# Should I Get A Chacoan?



## Matthew Colella (Nov 28, 2013)

I was looking at some Chacoans at Tegu Terra, and I was wondering if I should get one. It would really help if I could get some advice


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## RickyNo (Nov 28, 2013)

How much experience do you have with reptiles?


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 28, 2013)

I've had a Columbian Tegu and a Leopard Gecko


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## RickyNo (Nov 28, 2013)

A couple of things you need to ask yourself

1. Do I have the money to provide for a larger lizard?
2. Will I have the 1000 plus dollars its going to take to build a 4x8 enclosure for a chocoan?
3. Do I have a place to put such a large enclosure inside the house?
4. Am I going to be able to keep this lizard for its full lifetime?


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

1.yes
2.no, but I have a 100 gallon aquarium I used for the Columbian
3.yes
4.yes


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

if you can't get the right size cage than I would say no. The 100 gallon would last you 8 months or so though


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

I'll look for a bigger enclosure soon


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

I fed my Columbian fuzzy mice, how long can I feed the Chacoan fuzzy mice?


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

That enclosure isn't going to cost a 1000 dollars I only spent 95 on the actual wood and another 30 or 40 on the plexiglass and the waterproofing was like 10 bucks. Haha did you build yours out of gold bars lol


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

Your crazy dood I have 400 in wood alone if not more. Sure If you want to build a cheap box that wont last have fun with that. you want to build an enclosure that he can burrow in as well.


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

What did you build it out of mine is birch and it was 45 a sheet and I only used two!


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

any blueprints I could use to build a appropriate size enclosure?


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

[="AssassinExotics, post: 143452, member: 4768"]What dids birch and it was 45 a sheet and I only used two![/quote]
There's no way you built a 4x8 with 2 sheets bro

You also have to include price for lighting, heat emitter and thermostat. This is all of course your doing this the right way.


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

That's not how I built mine it's just a 8x2x2 and I used 2 sheets of 8x4. The wood was 90 total the substrate was 10 and the lights I already had but they were probably 70 or 80 bucks in lighting the door slides were another 10 and I didn't pay for the plexiglass but it's probably 30-50 bucks maybe more so that's like a total of 250 total


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

2 feet wide? Thats bad dood. So an 2x8x2 gives your tegu no burrow room. Chocoans need 4x8 minimum.


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

I don't have a Chacoan and theres plenty of room to burrow also that's all I could fit through my door anyways


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

I have mine in 2 sections so it can fit through the door sideways. If it was just one whole unit moving it would be next to impossible


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

Yeah mine barely fit as is but I'm getting a baby blue so I won't need my cage for a while and the blues stay smaller so he or she will be good


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

I have a question, do you guys recommend Tegu Terra


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

well they are a site sponsor so I can't say it wouldn't be a bad idea


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

Every one says Bobby Hill is a bad guy, is that true?


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

Yeah tegu terra and Ty park are the best in my opinion.


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

Matthew Colella said:


> Every one says Bobby Hill is a bad guy, is that true?


Yes bobby is a bad guy now but back a few years I think that he truly did love and care for these animals and he used to be the best but now he doesn't breed tegus and has disappeared who knows where


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

I might just get an b/w instead, they don't need such a large enclosure


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

Some chacoans don't even grow that large some people don't even consider chacoans a separate locality from the b and w and some people keep large reds in the same size as a regular black and white.


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

even if you go with a black and white recommended cage size is still 4 by 8


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Nov 29, 2013)

I agree, no smaller than an 8x4. Be sure to check whether Johnny (Teguterra) has hatchlings or juvies, he usually has juvies this time of year and I would not suggest putting juvie in an 100gallon. Glass tanks really arent for tegus as it makes holding heat and humidity hard and its not wise to get an animal before you have a proper set up and the knowledge, like diet. So maybe its best to wait until your fully prepared. To answer your question, yes they can eat fuzzy mice or larger depending on how large the tegu is but that shouldnt be the only thing in their diet. They need a large variety of food sources along with fruits/veggies.


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

Then so be it, I shall build a custom enclosure in the Summer.


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

Currently, the temp in the tank is 90-100 degrees. Until I can get a custom tank built, how can I keep the humidity levels high?


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Nov 29, 2013)

whats the basking temp in the enclosure though? cool side should be 75, hot side 90, with a basking surface temp (you need a temp gun to measure) 115-130


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

Lets start a shopping list:
1. Supplies for custom enclosure
2. Temp Gun
3. Some veggies
Shouldn't cost too much


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

Lol number 1 is gonna cost ya


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Nov 29, 2013)

Your definitely not being realistic. lol


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## Matthew Colella (Nov 29, 2013)

So no matter which species it should be 8x4?


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## AssassinExotics (Nov 29, 2013)

I just blew 80+ on lighting and cypress haha there costly but worth it and that's just for two babies!


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

I like to make sure my animals are comfortable. An animal thats just a foot or two shorter than yourself being forced to cramp into something not rated for its size is just cruel. I mean how would you feel if you were forced to spend your life in a 3x4 room? You would go insane wouldnt you? a happy tegu is a nice tegu  I still feel kinda bad I only built enough burrow space for 1.5ft. I know a whole lot more now and didnt know it should have been 2 ft! But even then hes still spoilt


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Nov 29, 2013)

I built one of my cages and it was a 8x3x30inches, just lumber, screws, hinges, glass, locks, lighting, sealant, silicone was about $700... not including bulbs or substrate. I dont understand how people say they built them for only $100!


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## RickyNo (Nov 29, 2013)

Ya it gets freakin pricey. When mine is done im sure ill be up to 2 grand if not more.


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## Midwestmonster (Dec 14, 2013)

Matthew Colella said:


> I have a question, do you guys recommend Tegu Terra



Yes. Johnny's service is top notch! I got my chacoan from him and he's amazing. Totally tame and trusting. Couldn't be more happy!


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## james B (Jun 24, 2014)

Matthew Colella said:


> I was looking at some Chacoans at Tegu Terra, and I was wondering if I should get one. It would really help if I could get some advice





Matthew Colella said:


> I was looking at some Chacoans at Tegu Terra, and I was wondering if I should get one. It would really help if I could get some advice


You can get them at underground reptiles right now for 150 i got two. Highly recomond they were very tame compared to others i have expericed.


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## Matthew Colella (Jul 3, 2014)

Already got one tegu, don't have enough room for another


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## Shaneofall (Oct 23, 2014)

@RickyNo That is an awesome cage! I did construction for years, and that should keep a bear from getting out. There is never overkill when it comes to how you want to build a cage, but when it comes to efficiency and budget, a similar sized cage can be done for less and with less framing.


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## Rebecca Stout (Oct 23, 2014)

Oh man, thanks to whomever up above that said it can take more than a grand to build one of these things. I was NOT prepared. People told me it was 300-400. Because of that, it took time for us to save up money and supplies and my girl had to live in the bathroom for a while. Thank GOD it was teeny and I could actually get the humidity up over 60, have lights, etc at that time. If you want to get an idea about Tegu's (but you are not a beginner, I was ...this is from a beginners perspective) go to www.wolfystegu.weebly.com Mine was supposed to be Chacoan so we built and planned for that. Given her size now, I know she is not. I didn't go with Ty or TeguTerra unfortunately. I love her to death, she is great. But not what I planned. Oh well.


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## RickyNo (Oct 23, 2014)

@Shaneofall ive got roughly 3k into this but its no normal cage on the inside lol

before paint


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## Shaneofall (Oct 24, 2014)

@RickyNo Looks good. Are you able to breed / keep a pair in this set-up? Or planning to?


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## RickyNo (Oct 24, 2014)

No I dont plan on breeding Tegu's. When I buy a house next year and have more property im going to start breeding rare exotics.


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## glk832 (Jan 26, 2015)

This cage is amazing man how does the finished product look


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## sr3052 (Aug 27, 2015)

Call me crazy but I just spent $950 on enclosure from beeger boxes beautiful enclosure a bit pricey but will last forever it's made out of pvc go check them out its a 6x3x28 and that's plenty of room for a tegu.
www.beegerboxes.com


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## Rebecca Stout (Aug 27, 2015)

You're actually not crazy. I know a lot of people say they only spent something like 300 dollars in supplies to make an enclosure. I'm not saying they are lying, but they are definitely underestimating the tiny costs that add up. Not to mention if you have no access to used materials. Take a look at my blog... the cost of a cheap, plain box type of enclosure is broken all down. This was a conservative examination. Exact cost is not listed, but the general one is : http://wolfystegu.weebly.com/blog/how-much-money


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## Walter1 (Aug 27, 2015)

sr3052- Sure, that's a lot of money for most of us, but if you feel it was fair and it works, then you win. I checked out the site. From what I could tell, they should be easy to clean, which is a definite plus for any pet's cage.


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## thatoneguy (Aug 27, 2015)

I built my cage for under $300, but that does not include things like lights and fixtures, substrate and all the other things that add up really quick. Also the price of tools if you don't already have them would be a big part.


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