Hello everyone. I'm a relatively new bearded dragon owner (got my first one a little less than a year ago). I'm looking to build a new tank for my bearded dragon for the benefit of us both. I want to create something a little more stimulating for her, and easier for me to manage and transport. I was wondering if I could get input from someone with more experience than myself.
Heres my situation:
I live in CT, but I go to school in Boston. My dragon has to be transported with me whenever I come home for breaks, and my apartment at school has a lot of stairs. Currently I have a glass 125 gallon aquarium. the problem is its pretty heavy, especially when its got sand in it. Due to its size and weight, it can be very awkward and kind of nerve racking to transport up and down stairs. I'm looking to build a slightly larger aquarium, but out of wood with a plexiglass front. This should reduce the weight significantly, but theres one concern with this. Does wood trap the smells? For instance, if my dragon decides to use the bathroom as soon as I leave for school in the morning and it sits inside the cage all day, will the wood absorb the smell? If so, is there a way to seal the wood off with some sort of coating?
Additionally, I use sand currently. I used sand because I felt it would simulate a more natural habitat, but I've read that it can cause health problems. It also gets dirty rather fast and its expensive to replace. I've tried repti-carpet but that stuff is a pain to clean too. the only benefit of sand is having a poop scoop. What is the best alternative?
Sorry for the wall of text. I just have a lot of questions.
Heres my situation:
I live in CT, but I go to school in Boston. My dragon has to be transported with me whenever I come home for breaks, and my apartment at school has a lot of stairs. Currently I have a glass 125 gallon aquarium. the problem is its pretty heavy, especially when its got sand in it. Due to its size and weight, it can be very awkward and kind of nerve racking to transport up and down stairs. I'm looking to build a slightly larger aquarium, but out of wood with a plexiglass front. This should reduce the weight significantly, but theres one concern with this. Does wood trap the smells? For instance, if my dragon decides to use the bathroom as soon as I leave for school in the morning and it sits inside the cage all day, will the wood absorb the smell? If so, is there a way to seal the wood off with some sort of coating?
Additionally, I use sand currently. I used sand because I felt it would simulate a more natural habitat, but I've read that it can cause health problems. It also gets dirty rather fast and its expensive to replace. I've tried repti-carpet but that stuff is a pain to clean too. the only benefit of sand is having a poop scoop. What is the best alternative?
Sorry for the wall of text. I just have a lot of questions.
. I thought about making one out of fiberglass, but I haven't worked with it too much and dont know how cost effective it would be.
