# For those of you with outdoor enclosuresÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦



## Toby_H (Aug 13, 2009)

When does your Tegu sun themselves the most?

My girl has been in a cage that is kept outdoors with an open (screened in) top all spring/summer and in recent weeks has been free roaming on the upstairs porch for several hours per day. 

Since having the ability to free roam for hours in fresh air she has become the most loving Tegu I could ever imagine. When I walk out onto the porch she approaches me and tries to climb my legÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ when I sit down she crawls up in my lapÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ adorableÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ 

But back to sunning themselvesÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ In her cage, she comes out of the hide every morning just as direct sunlight hitÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s the top of her hide around 9:30... She then crawls on top of her hide and basks in that sunlightÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

Between 11~11:30 am though, she starts avoiding direct sunlightÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ I assume this is because direct sunlight during the heat of the day is hotter than she likesÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ if you disagree feel free to explain whyÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

She stays active up until evening hours (8 pm or so), but I rarely see her basking in evening sunlight. I have no clue whyÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

This has been her basic schedule all spring/summerÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ although early in the year she did remain in mid day direct sunlight, only giving it up after it began to get quite warm (85*F +). In the last couple weeks while sheÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s free roaming on the porch, she seems to keep this same schedule alsoÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

I thought that being outside she would not need a UVB lightÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ but at one point in the early summer I noticed her seeming quite stiff. I added the UV light to her cage (although outside) and she seemed to really appreciate it and almost immediately seemed her limber self again.

Feel free to share your evaluations or interpretations of housing your Tegu outdoors!


----------



## Toby_H (Aug 13, 2009)

But whats a story without pictures...

The deck...






My lil girl relaxing on the deck...


----------



## Jefroka (Aug 13, 2009)

Is that her main cage atop the table? What are its measurements? Can she get beneath the bannister and go bye bye? Is that blood or paint on the wall and bannister? Enough questions already? LOL.


...Jefroka


----------



## Toby_H (Aug 13, 2009)

Yup, that's her cage on the table... it's 4' x 2' x 2'... If/When I decide I trust her to go unmonitored on the deck I'll lower it and leave it open so she can come and go... but I'm not quite sure IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m going to get that comfortable...

This deck is on the second floor. When she was small I used to put her on a table in my fishroom (actually the table her cage is on now) and she never once jumped... The first few days I let her roam on the deck I stayed out there with her as I was very concerned she may jump/fall... Thus far she's shown no interest in going over the edge... I'm fairly convinced that Tegus are smart enough to know that a long drop would hurt, so provided they are content in their space, they aren't going to jump..

That said, I still keep a close eye on her when she's out there... IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m also a bit concerned of large birds eyeballing herÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

That's wood stain on the banister and wall... any advice on how to get wood stain off vinyl siding? lol


----------



## Toby_H (Aug 13, 2009)

WellÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ I got bit for the first timeÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ 

I stepped out on the deck with her and as usual, she walked over to me and stared at me. When I didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t bend down and pick her up she Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?stood upÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ attempting to climb my leg. When I still didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t bend down, she started walked in a figure 8 between my (bare) feet. When this still didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t work she bit my toe just a little bit, then looked right up at meÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

It didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t hurt at all and I didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t flinch (I saw it coming and bit my lip expecting it to hurt). She wasnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t at all hungry as she had recently eaten 2 mice and had a third laying uneaten on her plate. She just pinched my toe with her mouth then looked up at meÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ as if to say Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?â??hey, here I am!Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?ÂÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ 

Naturally, it workedÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ I sat down and she crawled up in my lap and began chewing on my belt buckle (she either really likes or really dislikes my belt buckle).

IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ve always enjoyed keeping Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?â??exoticÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??ÂÃ?Â animalsÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ and knew I would really like my TeguÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ but in this summer she has repeatedly surprised me with how much she is stealing my heartÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦


----------



## BOOZER (Aug 13, 2009)

you should still be careful she cant jump off that porch!!


----------



## Anthony (Aug 13, 2009)

dude if u come tommorow u have to bring your tegu... i got a huge bin she can stay in thats like 3 feet long if we go out.... i hope my tegu turns out to be half as cool as urs but i think ull be surprised how much mine has chilled out since last time u seen her and how much she grew :-D still has green but def a lighter shade to her.... hell if u want we can just leave ur tegu in my bathroom to free roam with some newspaper hahaha


----------



## Anthony (Aug 13, 2009)

o yea one more thing if you bring your tegu tell her lunch is on me hahaha i got a bag full of huge mice i dont think my tegu will be ready to eat anytime this year


----------



## Jefroka (Aug 13, 2009)

The space under the bannister scares me, it looks like she could fit underneath and now you point out its on the second floor! :chin 

Please close that gap if she can squeeze under, don't want an accident to happen.


...Jefroka


----------



## Toby_H (Aug 14, 2009)

She definitely can and did fit under the banister. She would commonly lay with one foot and her head hanging over the edge watching birds fly and quarrels playÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m quite certain she understood that this was a Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?massiveÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ drop and she didnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t want to experience it. 

I was far more concerned with her climbing on the banister and accidentally falling offÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

I fully acknowledged the risk I was taking and kept close tabs on her when she was free roaming the deckÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

But none the lessÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ this is not a long term risk I was comfortable takingÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

Last night I picked up a sheet of plywood and cut it to 8Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 3Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

Today I placed it against the railingÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ and moved her cage to the floor using it as a brace for the plywood. ItÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s a little raw looking and may get painted in the fairly near future, but itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s a whole lot saferÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m not sure if IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll allow her to free roam out there when IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m not home. IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ll have to watch her for a while I am home and see how she behaves. 

The biggest downside to this barrier is it blocks a lot of the direct sunlight from reaching herÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ despite her cage being wide open sheÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s currently lounging in front of her UVB lamp in the cageÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦


Full Deck - 






Overview of the Cage Side of the Deck - 







IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m still interested in hearing about the basking / sunning patterns of otherÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s who keep their Tegu outside.


----------



## BOOZER (Aug 14, 2009)

does the job!! no feeling worse than having something bad happen and realizing that it could have been prevented!


----------



## Toby_H (Aug 15, 2009)

So IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m quite shockedÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ 

I moved my 30Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â TeguÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s 4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ cage onto the floor of my 9Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 6Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ rear deck, Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?enclosedÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ the deck and propped open the TeguÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s cage doorÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

Her cage is set up with 6Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â of mulch (she buries herself a lot), two hides (she uses both) and a couple odd rocks/slate (she dugs under/moves around), a small water dish and a UVB lightÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ the cage gets a couple hours of direct sunlight per dayÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

The deck is fairly open with her cage, a table, a wet towel (a moist place to lay) and a larger yet shallow water dish. The deck gets direct sunlight earlier than the cage doesÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

And in the last day and a half with her cage door open, she hasnÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢t come out onceÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ I took her out once yesterday and she happily stayed on the deck Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?playingÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ with me while I was out there, but went back in the cage within 10 minutes after I cam in. She can and has easily climbed in & out of her cageÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ plus I have a couple boards set up as Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?rampsÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ to make it even easier.


The reason IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ve pressed to give her this extra room is I felt having a 10Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â body and 30Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â overall length, sheÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s starting to outgrow her 4Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ x 2Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ cage. But With the option to get out and walk around not being taken advantage of, IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢m beginning to believe she is fine with and happy in her cage.


No real pointÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ no real questionÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ just sharing an observationÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ Yet feel free to comment if you wishÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦


----------



## Two Bananas Marinade (Aug 15, 2009)

OMG!! How could you let you tegu have real sunlight? She may never go back to the fake stuff. Spoiling your tegu is NOT healthy. Oh BRB I am going to feed Blender his snack of lobster roaches and shrimp. lol Love the pics and I wish I could let my tegu roam like that .... soon maybe.


----------



## GOT_TEGUS (Aug 15, 2009)

Two Bananas Marinade said:


> OMG!! How could you let you tegu have real sunlight? She may never go back to the fake stuff. Spoiling your tegu is NOT healthy. Oh BRB I am going to feed Blender his snack of lobster roaches and shrimp. lol Love the pics and I wish I could let my tegu roam like that .... soon maybe.




Ha Ha how dare ya soil the GUs shrimp I wish I was blender bro love them cajun shrimp umm. lol


----------

