Where to keep enclosure?

[KendrickLamar]

Our new baby is in his 20 gallon viv in my son's room because we have two cats. I don't believe the cats could get into the viv, but I do t want them to scare him. Should we continue to keep him in my son's room? I feel like he should be around us more and eventually get used to seeing the cats. By no means would we ever let him be out with the cats around. But eventually the cats will get in my son's room, so I thought if we were able to have it in a controlled situation it would be better.

Also, does anyone else have cats and do you have any tips for keeping cats away or experiences to share? I don't trust the kitties. They chase geckos on the lanai all the time and Ken is the size of a gecko!

 

[CooperDragon]

I keep my tank in the living room so I agree with you about keeping him in a main area of the house where the action is. The cats are a valid concern though. They can turn on a dragon very quickly. If you do move his tank out be sure to secure the mesh top and keep the doors locked to prevent them from getting in. Aside from that they may not bother him at all or could cause him a great deal of stress. That depends on his personality and how aggressive they are (does he see them as a curiosity or predators constantly lurking). All outside time should be closely supervised and if possible keep the cats closed off in another area of the house while he's out.

 

[Seagarbage]

Right now my sister and I and all of our pets are cooped up in my mom's apartment. In total: 2 dogs, 1 adult cat, 1 kitten, and the beardie. My beardie is used to my dog and the kitten that I'm watching for now, so he's unphased by the extra cat and dog. All of the animals are calm and predictable so I can bring out the beardie burrito with no problems. The cats will paw at the front pane of the tank where they can jump up on the table and sit, but its gentle and they get bored after 10 seconds. I've never seen any of the animals try to get on top of the tank and get in, even when the top of the tank is open. I think you'd be fine moving the enclosure into the common area and just making sure the cats are in a different room or at least out of eyesight when you get your baby out.

 

[Rankins]

I have 3 cats and 25 reptiles, soon to be 36.
My cats ignore every single one of them

 

[Taffer]

I'd definitely move the viv into the main living area of the house. When my beardie came home (Monster), she was in my work office upstairs so I could handle her frequently during the day when I was on the phone or on conference calls, and we would always know when our daughter was going to be around to help teach her. She was happy there because she was able to be around me and see something going on all day long. When we moved her downstairs at first it was into the front room and the only time she saw us was when we walked by or to take her out and spend time with her, and she got bored fast. Not long after we moved her viv into the main living room where we spend most of our free time and she is so much happier living there with us. She'll watch us and our dog all day long from her viv, and being in the same room with us makes it easier to take her out to play and roam.

We have a 70 pound German Shepherd rescue mutt (Shasta) that we had a concern with, but no cats. Once I told our dog "no" a couple of times when she was eyeing Monster like we had bought her a treat, she has been perfect with her ever since. Now Shasta is a little freaked out (anxious is a better description) when Monster is out, but gives the dragon plenty of leeway. I think it freaks Shasta out a bit when she scurries back and forth on the floor. Monster? She's not afraid of the dog one bit. If Shasta is standing in the right spot, Monster will jump off the coach onto the dog and off the other side using her as a bridge. Shasta just looks at the dragon, then looks back at us with the expression, "WTF? Why is this little critter running through MY house and jumping on ME?" Sorry, not exactly what you asked on that little rant, but just introduce them slowly and see how the other pets act, but I'd never fully trust a cats predatory nature to be in check when your beardie is running around. Once full grown, the cats may respect him enough, but each pet is different.

 

[Rankins]

Shasta...good name. I had a chocolate lab I named Shasta

 

[Taffer]

I have 3 cats and 25 reptiles, soon to be 36.
My cats ignore every single one of them

I used to have a good friend in church named Shasta and I have loved the name ever since. :0)

25/36 reptiles? Buddy, you're the reptile version of the old crazy cat lady!!! :laughhard: :laughhard:

 

[JessPets]

I have 3 cats and 25 reptiles, soon to be 36.
My cats ignore every single one of them

I used to have a good friend in church named Shasta and I have loved the name ever since. :0)

25/36 reptiles? Buddy, you're the reptile version of the old crazy cat lady!!! :laughhard: :laughhard:

My whole family believes that will be me someday :lol: :lol: