# Question about Tegus!



## ChristopherDayton (Mar 3, 2008)

Alright, so in reality I wont be able to get a Tegu until next year.. but in the meantime I would love to build a large enclosure (9' x 3' x 3') would there be a problem with keeping a baby in its final cage right from the start?


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## shiftylarry (Mar 3, 2008)

Yes and no. If the cage has hides in it, which it should, it will be harder to interact with him in that vast space. Others might also argue that it would be harder for them to find their food (I personally think tegus are smart enough to figure out where their food dish is). The biggest problem people seem to have with large enclosures is not being able to see their tegu. It makes them nervous. I say, if your temps and humidity are right and in general you are confident in your abilities to go for it. Others will have a difference in opinion, I'm sure, and that's fine.


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## snakehandler (Mar 3, 2008)

If he feels safe enough in it i see no problem.


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## DZLife (Mar 3, 2008)

shiftylarry said:


> Yes and no. If the cage has hides in it, which it should, it will be harder to interact with him in that vast space. Others might also argue that it would be harder for them to find their food (I personally think tegus are smart enough to figure out where their food dish is). The biggest problem people seem to have with large enclosures is not being able to see their tegu. It makes them nervous. I say, if your temps and humidity are right and in general you are confident in your abilities to go for it. Others will have a difference in opinion, I'm sure, and that's fine.



I agree; if a baby tegu is put in a large enclosure, it might get nervous or stressed alot. Think about it: in the wild, if a tegu is in a large open space, they may be more vulnerable to be attack by a predatorial animal. If you do proved adequate hide spaces, this probably won't be a problem, however, the hide spaces may make it more difficult to interact with your 'gu.
In my honest oppinion, I would keep an eye on your local classifieds (ex. craigslist) for a suitable yet cheap cage to keep your 'lil sweetie in until he/she gets a bit bigger.


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## shiftylarry (Mar 3, 2008)

Exactly. Tegus get stressed out in these open spaces, because people want to see and display they're animals. So, they don't put in any hides at all and you have a stressed out tegu.


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## VARNYARD (Mar 3, 2008)

That is just not true, I have never seen a tegu stress because of having too much space. I think this is a fable about many reptiles, how big is Argentina, yet tegus are not extinct. The same could be said about many species this has been made up about. Ball pythons have the whole continent of Africa, yet people claim they stress in a 20 long enclosure. Common sense says it is a false fact, and baseless. However, it is set as the law with many species, it just does not come close to adding up when using common sense.


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## shiftylarry (Mar 3, 2008)

There's a difference though, Argentina is loaded with burrows, rock crevices, hollow logs ect. These hides are essential to the routine of their lives. I'm not arguing against big spaces, I'm really arguing against big spaces without any hides. If the tegu has a football field size enclosure, that's fine, as long as he can retreat to a hide when he feels threatened.


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## ChristopherDayton (Mar 3, 2008)

the cage will obviously have hides and all the good stuff. I will be feeding outside the enclosure anyways. I was just curious.. I know with a spider it can be a problem and they get freaked out. but thats a little different. I have other tanks 55 and a 90 it can work its way up to the big one.. I dont mind. I was just curious about what people thought


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## redtail2426 (Mar 3, 2008)

I put my hatchling in his full grown enclosure right of the get go and he loved it. Had no issues with interacting with him either when they want to interact they will find you trust me. My tegu just about beats down his front door when he wants to get out. :-D


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## VARNYARD (Mar 3, 2008)

I put my 2 week old hatchlings in a 2x8ft outside enclosures, they do not have hides, they do have about 6 inches of cypress mulch that the burrow in though. I have never had any problems with them stressing at all.


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## ChristopherDayton (Mar 3, 2008)

okay thats great! thanks people!


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## VARNYARD (Mar 3, 2008)

Here is some pictures of the baby bins, these are 2ft x 8ft x 2ft.


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## ColdThirst (Mar 3, 2008)

I put mine directly into a 8x3x3 and hes fine, at the same time he was allready 2 feet long. If it was me and I got him smaller than that, I would have kept him in a 40gal breeder until he got to big for that, just so I could get him out easily and be able to find him when I wanted to show him off to friends, and even though my big cage is set up for a foot of mulch for him to burrow in, I only put five inches in it because with only that much he is still hard to find. And as he gets bigger, and the mulch doesn't cover him, ill put more in and he has multiple burrows in it on the hot and cool ends and under hides and sleeps in them every night and about noon he climbs out and goes to his basking spot


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## shiftylarry (Mar 3, 2008)

Bobby, do you think there would be a different reaction from your babies if there was glass on all sides?


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## VARNYARD (Mar 4, 2008)

shiftylarry said:


> Bobby, do you think there would be a different reaction from your babies if there was glass on all sides?



No, not really, tegus are not very shy, and it takes a good bit to stress them. I would not use glass on outdoor enclosures though, this would cause it to over heat like an oven.


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## shiftylarry (Mar 4, 2008)

> I would not use glass on outdoor enclosures though, this would cause it to over heat like an oven.


LOL! Don't do it Bobby, we like your tegus! Only hypothetical circumstance.

I must say, it is interesting how different some lizards are. Certain species would die of stress, while others have evolved to withstand it. 

I do have another question for you, where do you live? And do you have to cope with animals like raccoons causing trouble? Have you ever lost a tegu that ate a wild toad or something? I know housing outside is beneficial for a number of reasons, but I've always been afraid to try.

Thanks

-Chris


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## DZLife (Mar 4, 2008)

VARNYARD said:


> shiftylarry said:
> 
> 
> > Bobby, do you think there would be a different reaction from your babies if there was glass on all sides?
> ...



What about a glass enclosure in a garage?


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## VARNYARD (Mar 4, 2008)

That would be fine, but not in the sun.


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## gebris353 (Mar 4, 2008)

Actually my enclosures sides are made out of thick glass but she only sleeps there and sun doesnt reach it so it's fine. I like that way so when see wakes up we can see her from the corridor, no need to enter the room, just a fast view on the walk to check. :-D


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