# Setting up my tegu enclosure



## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 10, 2013)

Hi, im going to get an argentine tegu in march so i have alot of qeustions about setting it up (thers gonna be alot so u dont have to read all of it but if u could please answer a few that would be great thanks!). Is cypress mulch the best substrate? and if yes is it good if i get it at lowes or home depot? how do i clean the substrate (do i replase it after like a month?), is it possible to train them do their business on a newspaper or somthing? Is 60% humidity good? does moss bring up humidity withought producing mold? Should i put branches in for it to climb or do they not climb? Are big plastic tubs better enclosures than glass tank (when its a baby, and providing the right temps and humidity), does it matter what type of plywood i use to make the enclosure? once the frame is made do i have to put any type of glue in the cracks (between the connecting peices of wood. If a part of the enclosure doesnt have a top how high do the walls have to be so it doesnt climb out as an adult (i cant explain it but the one im gonna make is gonna have half with a top and half withought one). Thank u for reading any answer u give to any qeustion will be helpful thanks!


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## james.w (Feb 10, 2013)

How are you going to keep heat and humidity in without a top?


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 10, 2013)

well that half would be the cooler side (also with less humidity) cuz in my room its usually 75-80, but the half that has a top (its basically a box but thers an oppening on the bottom so he can go out) will have the right temps from heat pads and heat lamps from on top, and ill keep the humidity by spraying the cypress mulch and the moss im gonna put in. Its complicated to explain how it is but half of it has a basking spot and ambient temps with high humidity, and the other side is cooler and has less humidity


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## james.w (Feb 10, 2013)

Just build a proper enclosure.

Is Cypress the best substrate? - I wouldn't say it is the best, but it is good. I like using dirt, it holds humidity very well and is diggable and burrowable. If you do go with cypress, Lowes or Home Depot is fine to purchase from.

I don't believe it is possible to "potty train" them at all. You can use the bathtub for "potty training" as they will generally go when they are put in warm water.

A plastic tub would be the same as an aquarium because you would have to have some sort of opening in the top to get UVB to the animal.

You can use any type of plywood and it will have to be sealed with caulking in the seams and some sort of wood sealant (drylok, polyurethane) to protect it from the damp substrate and humidity.

Don't worry about how high the sides would have to be, just put a top on the entire enclosure.


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## TeguBlake (Feb 11, 2013)

There are tons of stuff you can read and learn on here, so go check out tegu talk, search your question at the top. in the search tegutalk box. and i would just build a correct enclosure if you really want to make your tegu happy and healthy. if your going to put up the resposabillity of takeing care of one of these beautiful lizards you need to ready and prepared, i wish you best of luck


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## tjohnson722 (Feb 11, 2013)

I agree, its so flipping hard to hold humidity and heat in an aquarium or a tub. Customs aren't hard. A box made out of plywood, plexiglass or an old sliding window, polyurethane, decorations and substrate, heat, then the Tegu. It will honestly be best. These animals are expensive and smart. They deserve to have a good home. 

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2


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## Dubya (Feb 11, 2013)

When Gwangi was little, I used a very big clear plastic storage tub with vent holes drilled with a spade bit. I cut a large hole in the top to mount his light dome and covered the hole with 1/2 inch hardware cloth held on with zip ties. It was cheap and bought me time to build his large enclosure. Hardwood ply makes a nicer finished enclosure than exterior ply and if you are keeping it indoors, I wouldn't worry about it since you are painting and waterproofing it anyway.
One more thing. The cypress mulch from garden centers has a lot of big pieces. I was concerned about impaction, so I switched from the mulch to coconut fiber and then to peat moss for his large enclosure. So far the peat has proven to be good and cheap. I spot clean whenever I see any droppings. I scoop a bunch of peat around the dropping to catch any liquid that soaked in and replace with fresh peat as needed.


When Gwangi was little, I used a very big clear plastic storage tub with vent holes drilled with a spade bit. I cut a large hole the diameter of the light dome in the top to mount his light dome and covered the hole with 1/2 inch hardware cloth held on with zip ties. It was cheap and bought me time to build his large enclosure. Hardwood ply makes a nicer finished enclosure than exterior ply and if you are keeping it indoors, I wouldn't worry about it since you are painting and waterproofing it anyway.


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 11, 2013)

thanks for the advice! im gonna make the enclosure befor i get the tegu (or savannah monitor, i didnt completely make my mind yet but i think tegu), so ill test things out with the humidity and temps until i get it perfect


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## TeguBlake (Feb 11, 2013)

lol they are two diffrent climates! figure it out befor you set it up


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## james.w (Feb 11, 2013)

TeguBlake said:


> lol they are two diffrent climates! figure it out befor you set it up



They are actually pretty close, and can easily be adjusted depending on which one he goes with.


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 11, 2013)

ya i think once its made ill be able to adjust the humidity and temps to suite eather of them, but is a 6/3/3 good for an adult tegu? does it matter how high the ceiling is?


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## james.w (Feb 11, 2013)

Yeah unless the tegu gets over 3'.


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 12, 2013)

would it actually be able to be 2 feet high? because that would make buying thew ply would much cheaper cuz then id only need to buy 2 sheets of 4/8's


my bad i mean 3 sheets of 4/8's


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## chitodadon (Feb 12, 2013)

No at least 3ft high and wide

from Samsung Galaxy S3


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## james.w (Feb 12, 2013)

If you are putting the lights on the outside (I don't recommend) it could be 2' high.


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## TeguBlake (Feb 12, 2013)

james.w said:


> TeguBlake said:
> 
> 
> > lol they are two diffrent climates! figure it out befor you set it up
> ...



Dont SAV. need a sand mix? correct me if im wrong?


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## james.w (Feb 12, 2013)

The substrate isn't part of the climate, but yes Savs do need a diggable burrowable substrate that will hold humidity, dirt.


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## Dubya (Feb 12, 2013)

james.w said:


> The substrate isn't part of the climate, but yes Savs do need a diggable burrowable substrate that will hold humidity, dirt.



There you go again talking smack! I am taking away a rep point!


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 12, 2013)

alright cool so ill do 3 feet high with the lamps on the inside, but how do i get the lamps on the inside? with the clip things that atach to it?


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## Dubya (Feb 12, 2013)

batmanjosh5000 said:


> alright cool so ill do 3 feet high with the lamps on the inside, but how do i get the lamps on the inside? with the clip things that atach to it?



Save yourself a few bucks by buying ceramic sockets from Home Depot. They are rated at over 600 watts. Use a heavy duty extension cord to wire them and a pancake box to attach to the roof of the enclosure. The sockets are really cheap. Use small bolts because plywood does not hold screws so well.


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## TeguBlake (Feb 12, 2013)

Dubya said:


> batmanjosh5000 said:
> 
> 
> > alright cool so ill do 3 feet high with the lamps on the inside, but how do i get the lamps on the inside? with the clip things that atach to it?
> ...



Well said. I agree. good advice.


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## batmanjosh5000 (Feb 12, 2013)

tegublake-"Dont SAV. need a sand mix? correct me if im wrong?" (i have no idea how u guys copy what people say and put them in ur replys) ya but first ill build the sructure, than ill decide what substrate to buy


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## james.w (Feb 12, 2013)

Click reply in the bottom right corner of the persons post you want to quote.


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