when she's on top of there. Also, I'm an 11 year old, so when I do know she's fallen in I have to wake up, pull her out of the terrarium, and fix the lid, making me tired for the next day and I don't pay much attention in school. Is there a way I can stop this without having to keep Hidey out of my room?

 

[CooperDragon]

Do you have a way of securing the lid more? It's not good that a cat can get inside the tank. What type of tank/lid is in place?

 

[ThatLizardLady]

Do you have a way of securing the lid more? It's not good that a cat can get inside the tank. What type of tank/lid is in place?

It's a screen sliding lid. I don't have a picture but if I can find one I'll show you. It's kinda tore up because of her claws. My dad was thinking of getting me a glass lid but we don't know where to find one for a tank his size.

 

[CooperDragon]

You'd need to consider ventilation with a glass lid. You might be best off building a new enclosure with front sliding doors. That should secure very nicely. Something along the lines of this https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html

 

[ThatLizardLady]

You'd need to consider ventilation with a glass lid. You might be best off building a new enclosure with front sliding doors. That should secure very nicely. Something along the lines of this https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html

Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to remember this. Hope it works :3

 

[Taterbug]

A secure lid is a must. Even if you cat doesn't fuss with your dragon they could injure them by falling on them. A plywood board with rigid ventilation screen might be more sturdy until your are able to get a more secure enclosure. I would also recommend the crossfire that cooper linked, the solid lid is perfect and the sliding doors can be easily locked to keep the cats from opening them.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Do you have a way of securing the lid more? It's not good that a cat can get inside the tank. What type of tank/lid is in place?

It's a screen sliding lid. I don't have a picture but if I can find one I'll show you. It's kinda tore up because of her claws. My dad was thinking of getting me a glass lid but we don't know where to find one for a tank his size.

Don't mess about with a glass lid unless it's tempered glass AS ORDINARY GLASS IS VERY BRITTLE AND LIKELY TO BREAK under the weight of the cat = bad news for both cat and beardie (any good glasier can come to the home and cut glass or Perspex to size) , if you must have a see through lid , an offcut of 6mm thick Perspex sheet is better than glass (and can be cut by any handyman with household power tools)..


I'd ditch the mesh lid and replace it with a piece of plywood cut to size with precut holes for the plastic air vents round or oblong shaped) to go in to holes you'll need either predrilled or precut to provide air ventilation and I'd simply relocate all the lights to be mounted hanging from and under the timber lid, a timber frame made from
4 bits of Rounded Timber Edging , or 4 bits of External Timber Corner Pieces (timber equal angle profile) , or simply make the plywood lid slightly oversize and edge the under side with some Timber Quad (to stop lid from sliding or being pushed off the top the tank (cats are pretty strong and determined and will push or try to slide a lid off )..


These are suitable and many reptile keepers have them in their tanks
40CV HARON PLASTIC CUPBOARD VENT
and
118NB HARON PLASTIC WALL & CEILING VENT

 

[ThatLizardLady]

Thank you for the advice! I'm going to PetCo tomorrow with my dad to buy crickets so we'll see about getting a new lid then :3

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thank you for the advice! I'm going to PetCo tomorrow with my dad to buy crickets so we'll see about getting a new lid then :3

Forget about buying a ready made Petco lid..

because
1) they wont have it in stock
2) they will charge you an arm and a leg for the dubious privilege of buying a custom lid from them (which they will have a local cabinet maker or carpenter make)
3) easier and quicker to get dad, or BigBrov, or an uncle ,or a granddad or even a friendly neigbour to make one for you
or look up a local cabinet maker in the Yellow Pages and hire him for an hour or 2 to make it for you on site (at your home)..... ie cut the middle man out.

so ... ask dad to get out the tape measure and to measure up the top of the tank , and then to call the local timber seller or hardware shop, ask for the trade desk or the special orders desk, the ask them for a piece of precut 1/2in thick plywood , he may have to buy a full sheet (2.4m x 1.2m is standard sheet size here in Australia, which is fine.

If you have to buy full sheets , ask for following precut pieces
2 pieces 0.6m x 0.6m (ends)
and 3 pieces 1.2m x 0.6m (bottom , back and top) ..... 5 PIECES = 1X 2.4mx1.2m sheet.
and OPTIONAL 2 bits 1.2m x 0.1m,
and you are then ready for dad to assemble a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank and only need some holes cut in the ends and back for ventiliation (plastic slip ins) and some Cowbrey sliding glass door tracks (likely sold there too) and some 6mm thick tempered glass or Perspex cut to size to make sliding front doors for the beardies forever home.

If you can't around for a relative or friendly neighbor to make do above and want to keep the existing tank , but have a cat proof lid, see my previous post .
Repeated list of materials to make a cat proof solid lid for your tank :
- a piece of plywood cut to size with precut holes for the plastic air vents round or oblong shaped) to go in to holes you'll need either predrilled or precut to provide air ventilation and I'd simply relocate all the lights to be mounted hanging from and under the timber lid, a timber frame made from
4 bits of Rounded Timber Edging , or 4 bits of External Timber Corner Pieces (timber equal angle profile) , or simply make the plywood lid slightly oversize and edge the under side with some Timber Quad (to stop lid from sliding or being pushed off the top the tank (cats are pretty strong and determined and will push or try to slide a lid off )..


These are suitable and many reptile keepers have them in their tanks
40CV HARON PLASTIC CUPBOARD VENT
and
118NB HARON PLASTIC WALL & CEILING VENT

 

[joef]

Glass sliding doors on the front work great, I have a melamine cage that's 49in long, 18in tall, and 19in wide. It works great and my cats cant get in it, plus with vents cut on the side, you cant see the vents as much.