Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Someone gave me a chinese water dragon a few months ago. They said it was about 2 yrs old. Hes about 8 inches without his tail. I put him into a 40 gl breeder but now im thinking of upgrading.

We built a homemade stand for the tank which is the exact measurements of the tank but also 4ft tall. I was thinking it would be space effective to turn this into a large enclosure for him and still have it work as a holder for the 40 gl. Its made out of 2x4s and is very sturdy.

I was looking for advise on materials i should use. I was thinking of using a screen on the top about 4-5 inches from where the tank sits to hold the heat and uvb fixture. The fixture has cords coming out of it with flip switches so id only need to go through the hassle of lifting the tank off to replave the bulbs. This idea would also hide the lamps from view by a 2x4. Also the tanking sitting on top would stop the humidity leakage of the screen.

The matierials for the other sides is what i need to decide. back and sides are against the wall and next to furniture so veiwing isnt nessisary. A whole screen front seems like the easiest choice but im worried about humidity loss. Also if i use wood as with the 2x4s i will need something to protect it from the moisture thats safe for the dragon. Thanks for the help.

We built a homemade stand for the tank which is the exact measurements of the tank but also 4ft tall. I was thinking it would be space effective to turn this into a large enclosure for hima nd still have it work as a holder for the 40 gl.

My gut reaction is that if you are going to take the time and money to build a larger cage for a CWD it should have a larger base than 36" x 18", which is what I think a 40 gallon has. But maybe that is sufficient, I'm not sure. Just thought I'd mention it.

There used to be a handful of websites dedicated to DIY CWD enclosures so you might check and see what they suggest for size.

The matierials for the other sides is what i need to decide. A whole screen front seems like the easiest choicef i use wood as with the 2x4s i will need something to protect it from the moisture thats safe for the dragon.

If the framing is sufficient and you don't mind the sterile look you can just put up some Fiberglass Reinforced Panel, also known as FRP. You would need to use silicone to seal the edges. You might need a back of plywood for support.

A local sign shop may have some 1/4" or thicker Sintra or another brand of expanded PVC.

If you want the interior to look like stained wood then some cabinet plywood in the grain you like can be sealed with bartop or marine epoxy. I know some Water Dragon keepers use waterborne polyurethane but I would not recommend this.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

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