# 8'x4'x4' Tegu Cage Tutorial



## RehabRalphy (Oct 26, 2007)

Ok, time for the second tutorial. This time I'll be guiding you through your process on making a 8'x4'x4' cage.

*Cage dimension:* 96"x48"x48", 8 feet long, 4 feet tall, 4 feet wide
*Total Build Cost:* $150 (rough estimate)

*Supplies:*
2"x"4's (untreated, quantity depending)
- $2 per 8' 
5 8'x4' planks of wood (different types of wood may be used)
- $10 a plank, $50 total
4 300pound rate caster wheels
- $2 a piece
3 1"x2"s 
- $1.50 a piece (different types of wood may be used)
1 gallon of Acrylic Exterior House Paint
- $7 (Buy the "miss mixed" paint. Cheaper and never been used)
1 half gallon of Killz
- $5 (any other primer will do)
4 tubes of Caulk
-$5
1 Extension cord
- $.88 (length may vary) At LEAST 16 guage wire!
2 porcelain light fixtures
- $2 per fixture
1 light fixture extender (DWV Coupling)
- $3
1 roll of green garden plastic mesh (other types of mesh can be used)
- $10
1 box of 1" drywall screws (length may vary, types may vary)
- $3
3 Door pull handle (optional)
- $3 (price may vary)
4 door locks (optional)
- $4 (price may vary)
4 door hinges (quantity and style vary)
- $4 (price may vary)

*Other common house hold supplies:*
4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws
3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws
Square
Caulking gun
Screwdrivers
Screw Gun
Screw Gun Bits
Drill gun
Drill bits
Counter Sinks
Table Saw (jigsaw, hand saw, circular saw, etc. can work just fine)
Other screws/nails
Extension Cord(s)
Air Compressor
Paint Brushes, Paint Pan, and Painting cloths
Paint Roller
Other supplies can/will/may be used in the making of this enclosure.
Staple Gun and Staples

Step 1:
First off we need to cut the planks of wood. Obviously since we bought big 8Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ planks, there wont be to much cutting. The top, back, bottom, wont need to be cut. The 2 sides and the front will need to be cut. Depending on how well you measured and how well everything fits together, you will only need to make 2 cuts to 2 planks of 8Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ plywood. First youÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll make a cut on one of the plants in the middle creating two (2) pieces of 4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ planks. The other plank, for the front, will differ among the maker. If you choose to make a bigger door, or a different type of door, then you can make the door bigger, and what not. I cut the plank to be 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢x8Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢. Since the planks I bought, generic wood planks from home depot, are pre-sanded, they donÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t need to be sanded. Just sent the cut planks and the whole planks to the side. HereÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s a picture of the wood I chose to use. 






Step 2: 
This step deals with the frame process of the cage. When making the frame, you must keep in mind what you are keeping in the cage. In my case, IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m keeping a couple tegus along with 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ of cypress mulch. ItÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s going to be extremely heavy so your frame MUST be able to withstand the weight. Basically what I did is create a box frame with 2x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s. Use 4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws to screw the frame together. Put at least 2 in all board on the corners and the supports. You need to make the frame square. ItÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s hard to do, but if its square, itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll be easier to work with. You can square the frame by getting a square tool and putting pressure on the frame to make the corners match 90* (degree angle). If its to hard to push to make it square, loosen the screws until its square, then tighten the screws. Check the angles of you cuts to ensure itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll be perfect when squaring. 





After I have the generic frame, I added supports to the side. For the supports I put straight 2x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s in the center going vertically and horizontally. Picture follows for reference.





Now on the number of supports to use is all up to you. Keeping in mind how much weight will be in the cage. I chose to put 2 supports on top, 1 on the back of the cage, 1 on the front, and 4 on the bottom. You will need to put more on the bottom due to thatÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s where the weight will be. I chose to put 2 on the top because of the fact something may be set on top. In the picture above shows the top support for reference.

Step 3:
Before screwing on your planks, figure out which side will be your bottom, tip the cage over, its time to install your caster wheels. The wheels will allow you to wheel around your cage. My cage is an indoor/outdoor cage. I keep it in the garage when in use, and then I can roll it outside for my tegus to get some sun, or for storage in winter. Put 1 wheel on each corner, use 3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws to faster the wheel.





After we have the basic frame, now comes the wood plank setting. You will want to put the bottom wood plank inside the frame so your reptile will be able to have a smooth surface to walk on. You must trim your corns so itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll slide down on the 2x4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s. On each corner youÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll want to cut out a 2x4 pattern. In order to figure out where, you must measure your frame to find out where to cut. Easiest method to cut is to use a jigsaw. 





After the bottom plank is set. Screw it onto the frame using the 1Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â drywall screws. Use a lot of screws, itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll make it stable. Now on the corner posts of the side of the cage, I put a 2x4 triangle on the bottom to add support to the supports. The following picture shows the concept.









Now screw on the top plank, the back plank, the front plank, and the 2 side planks using your 1Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â drywall screws. 














Step 4:
The front door, and the side door. Measure the front of the cage to determine the size of door needed. Simply cut the 1x2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s and make a 4 sided rectangle. Use 3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws to fasten the wood together. Add supports in the middle of the frame to allow for more support to the door. After the frame with supports is finished. 
Now you will add your mesh. I chose to use the green garden mesh with 1Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â squares. I chose this type of mesh because itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s commonly used with iguanas. ItÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s safe on toes and toenails. I hesitate using metal due to cutting off toes and ripping out toenails. 





Attaching the mesh it easy. Lay the mesh over your frame to determine where you need to cut. Cut out the piece you need. Staple the piece onto your frame. Make sure there are no big gaps otherwise your lizard may be able to pull a staple out and escape. 

The side door is simple. Just trim a square out of one (or two) of the side(s) using a jigsaw. Add 2 hinges and 2 locks to allow for a locking hinged door. An optional handle can be used.

I added a sunroof to my cage so then I can lift the top off to allow the sun to shine down on my tegus. I just cut out a BIG square on the top of the cage plank, added supports under the hole so the lid doesnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t fall through, and added a handle to the lift able lid for easy opening. There ya have it, a sunroof.

Step 5:
Attaching the frame door to the front of the cage. Set the door on the front, add 2-3 hinges on the bottom, and put 2 locks on the top. A handle in the middle is optional, but always makes it look nice and easier to open.

Step 6:
Now your basic cage is made. Now what do we do? PAINT.
First off use a compressor to spray any access wood shavings and dust off and out of the cage. Once the cage is clean, its time to prime.
Priming is very simple. I used a primer called Killz.




What the primer does is allow for the paint to stick better, and it helps seal the wood and prevent stains. 2 coats of primer is needed.
After primer comes paint. I used Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?â??miss mixedÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â paint. What that means is a customer bought the paint, but it didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t match the color they wanted. ItÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s cheaper to buy this type because otherwise itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll cost you around $20 to have a special mixed paint. You must use an exterior paint. The cage will be put to some extreme weather. IE: Heat, water, stress. So if you donÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t want chipping, use exterior paint. I chose a light tan Acrylic outdoor paint. 




For the edges and corners, use a paintbrush. For the big open areas, use a paint roller. Protect the garage floor (or wherever) with a piece of painting canvas or an old sheet. You need at least 2 coats of paint, 3 may be used. Paint it on thick, watch for runs (drips). 

Step 7:
Caulking. Now that we have our basic painted cage, we need to seal those edges up using some caulk. I chose to use just a regular indoor/outdoor use caulking. Just put a small bead around every edge in the inside of the cage. Use your finger to press the caulk into the gaps. Allow 24 hours before any water can touch it.









Front view with door up




Side view with door up




Inside view through the side




Inside view through the front





Step 8: 
Lighting. We need to install the lighting. For this install, you will need a screwdriver, drill bits, 4 4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws, 1 3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â DWV coupling, the 2 porcelain fixtures, extension cord, and extra extension cord.









Start by taking your 3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â DWV coupling and sawing it in half creating 2 cylinders. 





Wire-up your porcelain fixtures using the extension cord (cut off the side you extend with keeping the side you plug into your wall). Use the directions! Put the coupling on the back of the fixture, and screw onto the ceiling. Thread the cables through a small wall you need to drill on the back of the cage. Use staples to staple the extension cord so it looks sleek and nothing can pull on it.





Step 9:
Decorate your cage. Add what ever you want to it. DonÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t worry about chipping of the paint. 










If you wheel it outside for the winter, just cover it up with a tarp leaving the dÃ?Æ?Ã?Â©cor inside. I did take the lighting out though.





There ya have it! Your cage is finally done!


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## Mike (Oct 29, 2007)

Great how-to thread! It beats my "Horse trough caging" at least.  :wink: :lol:


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## Der-Boa-Lieber (Oct 29, 2007)

Very informational!!! Great "how to" post!!


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## PinkPunisher (Jun 12, 2008)

What kind of wood did you use? Plywood I'm assuming? What thickness? 

How much weight do you think your cage would be able to hold on top of it before it begins to bow or break?

Spencer


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## Azaleah (Jun 12, 2008)

Wow beautiful cage! And great tutorial! I will definately be using this one when I build my larger cages.


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## Taydeon (Jun 12, 2008)

what kind of wood did you use?


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 12, 2008)

PinkPunisher said:


> What kind of wood did you use? Plywood I'm assuming? What thickness?
> 
> How much weight do you think your cage would be able to hold on top of it before it begins to bow or break?
> 
> Spencer



Wood: It was just a cheap sanded plywood for $11 per plank. .5" thick

It would need more supports to hold weight on top. I built the cage to withstand the weight on the bottom. With more supports, it should hold quite a bit of weight on top, but the casters wont be able to support all the extra weight your wanting to put on it.


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## PinkPunisher (Jun 12, 2008)

Should i just make the whole frame 4x4 and the plywood 1/4? If the frame is 4x4 should i add more support? I was thinking adding a support every 12 inchs on the top and adding 2 extra on the back of the cage wall. You think it would hold together with the extra weight on top?

Thanks,
Spencer


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 13, 2008)

I commented on your other post regarding this idea. 

It may possibly work just using 2x4's, you just need the right support design.


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## PinkPunisher (Jun 18, 2008)

For the frame what kind of wood did you use? Pine?

Spencer


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 18, 2008)

I believe so, pine 2x4's


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## Magik (Jun 18, 2008)

Great stuff mate how long did it take you to build it a great tank waana build me one for free??? :-D :-D


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 23, 2008)

cooli said:


> Great stuff mate how long did it take you to build it a great tank waana build me one for free??? :-D :-D



It took about 2 weeks off and on. I just built for an hour each day. I didnt have plans so I was just piecing it together bit by bit.


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## PuffDragon (Aug 4, 2008)

For an indoor setup. Do you find the 2 light fixtures on each end enough to provide the proper heat gradient? I plan on using this template for my 10x4 and would like some input.


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## Deafbum (Jan 2, 2009)

Sorry to bring up an old post, but, were do youu get 300lb casters for $2 each? :shock: 

The ones at home depot are over $10 each for 250 lb casters :evil: :evil: :evil:


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## DaveDragon (Jan 2, 2009)

I used the $6 250lb casters from Home Depot.


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## Deafbum (Jan 2, 2009)

Oh so those will work? They are $13 dollars here in california thought


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## mr.tegu (Jan 2, 2009)

wow trust me its easier then that material list makes it seem. but very informative.


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## DaveDragon (Jan 2, 2009)

Deafbum said:


> Oh so those will work? They are $13 dollars here in california thought


Oh wait!! I think the ones I used were 210 lb casters ($6), not 250 lb (probably $13). The casters are only for rarely moving.


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## RehabRalphy (Jan 18, 2009)

Since the conversion, something in the code deleted pieces of my post. Thank god that I have a backup note file with the tutorial.


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## CuriousTegu760 (Jan 18, 2009)

Yes this was a great post, I'll have to make this!


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## Wooly (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey these are some awesome plans. I will for sure make this very soon. I was going to buy a boamaster, but I think I may give these plans a try first. Thanks alot for the detailed list and instructions.


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## RehabRalphy (Feb 16, 2009)

*Re:*



PuffDragon said:


> For an indoor setup. Do you find the 2 light fixtures on each end enough to provide the proper heat gradient? I plan on using this template for my 10x4 and would like some input.



I know that you posted this a long time ago, but I'll see if I could provide some input for future readers.

I use 3 light fixtures. On one side I have a MVB and a floodlight. On the other I have a regular house light. Surprisingly, yes, the temp gradient is perfect. The flood is wired to a dimmer. Without the dimmer, it was reaching temps of 130*F+ on the hot side (tested before anything was placed inside the cage) and literally melted my digital thermometer. Last temp read was 135 but like I said, it melted, so it could have gotten hotter, and this was only after 30 mins of being on.


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## RehabRalphy (Feb 16, 2009)

On a side note, I did have issues with humidity during the dry seasons. If you do choose to use this tutorial and live in a dry climate, you may want to possibly consider using a plexiglass front door instead of the mesh. Or... do what I did, connect a series of PVC tubes to a humidifier and route the tubes into the cage. Solves that problem


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## RehabRalphy (Feb 16, 2009)

*Re:*



DaveDragon said:


> I used the $6 250lb casters from Home Depot.



Discount hardware stores are the best. Big box stores over charge the simplest things.


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## LouDog760 (Feb 19, 2009)

What about the Linoleum you were talking about?


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## RehabRalphy (Feb 19, 2009)

At the time, I didnt think about using it for this monster sized cage.


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## LouDog760 (Feb 20, 2009)

I see, do you think it would of been better or is the cage fine now.


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## RehabRalphy (Apr 2, 2009)

Nah its fine at the moment. It would take a lot of linoleum and patience to put it in this beast, and that my friend I dont have


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## Strange_Evil (Jul 16, 2011)

*Bump* For all the new members who didn't see this yet, its really helpful, i might(maybe) actually try to build my own enclosure now .. Really useful!


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## chr0nus (Jul 19, 2011)

im thinking of building this myself but im wondering if im missing anything important with stuff like this: Other common house hold supplies:
4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws
3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â screws

and like this:
You will need to put more on the bottom due to thatÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s where the weight will be.

whats up with all those symbols? anyone have the whole plans?


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## Rhetoric (Jul 19, 2011)

http://www.redtailboa.net/forums/how-tos-tutorials/27834-8x4x4-tegu-cage-tutorial.html


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## chr0nus (Jul 19, 2011)

thanks, looking forward to building this.


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## Rhetoric (Jul 19, 2011)

If you do, I would suggest doing glass instead of the mesh. The mesh doesn't seem like it would be able to hold humidity well. I was planning on building this for my savy before I had to re-home him. I think there are a few members on here who have built this enclosure or something very similar to it.


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## adam1120 (Jul 19, 2011)

you dont think the mesh will work?what if you keep the mulch moist ?i was thinking if it didnt work i could but just put plexi glass put it on some hendges and make it come either up/ down easy but will work i think.


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## Rhetoric (Jul 19, 2011)

You can certainly try it, I think the holes in the mesh are too large and will make it very difficult if not impossible to keep humidity in. You could also try adding moist/humid hides to help with sheds and humidity. When I thought about doing it for my savy I had thought about doing the mesh but also doing plexi glass or glass doors as well, I hadn't thought about it too in depth. 
I think James built something similar to this enclosure, you can probably ask him his thoughts on it as well.


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## james.w (Jul 19, 2011)

I don't think the mesh would work unless you are using it outdoors in Florida. It allows too much heat and humidity to escape. I would use glass because it won't scratch like plexi, but plexi will work.


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## chr0nus (Jul 20, 2011)

good thing i live in central florida : P


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## adam1120 (Jul 20, 2011)

you dont think glass is too heavy? for hendges? if not ill buy the slider thingys online.


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## fisheric (Jul 20, 2011)

Plexi does scratch really easy. If you could find a used 50 gal aquarium on CL just cut the silicon and use the two 4' sections as doors.


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## adam1120 (Jul 20, 2011)

i have a local glass place looks reallly old and im pretty sure they sell glass cheaplol is glass cheap?>


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## james.w (Jul 20, 2011)

I have glass, wood framed doors that swing downward on hinges and don't have any problems with the weight.


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## fisheric (Jul 20, 2011)

adam1120 said:


> i have a local glass place looks reallly old and im pretty sure they sell glass cheaplol is glass cheap?>



It depends. Glass can be really cheap if you salvage it from a window or tank.

At the hardware store it can get more expensive. Plus it has to be cut.

If you were working on a 8' enclosure you could get/make a track. so that one side slides over the other. You could have one side all the way open at a time.

I may build something like this next time


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## Rhetoric (Jul 20, 2011)

I have plexi on one enclosure and while its really light it scratches really easily and dosnt look very great as a display enclosure. I have real glass on gurus enclosure an its been amazing,if you can afford it id suggest skipping the plexi.


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## james.w (Jul 20, 2011)

Here are a couple pictures of mine. I believe it is 1/4" thick glass, but is not tempered. Cost roughly $40 for both pieces.


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## adam1120 (Jul 20, 2011)

yea lol i love your tank haha ur is the one i showed my gf thats excatly how i want mine to be lol expect with gold hendges


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## Ebrech (Jul 21, 2011)

hum it's nice but how do you make it fit tru the door if you want to have it inside ? xD


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## james.w (Jul 22, 2011)

I had to take my sliding glass door out and it is in my dining room.


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## thomasjg23 (Dec 2, 2011)

Anyone know how to view the pictures for this thread?


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## tegtaker007 (Jan 12, 2012)

great how to. im going use this as a guide for sure!


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## Non Crimen (Jan 25, 2012)

Ebrech said:


> hum it's nice but how do you make it fit tru the door if you want to have it inside ? xD



I had a friends Grandpa make ours. He built it in two pieces or sections each 24 inches wide and then used door hinges for reassembly once it is in our son's room. I think my son posted some photos.


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## RehabRalphy (Jul 27, 2012)

Eh you could build it in pieces, or build it inside of the room that you want it in. I chose to put casters on this one and roll it in and out of the garage. This thing has been torn down for years now though lol.


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## Andrew Farrell (Nov 2, 2015)

Hey! So I am looking into a Tegu but the cages I've found are expensive as I only have the room to also use the cage as a bed stand. (I have 0 space haha) I was wondering if I added extra supports if it could hold a twin sized bed and up to a 180 LB male? Thanks - Andrew


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