Please help! Is this enclosure okay?

[hazzaram]

I know this forum doesn't get nearly as much love as the bp one does, but you guys have always been really friendly and I feel comfortable here!

I'm getting my first baby beardie on Wednesday and I'm struggling to get her new home together. I tried making a few fake rock structures with styrofoam but that didn't work out. I don't have the time or patience and after three attempts I gave up. My enclosure is 24 inches high so it's hard to find any wood etc. that will let her get close enough to the basking/uvb lights. It's been a frustrating process and I almost gave up, but then I came up with this...




It's made using pieces of a wire storage unit. It's open beneath it and on top sits a piece of slate and two bricks to hold it down. It's placed directly below the dome light with a basking bulb and the uvb strip light (which is hard to see, but it's open at the back so nothing is blocking the light). The ramp is just sitting there right now. It's a piece of wood I found in my basement that I'm going to clean and staple fabric to so she can climb it more easily.

Problem 1. Securing the ramp. Not sure how to. If I had any tools at all, I'd probably drill two holes and just tie it on to the wire cube, but I don't...

At the bottom is a cave of bricks with a piece of slate on top, so she can have somewhere to hide and sleep.

Is this okay for a first attempt? I'm going to keep working on an awesome styrofoam structure but I have no idea how long it'll take me. Will this do until I get that finished??

Thanks for your help.

Also! Here is the little girl I'm getting.

[jclaiborne]

What are the dimensions of that enclosure, what are you planning on using as substrate, and what are your temps at basking and ambient, as well as what type of UV bulb are you using? The picture makes it look like the cage isn't very long. As long as your temps are good this looks like it could work as a temporary setup, but IMO would require a lot of tweaking to get the husbandry right.

[hazzaram]

39x18x24. It's 67 gallons. Substrate is non-advesive shelf liner which was suggested on beardeddragon.org.

Temps I'm not sure of yet. I literally just turned the lights on. I'm gonna let it settle for a bit and then test. Uvb is Reptisun 10.0, as was suggested on the same forum. Basking light is 100w and it's on a dimmer so I can control it better.

My parents bought the cage for me and it cost $269 so it's going to have to stay for a while, which is why I also want levels since it's 24 inches high.

[Trogdorpheus]

Shelf liner is good. As long as temps are good and the dragon can't get much closer than 6-8" to the uvb you're solid. Just make sure everything is sturdy... last thing you want is a brick tipping onto your new little guy or gal.

[hazzaram]

Yes. I'm a little worried about the sturdiness. Everything is good except the ramp but I'll figure it out.

I'm thinking about getting someone to make me a second level on the tank like this to increase floor space. I'd just have the one side extend with legs to stretch the length of the tank. Thoughts?

[distaff]

I can't say if it is suitable or not, but I rather like the look.
Very mid-century modern.