new enclosure project advice wanted

[azz123]

hi guys,
well just moved house and decided i would use my brick outbuilding as an enclosure.

CURRENT ENCLOSURE

up to now my b and w tegu is in a 3ft enclosure ( needs replacing but ok ) i use a uvb bulb 14 hrs of day and a bask spot about 16 hrs of day, then at night both go off and my heat pad stays on 24hrs.

the temps and humidity seem to work ok at this, also it cant get burnt buy heat pad or bulbs. so dont worry!

THE PROJECT

ok so far i have Tiled a surface area that gives my tegu 7ft x 5ft and 3,1/2 ft high, so pretty big, i have also screwed in my battons which will hold my lid and front, i was also going to use some studwork timber to support the sheet material i use and door etc.
i have also grouted the tile gaps.

my outbuilding is roofed with a door has ventilation and electricity, and enough room for me to get in with a chair plus the same surface area on top of the enclosure, (maybe a future project)

my questions are? in no particular order

would this size enclosure be big enough for 2-3 b and w tegus, they do have a floor space of 7ft 5ft?

what would be the best sheet material for my lid and front?

what should i use to protect or seal the wood inside and on top and should i use sealant in the cracks if it is timber next to tile?

how many bulbs will i need in the enclosure, what wattage will they need to be, and when i turn the lights off at night what can i use to keep the temps up in the viv? (a night bulb maybe?)

also how do they need to be spaced out?

the substrate i use is eco earth, which pretty much seems like soil or sand to me, could i use soil and sand in this new viv instead of eco earth as i will need a lot? my tegu seems to love to bury in it, he doesnt like other substrates tryed them all

how often would this need changing? or could i potty train and use a poop scoop??

i have had my tegu maybe 5 months now i think it is maybe between 7-8 months old, when i got it, its tail was cut off only a little bit, it grew back. i measured my tegu today it is about 12 inches long nose to tail, it seems to have grown its tail back and has a long tail now, its bulk has got bigger, but if i am honest it realy isnt growing as quick as everybody else makes out that tegus do, although only recently is my tegu being a hungry pig with a healthy appetite. could its tail re growth mean it will be a smaller tegu?

my tegu is very tame has never bitten me, would this ever change?

i have done my research and i have read books and trawled the internet, and i have taken alot of time with my tegu. so i do have a good under standing of how to look after this baby, although i will say i dont think there is enough info out there on these guys! apart from this website of course

please feel free to leave any feed back, as i am just slowly but surely getting this enclosure spot on. in all honesty the heating is gonna be the issue i think. i live in a cold country you see. UK united Kingdom, England, London.


thank you

 

[TeguBuzz]

I can't answer your questions but I'll tell you what I've got set up for my gu's. All mine are full blown adults except for woody (who lives inside at the moment). The others live outside, each one has it's own enclosure which is 8x4x3ft in size. I've put them in one enclosure before to clean up the others and they seemed damn uncomfortable but it was only for about 30-40mins. I clean the enclosures on a regular basis and switch out the substrate every two weeks (may seem excessive, but I like to keep it clean). I've seen some vids on youtube of two full grown tegus living in an enclosure of about 8x3x3ft, and they seemed alright, but I'm no professional.

 

[Rhetoric]

I wouldn't house more then 2 in a 7x5. I have 2 (small) sub-adult males in an 8x5. If you plan to add more tegus make sure that you would be able to provide another enclosure if they don't get along. The 2 males I have housed together do get along for the time being. I have 2 large hides, 2 water dishes, 2 basking surfaces (equal distance from heat/uvb source).

My enclosures both have wood tops. One of them has a glass front with sliding doors, the other has hinged plexiglas. I don't like the plexi. I would go for real glass if you can afford it.

You can use soil/sand, it will make the enclosure a lot heavier. I use hemlock mulch which I got from a local bark company. I think it was like $20 to get enough to fill both enclosures. I change the substrate every few months. I spot clean and remove poop as I see it. For the most part my tegus all poop in their water anyway. If I notice the enclosure smelling I'll change the substrate sooner. Some people have their tegus on kind of a schedule. They take their tegus out of the enclosures, poop them in the tub or something, then feed them. Eventually the tegus kind of learn the routine. I don't know if they can be truly potty trained though.

For heating/lighting, you will need to keep a basking spot of 105-110*F. You can use regular light bulbs in other areas of the enclosure if you would like to add more light. Spacing is up to you and how bright you would like the enclosure to be. For night time, you can add a ceramic heating element (CHE). They do tend to dry out enclosures though. There are also radiant heat panels. They are a bit more expensive but your tegu won't burn itself if it accidentally touches it, animals can be burned if they touch the CHE's. I cannot tell you a specific wattage, it also depends on the temps around the enclosures. I use a 160W solar glo MVB for my enclosures, it is warm enough to keep the temps where I need them. The only time I need to add more heat is during the winter. I think last night it dropped to 35*F in the garage (where my enclosures are). There are also companies that make thermostats that you can use with reptile lights/heat. It could be something worth looking into.

It is possible your tegu might be a little smaller because of the tail re-growth. It is also possible your tegu is just growing a little slower than others. They all grow at different rates. Do you have any updated pictures of your tegu?

 

[azz123]

yeah i know what you mean it is mean to put a few big beasts to live together without enough room for them, i suppose its hard to tell what 3.5ft will look like until it is fully grown, i have worked out i have had my tegu 6 months, and is now 12 inches long, it was about 7 inches when i got it, so bit unsure how old it is. i am looking forward to my gu getting big.

thanks

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i will try get a pic on soon, what about putting a small potted tree in with a tegu? or hanging plants?

i would only want real plants not artificial, i want the enclosure to look the bees knees!

 

[Rhetoric]

Small plants seem to work with young tegus but as they get larger and older they seem to destroy them. I havent tried it myself though

 

[azz123]

Small plants seem to work with young tegus but as they get larger and older they seem to destroy them. I havent tried it myself though

i am maybe thinking a small tree in a large solid pot, hopefully that way it may not get damaged or knocked over by my tegu.

 

[kellen.watkins]

word of caution tegus dont always get along. slideaboot has 2 extreme giants that had to be seperated because one was aggressive. me personally just built an 8x4 enclosure for my extreme and my bluexred hybrid who are both around 2 feet long, eli punked vanilla out and i designed the cage incase that would happen to be split in half so now they each have a 4x4. there are worse stories as well one where a tegu ripped the others arm off. something to keep in consideration though. hope for the best plan for the worst