# Tegu caging



## Anthonyc (Apr 1, 2012)

I would like to know if a 7x3x3 cage will last a tegu its whole life. I would also like to know if i can us top soil as bedding. Also id like to know the average cost for the cage, lighting, and furniture for the tegu. Thanks

Sorry im new to this


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## james.w (Apr 1, 2012)

That size cage will more than likely be ok. When you say top soil, do you mean dirt or like potting soil? Depending on products used a cage that size could be built from around $250 on up.


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## Jbrew_Tegu (Apr 1, 2012)

Bringing a tegu into your life or family is an exciting thing!!Owning a tegu and and all the tasks and care associated with it are a rewarding experience ONLY if you are passionate about it in my mind. I would suggest taking some time to do extensive research on the costs of housing, feeding, and possible vet care, etc. There are many do's and don'ts when proper care of a pet tegu is at hand(family member to myself). Many get these beautiful and awesome animals thinking they will feed and care for it, but are not really prepared for it due to financial restrictions and time constraints that life presents us on a daily basis. I would suggest doing the research(many resources out there try just googling, "tegu care" including the type whether it is argentine or columbian,etc) then once you have established whether or not you can afford the time to care for the animal and just importantly the money, then ask whom you get it from for proper care instructions (tegu care sheet) and if they cannot provide you with this type of adequate information then I would not suggest to get one from them because it proves they should not be caring or much less distributing these awesome creatures. Tegus are great and do require much more care then your average pet and have essential needs or they will develop deficiencies such as m.b.d. (metabolic bone disease) and some other common problems that are a direct result of improper care. I think it is awesome that you are wanting a tegu. I am also getting a new tegu soon enough(waiting for hatching) and had a tegu years back, but I had to give it away because I was called to duty to serve a 12 month tour in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. At the time I had no one to care for it while I was away so I had a friend who owned an exotic pet store take to be his shop mascot. . Anyways anthonyc do your research, join forums like this to get husbandry advice and tips. Good luck and hope to hear more about your tegu when you get it.


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## Anthonyc (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks, i have a good idea of what to do, but the money is a small problem


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## TegusRawsome80 (Apr 1, 2012)

If you don't have the money to build a cage, you won't have the money to feed it, heat it, and pay for vet bills if something happens. Not to be rude, but I wouldn't get one yet.


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## Jbrew_Tegu (Apr 2, 2012)

....having a little put away for the just in case type things are also a good idea. Researching local vet's in your area are a must because not all vets are experienced enough with reptiles in general, much less tegus. I definitely understand the money aspect. I would say having a pet tegu requires roughly depending on when and where you get the food is about 50 to 60 bucks a month in expenses. Also depends on the quality of the food items you obtain for them. The cost will depend on how much your tegu is eating and what not, plus if you allow them to brumate (hibernate) that is a 6-7 month period where they are not fed at all, only lighting and heat are essentail, plus water but some wont even drink then. So all in all a tegu is affordable, but you must plan for it. Caging will be the most initial and expensive variable in the cost besides the tegu, but you cannot put a price on them. I would suggest finding a second hand 30 - 40 gal aquarium for them for their first 6 months to a year, and while they are in that be planning and building a permanent enclosure. Something at least 6ftL x3ftW x 2ft6inH(make sure you can get it from where it was built into your house and room it will go in by measuring door widths, etc.) Tegus also need to be held at least 1-2 hours a day and bathed at least 3 times per week, plus cage maintenance is a must. Proper tegu care is about as time consuming as a part-time job ranging from 21-30 hours a week. But man it is a cool ass part-time job. Any questions that you need answered just ask because there is no such thing as dumb question. Or thats what they say... it what i guess I am stressing is that if your going to do something, do it right, and the first time. Especially when it comes to animals they can suffer slowly and die when they are not taken care of properly. To give it to them you must be passionate about it.

anthonyc:
Oh and using top soil I would not do. I think this will be a good resource for you to use and gauge whether or not you are ready financially. The cage size you mentioned would be just fine, make sure you research cages as far as set ups, and the proper and safe material to build them from. When tegus are babies they should be in a smaller enclosure (like the aquarium that was mentioned earlier) because putting hatch-lings or babies by themselves in a 7x3x3 enclosure has been known to stress them out, but you can always try and then make adjustments based on how they react. 

here is a pretty darn good care sheet link, check it out:

http://varnyard-herps-inc.com/

put that in you web browser and click on "Tegu Care" link (top left).


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## james.w (Apr 2, 2012)

Jbrew, what is your experience with tegus? You are putting quite a bit of misinformation in this thread.


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## Aba Zappa (Apr 2, 2012)

I would say that would be a large enough enclosure, just make sure you let 'em out for exercise that should be done regardless though. As for using soil, i just switched from mulch to soil w/ some mulch mixed in. My guy hasn't had any issues... though he also hasn't been out in a couple of weeks. Just make sure you get plain old soil a lot of companies throw fertilizers and what not in there just check the packaging. A local nursery will most likely have what you need. If it's been kept outside though time consuming it would be best to bake or something of the like before you put it in to kill off any insect eggs and what not. Unless you and your gu don't mind bugs in ur house. 

To circumvent cost you can drive around look for an appropriate size/shaped piece of furniture on the side of the road. With a little creativity and elbow grease most dressers and what have you can be turned into an enclosure with relatively little work, if you go that route just make sure you sand all the finish off and seal it properly. 

As others have stated though please make sure you a financially able to support a tegu before you get one... sucks but why risk the lizard due to impatience.
My initial investment for my tegu lizard, enclosure lights, ect was probably in the 700$ area. After that (when he wasn't hibernating) i would guess about 50 bucks a month on food.
You have to be prepared for those oh crap expenses though...like dropping a light dome and breaking a new MVB bulb. Lucky enough though expenses go down for half the year... so thats a chance to save pennies. 

Hope that was useful for ya.


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## Jbrew_Tegu (Apr 2, 2012)

Aba Zappa said:


> I would say that would be a large enough enclosure, just make sure you let 'em out for exercise that should be done regardless though. As for using soil, i just switched from mulch to soil w/ some mulch mixed in. My guy hasn't had any issues... though he also hasn't been out in a couple of weeks. Just make sure you get plain old soil a lot of companies throw fertilizers and what not in there just check the packaging. A local nursery will most likely have what you need. If it's been kept outside though time consuming it would be best to bake or something of the like before you put it in to kill off any insect eggs and what not. Unless you and your gu don't mind bugs in ur house.
> 
> To circumvent cost you can drive around look for an appropriate size/shaped piece of furniture on the side of the road. With a little creativity and elbow grease most dressers and what have you can be turned into an enclosure with relatively little work, if you go that route just make sure you sand all the finish off and seal it properly.
> 
> ...



Much agreed aba zappa. 

When I mentioned soil earlier maybe I should have been more specific for the people who like to analyze a criticize what other members say(james.w) I meant not to use your regular potting soil which includes fertilizers, larva, bugs---care sheets go over all of this... Everything else I mentioned was from my 15+ years with reptiles, plus education(presently in 2nd semester LSU School of Veterinary Medicine thank you very much). If I need to post my resume for your approval let me know bud!!!


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## james.w (Apr 2, 2012)

Jbrew_Tegu said:


> Much agreed aba zappa.
> 
> When I mentioned soil earlier maybe I should have been more specific for the people who like to analyze a criticize what other members say(james.w) I meant not to use your regular potting soil which includes fertilizers, larva, bugs---care sheets go over all of this... Everything else I mentioned was from my 15+ years with reptiles, plus education(presently in 2nd semester LSU School of Veterinary Medicine thank you very much). If I need to post my resume for your approval let me know bud!!!



First off, all I did was ask your experience with TEGUS. The problem is some of the info you are giving is incorrect, so I assume you have none. 

A 30-40 gallon aquarium will not last a very long time and unless you have one just laying around is a waste of money.

Top soil is fine as substrate, as well as bugs in the substrate. They will keep it clean.

A tegu does not have to be held 1-2 hours daily for any reason. I rarely handled mine and he was tame as could be. 

They only NEED to be bathed/soaked if the humidity is not correct in the enclosure. 

The fact that you supposedly have 15+ years of experience and are a 2nd semester student mean nothing. There are plenty of reptile hobbyists that don't even know what a tegu is, as well as plenty of vets that have no idea how to provide for a tegu (if they even know what one is).

So no need to try to be an internet tough guy, I was simply asking a question.


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## Aba Zappa (Apr 2, 2012)

I just found the random bugs floating around my room to piss me off more then my tegu so i just wanted to put that out there, if the enclosure is in your house the bugs will find a way out there.


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## krazyeyez (Apr 3, 2012)

Follow up on my thread " found solution for size req's"... Most breeds won't out grow that as a housing environment, but you'll still need to take them out to play, prey, and explore... They turn into the sad walrus at sea world if they don't get some funtime.
give some serious thought to what you want for them, you can drop a lot of money into it and still come up with issues; humidity, mold, mites.... Do not use screen material for sides, they can tear a finger nail or toe right off. 
You should really only use beach sand or bark for bedding bc soils retain mites and grow mold.... Talk to a local petstore owner, not petsmart, someone who has exotics, and ask them if they can order you a large bag of Cyprus if orchid bark( they retain lots of humidity without bugs or mold) and will set you back about $25 but will last a few months before change out. Do not get pine shavings like they use in rat cages, reptiles have a high sensitivity and sometimes allergies to acidic perfumey woods and plants.
Your biggest concern is Gunna be humidity, if you're Gunna keep indoors. A/c will dry out the air, so keep an eye on your cage, soak or mist bedding about every week, I do mine while she's soaking in the tub. Short of that you can get an automated humidity control and machine... Check out reptiledirect.com for a good deal on a digital hygrotherm and a fogger/mister

Hope that helps


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## Jbrew_Tegu (Apr 3, 2012)

I really like how the members in this thread are providing really good info based on their experiences with their tegus. Having many points of view can really help, plus the geographical area you come from can have an impact especially with humidity concerns, in my area the humidity is not so much a problem but I feel animals should be bathed on a regular basis if they are living in your house. I live in southeast Louisiana and the humidity within my house is usually around 60-65% with the a/c on 72. I never have an issue within an enclosure as far as humidity goes with any of my reptiles. Making sure your enclosure can handle the humidity is important as well, occurrences such as warping, rotting, etc can occur. Having a great sealant/water-proofing agent is just as important as the enclosure itself. When material such as ply wood comes under a constant change of temp. and humidity it tends to warp which can significantly compromise the structural integrity of your enclosure over time. I am currently building my own custom tegu enclosure(6'x3'x2'6") and have been doing a lot of research with styles, materials,sealants, and other peoples experiences with building them. I got myself through my first 5 years of college working within the residential construction field, specifically framing. I am also descent with Auto-Cad and am going to finish the "blue prints" so to say and convert them to a .pdf file and post them in case anyone wants to use them as a basis for building theirs. There are also many cage building companies, but are high dollar$$$ that provide some visuals of their cages that you can base your design off of. In my opinion it's all about fulfilling the needs of your tegu the best and safest way possible without compromising yourself or your family economically. I hope some of this was helpful, I know I can jabber and go on, and on.....

You can buy this guy's book for I think about 10 or 15 bucks and I have heard good reviews about it outside of his website as well.

http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com/examples.html

He goes over styles, safe materials, you name it he covers it. And if her doesn't you can contact him and he will. His name is Mark Chapple.


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## Anthonyc (Apr 3, 2012)

Will cypress mulch work? And i now have about a grand to use on the enclosure and the tegu, and i have plenty for food. I would also like to know if there friendly to dogs, becuz i fear my golden retriever will hide from the miniture dinosaurI also will be going in the that field of work jbrew_tegu. 

One last thing, is tjere anyway i could purchase an argentine in june? Thanks


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## james.w (Apr 3, 2012)

Cypress mulch is great. They can get along with dogs/cats but you should always be supervising their interactions. Both can cause severe damage to the other, I have a friend who just lost her tegu due to a fatal accident with a dog. 

CBB Argentines generally start hatching around June, so you shouldn't have a problem finding one.


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## m3s4 (Apr 3, 2012)

james.w said:


> Cypress mulch is great. They can get along with dogs/cats but you should always be supervising their interactions. Both can cause severe damage to the other, *I have a friend who just lost her tegu due to a fatal accident with a dog. *
> 
> CBB Argentines generally start hatching around June, so you shouldn't have a problem finding one.



Sorry to hear that. 

You can add me to that list as well though because the same happened to me in the fall of last year. 

Some dogs are small-animal aggressive, some aren't. Some tegus see dogs as a threat, some don't. Supervision, I would like to add, should be mandatory anytime you have your tegu around another animal/pet.

If I had other pets, the only way I'd keep them together is if I raised them both together as babies/puppies. 

Just remember, it takes about 5 seconds for a medium sized dog to grab a tegu by the neck, give it two or three shakes and it's a wrap for your tegu.


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## Jbrew_Tegu (Apr 3, 2012)

Anthonyc said:


> Will cypress mulch work? And i now have about a grand to use on the enclosure and the tegu, and i have plenty for food. I would also like to know if there friendly to dogs, becuz i fear my golden retriever will hide from the miniture dinosaurI also will be going in the that field of work jbrew_tegu.
> 
> One last thing, is tjere anyway i could purchase an argentine in june? Thanks





Yea most definitely cypress mulch will work(just make sure it is clean like discussed previously). A grand would be well enough for a darn good enclosure, a tegu(depending the type on which they range from $150 to $400).I would get one from Varnyard Herps owned by Bobby Hill. As far as your retriever goes and the tegu as a baby, best to not let them near one another unless you are supervising(your dog could injure it or kill it depending on the nature of your golden retriever, what I am trying to say is use good judgement and introduce them in a neutral area. 

Glad to hear you will be going into Vet Med. I started off wanting to be an engineer(got my B.S. in industrial engineering) then hated it, went back to get B.S. in Biology which initially I wanted to do nursing, but ended up doing Vet Med because of my passion for animals. It has been great so far, but very challenging. 

In regards to getting a tegu for June that is very possible. I know Bobby at Varnyard Herps is taking deposits for the 2012 season, of which I think he still has Regular Black and White Argentine, Extreme Giants, and maybe another kind, I know he is out of the All American which are a cross-bread. They are to hatch around May or June from what he told me, also they cannot be shipped until they are about 3 weeks old.I would suggest calling him or emailing him to find out, and then once you figure out which would be best for you put a deposit down. Once they hatch the remainder of the amount is due and he will ship it to you over night via USPS after about 3 weeks after the hatch date to ensure they are healthy and eating and all that good stuff.


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## Anthonyc (Apr 4, 2012)

thanks, and there is also a guinea pig in the house, which my dog doesnt mind. Also one last question, if i let my tegu free roam, will he poop werever he wants, or will he go in his cage


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