# Post your enclosures



## Vetboi88 (May 9, 2019)

Hey fellow herpers, 


I am wondering if my enclosure is adequate. Im using lots of moss and cypress mulch and coco husk. it stays humid but ive noticed little gnats finding their way into the enclosures. i put lots of moss to give burrowing substrate. should i decrease the moss and place little intricate hides throughout the enclosure. can you guy post pictures of your enclosures so I may have an idea what to do for my fellows.


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## firfy (May 11, 2019)

Ok here is my enclosure, keep in mind that my tegu is a blue, and it is still growing so mine is naturally smaller than other tegus, the substrate is cypress mulch and coconut fiber, the enclosure is around 6’ by 4’ by 4’


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## James Smith (May 15, 2019)

Well here is my enclosure.It is a 8'×3'×33" two room enclosure. I think when we talk about enclosures it's 20% what you want for your Tegu, 30% what you can afford and 50%.what they need. I for one do not like Cypress mulch and I will not use it, but there are some people who swears by it. Some people like to use fake plants, I strictly use live plants only. Then we can spend countless entrees on bio active environments vs. Non bio active enclosure. But if you educate yourself on the 50% of what they need everything else will fall in place. When I first got BOGA I wanted to know if I was doing the right thing and that was important to me; the fact that you are asking question should prove to yourself that you are doing the right thing instead of just flying from the hip. Good luck to you and keep asking questions.


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## bocacash (May 18, 2019)

James: Gotta' ask...BOGA...all caps...is that an acronym for a much longer name ?!?


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## Bobo9 (May 18, 2019)

My beginner enclosure


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## James Smith (May 18, 2019)

bocacash, that is a great question. If you look on the side of BOGA'S tail you 

 can almost make out his name. It spells out BOGA all caps. It's like a birth mark. Crazy thing about it; I named him before he came home, and I didn't even see it until a month later. I posted the picture before. The letters are not in order to spell BOGA but they are all there, and the "A" looks almost like a lower case "a" but I went with it...lol


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## AlphaAlpha (May 18, 2019)

I chose to convert an old wardrobe that I already had by strengthening the back and dropping this to become the base cutting out a few holes to relate rooms still keeping the structure/strength and covered in pondliner for humidity purposes


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## James Smith (May 19, 2019)

AA is the wardrobe laying on the back? That is a very creative and smart design.


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## AlphaAlpha (May 19, 2019)

Yes James on its back.... And thanks


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## Vetboi88 (May 20, 2019)

hey guys thanks for all the ideas. I do have another question for yall. Im worried cause my little buddy has been hiding away ALOT. he has gone off food and will barely come out of hiding. I am worried. it seems too early for broomination. what sould I do. im worried about my guy. he has barely eating in a week. any suggestions folks?


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## James Smith (May 21, 2019)

Are you offering water, and are you changing it daily? How warm is your air temp,(should be about 84 degrees), and what is the basking temp ( should be at least 110 but I think that is too cool for them)?
I know you are stressed, but It is known that they will go in hinding like this for a few weeks without eating, usually because of a adjustment period. You just have to make sure you are offering clean water all the time.
I would wait for another week but if you are concerned, I hate to even mention this, but a vet visit would calm your nerves down. I think it is way too early to talk vet unless you are seeing something of concern like, lethargic behavior, straining to poop and nothing coming out, unbalanced walking. If your Tegu is walking, sleeping, and every now and then drinking water there shouldn't be much to worry about. You just have to keep a eye on them, but that is the whole process anyway when you own a Tegu. Even when BOGA is doing well I am looking at him from head to tail. It's almost like being a zookeeper for a one animals zoo. That is why it is known that owning a Tegu is labor intensive. Keep us posted and good luck.


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## Vetboi88 (May 21, 2019)

yea I have had him since early april. He has clean water. his air temp ranges between maybe 78 -80 and basking maybe up to 105 depending on the day and whether AC in house is on. I have humidity up. I was thinking of raising the ambient temps up to about 90 is during the day 120 ish on the hot side. all other things are normal and no outside medical concerns. im not seeing him drink cause im in school so im gone all day. I have been soaking him every day or every other day for an hour in warm water.


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## Vetboi88 (May 21, 2019)

what lights also do you guys use, to raise daytime heat. any affordable suggestions?


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## Bobo9 (May 21, 2019)

James Smith said:


> Are you offering water, and are you changing it daily? How warm is your air temp,(should be about 84 degrees), and what is the basking temp ( should be at least 110 but I think that is too cool for them)?
> I know you are stressed, but It is known that they will go in hinding like this for a few weeks without eating, usually because of a adjustment period. You just have to make sure you are offering clean water all the time.
> I would wait for another week but if you are concerned, I hate to even mention this, but a vet visit would calm your nerves down. I think it is way too early to talk vet unless you are seeing something of concern like, lethargic behavior, straining to poop and nothing coming out, unbalanced walking. If your Tegu is walking, sleeping, and every now and then drinking water there shouldn't be much to worry about. You just have to keep a eye on them, but that is the whole process anyway when you own a Tegu. Even when BOGA is doing well I am looking at him from head to tail. It's almost like being a zookeeper for a one animals zoo. That is why it is known that owning a Tegu is labor intensive. Keep us posted and good luck.


So I have had mines since Friday. I’ve been giving him 10 large crickets a day. Yesterday was the first day I saw poop I haven’t seen him drink water tho I do work 8 hours a day so not sure when I’m not here should i be concerned yet. ?


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## James Smith (May 21, 2019)

Vetboo88 your ambient air temp is too cold; raise it so it is to mid 80's and the basking temp is too low as well. They need the basking heat to help digest their food. For them to regulate their temp it should only be a 10 to 15 degrees difference from one side to the other. An air temp of 90 to 120 is too hot. How can they regulate that if they are basking and the air temp is 120 too.


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## James Smith (May 21, 2019)

Bobo9 keep feeding daily, and don't worry about giving him a bath as of yet. Keep his humility up and he will be fine until he get more accustomed to his surroundings and to you as well. He's probably drinking when you are not around. Try to set a consistent time to be with him before you leave for the day...every day.


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## Bobo9 (May 21, 2019)

James Smith said:


> Bobo9 keep feeding daily, and don't worry about giving him a bath as of yet. Keep his humility up and he will be fine until he get more accustomed to his surroundings and to you as well. He's probably drinking when you are not around. Try to set a consistent time to be with him before you leave for the day...every day.


Ok thank. I have been tryin to keep a schedule thanks


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## Vetboi88 (May 21, 2019)

do you use red lights. on yours to keep temps in the enclosure james?


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## James Smith (May 21, 2019)

I use a combination of these items to raise or lower the air temp for day and for night. The ceramic infrared heat source is plugged directly into the thermostat and then the thermostat is plugged into the wall. Keep it in the corner away from the basking light. I did my purchase on Amazon. I have a non heat bulb at night but I use a separate infrared heat source at night to maintain a 75-78 degree night temp.

*REPTIZOO Reptile Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter,110V 75W/100W/150W Infrared Bulb for Reptile Pet Coop and Glass Terrarium*

*Century Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination, Reptiles and Brewing, 40-108°F*


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