# Tofu's enclosure!



## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

We just finished building Tofu's enclosure! She is happily digging around and exploring. Here are a few pictures! 

She has withdrawn some from me which kind of sucks. I feel disappointed because we were making such progress and now she will thrash around whenever I pick her up. Is there a reason for this? She also started shedding but I am not sure if that has to do with anything?


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## iiLOVExTEGUS (Feb 24, 2013)

Before u get reeked by most other on here I'd suggest different substrate but if it works for u go for it but overall sweet set up


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## tegus4life (Feb 24, 2013)

Cute gu but DEFINITELY change your substrate


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## TeguBuzz (Feb 24, 2013)

Change your substrate.


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## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

What's wrong with my substrate? It is a blend of aspen and cypress mulch.


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## Dubya (Feb 24, 2013)

It looks to me like the wood shavings pose an impaction risk.


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## TegusRawsome80 (Feb 24, 2013)

Not only that but it won't hold the right amount of humidity without molding and stuff. I would recommend a sand soil mix.


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## Deac77 (Feb 24, 2013)

I agree to change substrate.

As for her being withdrawn she's in a new enclosure probably a little stressed give her a few days


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## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

The picture makes it look like it is all aspen shavings but there is cypress mulch in there as well, it is heavier so it sits below the aspen.

The humidity in the enclosure is at 60% right now and dips at night but not by much. I have checked it for mold over the past few days and no signs of it so far. 

I do not feed her in her enclosure so there would be a very low chance of her becoming impacted, unless she is just downright eating it.

I will keep an eye on it and if problems arise I will change it.

Thank you for your input.


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## TeguBuzz (Feb 24, 2013)

So do the burrows hold well in that? I disagree with your choice of substrate, but that's exactly it - your choice. You just had a handful of people tell you you'd be way better off with a different substrate yet you just seem to brush it off. There may be no problems now, but why wait. 

Have fun with that red.


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## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

Sand/soil mix like a lot of you have suggested would equal a very dirty tegu that is roaming around my room and that would definitely not be acceptable. I have tried to find 100% cypress mulch but I cannot seem to find any around here right now (the bag I had was from the person who sold her to me) so this mix is the best that I can do. I am not merely brushing off what you guys have to say; I am taking it with a grain of salt. 

As for her burrows, she burrows into it fine and while it may not form a perfect burrow that can withstand tromping around on, it holds its shape well. She does not seem to have a problem with it, she usually rearranges her enclosure anyhow. 

Like I have said before, I will keep an eye on her and the substrate and will make changes if necessary.


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## chitodadon (Feb 24, 2013)

Looks good try to go to home depot or lowes to get cypress mulch or order online

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## Dubya (Feb 24, 2013)

Agway has Cypress mulch in NY.


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## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

I just don't think it is the season for it right now. It is winter here in New England and I think cypress starts coming out during the spring time. I have tried Home Depot, Lowes, Aubuchon Hardware, Amazon.com (the shipping was more than the mulch itself), Petco (too expensive) and a gardening shop near where I live..all to no avail. I think my best bet would be to just wait til spring comes around and check then..

Also, she has started charging at my hand since I have put her in her new enclosure but only when I put it in first thing in the morning..? Does this happen to anyone else?


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## bfb345 (Feb 24, 2013)

I just bought a bag yesterday the shipments are just coming in so you should be able to find some


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## chitodadon (Feb 24, 2013)

Thwre is a reptile stire called jungle bobs in long island that has a huge bag for 30 

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## Tofu (Feb 24, 2013)

From Home Depot?!

I am in New Hampshire so NY is a long way off for me =(


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 25, 2013)

I am in n.h. too...we couldn't find any cypress mulch either at lowes or home depot or aubachon.... where in n.h. are you? I'm in Madbury (near dover/durham/lee...)

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Also...you need to go to manchester reptile expo in march  dubya and I will be there!!! 

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## Tofu (Feb 25, 2013)

BatGirl1 said:


> I am in n.h. too...we couldn't find any cypress mulch either at lowes or home depot or aubachon.... where in n.h. are you? I'm in Madbury (near dover/durham/lee...)
> 
> Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
> 
> ...



Wow you are so close! I am in Newmarket, lol. Have you looked for it recently? I looked about two weeks ago.


Also, I am planning on going to the expo as well to pick up mice


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 25, 2013)

Yaaay! Haha. Um...no not recently because niles has been hibernating since oct.  

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I want his big enclosure all set up and ready with fresh substrate etc before he wakes up. So hopefully I'll score something good  my tarantula has cork on bottom for drainage, then zilla jungle mix and coconut fiber mixed for substrate. I think would be terribly expensive for a 6ft enclosure.ugh

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## Tofu (Feb 26, 2013)

I just called Home Depot in Portsmouth and they will have hemlock mulch in by the end of next week. I asked about 100% cypress but they said they won't have any. I have been reading that hemlock is just as good though so I think I will get a bag of that instead!


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 26, 2013)

Isn't hemlock poisonous? I may be wrong....? 

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## Tofu (Feb 27, 2013)

The hemlock shrub is, not the tree. =)


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 27, 2013)

Ohhh. Ok. Thanks! Good to know! So is there info about hemlock being good for tegus? Because since the cypress is harder to get for some of us that could be a good alternative. 

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## Tofu (Feb 27, 2013)

Yep! I've checked around on some sites and it says that Hemlock will do the same job Cypress will. To be honest, I think many recommend Cypress and it has morphed into this thought that only cypress is the best out there for Gu's. But in retrospect, what makes cypress good is that it does not have harmful aromatic oils, keeps humidity up, and isn't AS ingestible as other substrates. So if you take out the name "cypress" and put in Hemlock, you will find that it pretty much will fit the bill!


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## TegusRawsome80 (Feb 27, 2013)

Cypress can be incredibly harmful if ingested. A member on here lost a tegu due to a piece of the bark in it. I personally don't use it and won't again after hearing that story.


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 27, 2013)

So what do you use? I know you may have posted your preference before, so forgive me if i forget...my memory is horrible. There are also many other opinions that vary from member to member, so... would it be like perhaps soil and sphagnum moss or something else? 

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## Dubya (Feb 27, 2013)

I didn't like the big pieces in the bags of cypress mulch, so I switched to peat moss. I feed inside the enclosure, so the peat's fine grains should hopefully not pose a problem. It can be dusty if it is too dry though.


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 27, 2013)

Oh. Peat moss? Is that readily available in large bags at like lowes and places like that? I imagine if you soak it first it should hold moisture, right? 

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## Dubya (Feb 27, 2013)

BatGirl1 said:


> Oh. Peat moss? Is that readily available in large bags at like lowes and places like that? I imagine if you soak it first it should hold moisture, right?
> 
> Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2



Yes, it is processed and has no bugs in it. It is REALLY hard to get it soaked, but once you do, it holds humidity well. It is like $10 for a 3cuft bag here on LI, where everything is the most expensive on the planet. It can mold after a while, so you have to turn it occasionally. It holds burrows well.


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 27, 2013)

Do you mix it with anything though? Like to make the consistency better or keep the moisture in? I haven't really worked with it, so just curious. 

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## Tofu (Feb 28, 2013)

I think a lot of people mix peat or sphagnum moss with some other substrate that doesn't hold as much humidity, I may be wrong though as I have never used it either. 

I also feel that different people have different circumstances so choosing the best bedding for your own personal circumstance is ideal. For example, I do not feed Tofu inside her enclosure so I feel that using Cypress or another "big pieced/hard" substrate is fine because the only time she is in her enclosure is when she is sleeping. Others may have problems with this same setup because their circumstances/personal preferences have their gu eating on the substrate, so thus they use other methods.


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## BatGirl1 (Feb 28, 2013)

I feed niles in a feeding tub 

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## frost (Feb 28, 2013)

its $10 in here in bay city too. and they are finally getting in their peat moss and cypress.


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## Chantel (Feb 28, 2013)

Tofu said:


> I just don't think it is the season for it right now. It is winter here in New England and I think cypress starts coming out during the spring time. I have tried Home Depot, Lowes, Aubuchon Hardware, Amazon.com (the shipping was more than the mulch itself), Petco (too expensive) and a gardening shop near where I live..all to no avail. I think my best bet would be to just wait til spring comes around and check then..
> 
> Also, she has started charging at my hand since I have put her in her new enclosure but only when I put it in first thing in the morning..? Does this happen to anyone else?



I think you're fine, the sand would get in her ears and eyes. But I went to Lowe's to get a huge bag of cypress mulch for under $4, I'm in upstate New York, it's available. Just frozen... so thaw it out for a few days. I didn't actually have much luck with it, though - the first night my tegu got a cut on her neck from burrowing in it. Don't know how safe it actually is.


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