Would this be sufficient housing for an adult?

[Glen]

Hi! First post, but I've been surfing the forums for a while now. I had a question about adult housing. I have a juvenile beardie that wont need larger housing for a while, but being the anxious person I am, I would like to have something ready for him so I don't have to worry about it later. I was going out to buy a 55 gallon (at petco, for 55 bucks. BARGAIN!), but I decided I'd shop around my shed for a while to see if I had any suitable furniture that I could convert. I found a dresser with one shelf dividing the middle. Now, the dimensions of the dresser are 30 x 30 x 18. I realize that this is too small for an adult beardie, but what if I took the shelf dividing the tank, and cut a hole in it so he could use both surfaces? Heres an artfully drawn diagram:





Is this an okay idea, or should I just go for the 55 gallon? I feel like it's a little bit iffy, and I want my beardie to be as happy as possible!

Input? Ideas? Anything?

 

[Rob461]

A 55 gal. tank is actually not big enough for an adult beardie. You need at least 18in for the turn around (I suggest at least 24). I have always built my own vivs, so I get exactly what I want.

I really don't get the picture.. could you take a picture of the dresser so I could see it?

 

[Rob461]

Umm, double post sorry!

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

I never liked 55 gal because of the 12 inch floor space.
My personal fav min is 75 gal which is 48 x 18. Thats my minimum
(95% of my vivs are 48 x 24

 

[Glen]

Rob, thanks for the reply. I just walked around my house looking for my digital camera and I guess I lost it for the time being. Let me try to explain it in more detail.

The dresser is 30 inches tall, and is divided by one shelf going down the middle horizontally. If I left the shelf in there, but cut a hole and provided a way for him to get onto the shelf (so there are two levels), would that be sufficient? He'd still have around 800 sq inches of floor space to move around.

 

[Rob461]

As long as there are no nails or screws sticking out, or any type of splintered wood that could harm the little guy I see no problem with it. Just make sure it is safe for him to climb.

 

[Valex]

I would just cut a piece out, and make it into a ramp. (I might do the same thing.)

 

[ClydesGirl]

As far as I know, the minimum size recommendations seem to be 36"x18". Since you have the right width, the only thing you are lacking is the length. I would think that, bu making it two levels, you'd make up for the lack of width a bit, so it could work. If your beardie does end up outgrowing it, you won't have lost much, since you already had the dresser. I'd say go for it!