Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was wondering about making my own cage, does any1 have any thing tht is a guidline on making a cage, if so it would help out alot. also if i plan on getting a basilisk how big do i need. i dont want super big but the lizard being happy is top priority! i havent gotten the lizard yet as i want to no everything i can b4 i do get it so bad things wont happen. one more thing. how big do i need if i plan to get a CWD (chineese water dragon). they had one at my old school and it was what got me into lizards. they had theres in a 35g tank i think. it was about 2 feet in lenth and was very very happy and was ot of its cage most the day cuz ppl would go and ask the teacher for it for the 3 hour day. (private school 3 3 hour sessions) now sorry for blabbing on like this. but i have a 48g bow tank tth is about 2 feet tall 3 in a half to 4 feet long and 1 in a half feet wide. i used to have oscars in it (the fish) they grew to be about a foot in a half

The tank you speak of would last less than a year if you buy a baby. What you have to keep in mind is that WD's are aboreal and they LOVE to climb. You enclosure should be taller rather than longer. My feeling is that your schools cage is too small. I bet if you changed the enclosure the dragon would immediately shed and grow. While my dragons were sick I had to keep them in a very small area, when I put them back in their enclosure where they could climb they shed 3x's in the past 1&1/2 months! I think 4' wide and 5' tall would be ok for one dragon (help me out here forum) with a nice water area. I will admit, they are not easy to keep but are very rewarding.

A Bassie would need a larger cage than a WD and they do not do well with handeling, it stresses them out way too much. Sorry to say but I dont believe you have the ability to say that WD at your school was happy when you have not seen one in a proper enclosure. I will attach a pic of my cage (sry it is turned sideways so just tilt your head to the right lol). If you cant get the right size cage for a Wd I WOULD NOT get one it causes more trouble than its worth. I suggest something like a mountian horned dragon or something I *THINK* they would do fine in that size cage but not positive you can visit that furom and fine out. But they are similar (not in appearence) but being tree climbers and all. Hope this helps.
>Kyle

My Cage is 4 feet wide 2 feet deep and 6 feet tall ( 5 ft tall would work but bigger is always better) It cost prolly close to 1000 bucks to build (glass is butt expensive!!!) Plan to spend atleast that much or close to for a heathly WD and if you dont you may spend that much on vet bills for a sick WD.

There's info on this site about how to build inexpensive vivariums for WDs and you don't need much glass to do it!

In my opinion, you should get a WD. They're awesome pets, they're easy to care for, easy to tame, and easy to love.

Personally, I think it's really smart of you to post your questions here rather than just going out and buying a lizard like most people. A man who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. A man who does not ask is a fool forever. --Chinese Proverb.

If the 55 gallon tank is all you can get ahold of, check out geckos. They are SO cute! There are a rainbow of colors and a virtually unending number of varieties to choose from. They have a lot of the same requirements as lizards, but don't get nearly as big. Some are very friendly (my golden gecko is a cuddly sweetheart), and they can walk on glass! They also lick their eyeballs, but that's another matter.

Best of luck, Xardion!
WD info (has "inexpensive vivarium construction" section)