# Ideas on an 8ft x 8ft x 6ft outdoor enclosure



## VARNYARD (Feb 4, 2009)

I have a bunch of people asking about how to build an outdoor enclosure, tell me if this gives you guys a good idea?
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## LouDog760 (Feb 4, 2009)

Sweet, bobby!


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## crimsonrazac (Feb 5, 2009)

Very nice, what would you say that cost you to build? Just a rough estimate is fine.


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## VARNYARD (Feb 5, 2009)

It costs about 170.00 to 200.00 to do the whole thing.


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## BrunswickBoas (Feb 5, 2009)

Wow, you can't beat that price. Do you leave them in the enclosures in the winter as well? (as much of a winter that florida has)


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## BrunswickBoas (Feb 5, 2009)

Never mind that must be what the hole underground is for. Should have paid more attention the first time I looked at the pics. Looks great!


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## DaRealJoker (Feb 5, 2009)

I like the burrows or hide boxes. Could you hinge the covers, leave em un-barried, and use latches to secure the lids? Then it would be easy to maintenance the hide and check on the tegu. Just an idea. Awesome cage and thanks for the idea. WOuld that work in a climate where summers peak around 90 F on the hottest of days and drop to 60 F in the nights? Our average temp. is around 70 F in the day during the summers. Is it ok to house outdoors in those conditions? I have a Columbian Black and White I guess you'd call him.


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## CAPTAIN LIZARD (Mar 19, 2009)

Bobby, do you put drain holes in the bottom of your underground rubbermaid hides?


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## VenomVipe (Mar 28, 2009)

Hey, pictures are cool but I think it would rock if you made a several part video on how to build the enclosure next time you build another one.


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## LareReptiles4Life (Apr 6, 2009)

Buy a gas bottle security cage and modify it to hold substrate. There you go you have a cage that looks nice and a grizzly bear would have trouble getting into. If you guys want a better idea i can craw a plan up or something for you


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## MizM (Apr 25, 2009)

:app Thank you SO MUCH!!! I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out how NOT to have to dig 3' down in our hard clay dirt to keep them from digging their way out. The chicken wire is going to save my teggies from a life of unnatural light and confinement!!!! Whooo hoooo, you rock!!


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## ierowe (Jun 1, 2009)

Do they get enough sunlight with the plywood on the top? I like the set up but it seems that they would be shaded most of the time. Do tegus need 10hours of natural sunlight? just curious as I want to build outdoor enclosure for my tegu when he is big enough. thanks


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## TehPenguin (Jun 1, 2009)

What I was really wondering was all of the bugs and stuff, and how they affect them. Mites, ticks, beetles, worms...Would they really have any effect on the Tegus? I know they have a real thick skin, but would infestation happen in an enclosure like this?


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## ierowe (Jun 3, 2009)

I know tegus can get ticks and i do ahve them in my yard. would eucalyptus mulch keep them away?


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## jntann (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi I have my tegu outside . you could use chicken wire on the top if you want more sun light. the bugs, spiders , etc.don't bother it. black ants will eat ticks. you just don't want a ant den to close to the cage and don't put the food it the cage, that will attrack the ants. I have had no problems. my hide is in the back part of the cage and then I have a rock fountian on the left side so it is shady and wet.


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## Greenmanbacchus (Jun 3, 2009)

jntann said:


> Hi I have my tegu outside . you could use chicken wire on the top if you want more sun light. the bugs, spiders , etc.don't bother it. black ants will eat ticks. you just don't want a ant den to close to the cage and don't put the food it the cage, that will attrack the ants. I have had no problems. my hide is in the back part of the cage and then I have a rock fountian on the left side so it is shady and wet.


Nice set-up jntann  What are the dimensions? I've heard Monitor keepers suggest galvanized watering troughs measuring 10'X10' as a base...how big is yours...how high etc. I've never owned a Tegu (Yet) LOL but I have heard that they don't usually get ticks...this is thought to be in part because of their beaded skin...but again, I've no personal experience with the species.
GMB


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## GOT_TEGUS (Jun 4, 2009)

nice cage setup.. Im going to build a few using bobby's design I think it would work better for me here in sunny PA .


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## jntann (Jun 4, 2009)

my cage is 6' 10" across and 6' high. the square encloser would be better. a round one is a lot harder to do the top because it is round. and after seeing this one i think i might move my hide box on the outside to make more room in side. and the water troff is alot more exspensive. if I had to do it again I would go with the square one. wood does not rust. and it is alot cheaper.


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## Greenmanbacchus (Jun 5, 2009)

jntann said:


> my cage is 6' 10" across and 6' high. the square encloser would be better. a round one is a lot harder to do the top because it is round. and after seeing this one i think i might move my hide box on the outside to make more room in side. and the water troff is alot more exspensive. if I had to do it again I would go with the square one. wood does not rust. and it is alot cheaper.


 I agree...square ( or rectangular) is IMO a better way to go.
Metal also has the possibility of getting hot in the sun and burning your pet.
I read a story once years ago about a big python that needed to be moved and it went and hid in its pond which was a large metal basin. They wound up having to drain the metal basin to get to it and it was hot weather and the python apparently sat on the hot metal long enough to get some pretty serious burns. I've seen enclosure bases made from hog panelling that seemed to do the job well enough....they don't actually look too bad and if they're well painted, they're not gonna rust.
GMB


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## simon021 (Nov 2, 2009)

is the chicken wire dangerous to the tegus feet at all if they try to dig through that? Thats my only concern...


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## Greenmanbacchus (Nov 2, 2009)

simon021 said:


> is the chicken wire dangerous to the tegus feet at all if they try to dig through that? Thats my only concern...


*Chicken wire itself ( " poultry mesh" ) is pretty thin, and therefore sharp.
If for example, you had a poultry mesh floor buried under your substrate, it's not hard to imagine your tegu industriously digging through the 'strate and hitting the thin sharp metal and losing nails or toes.
While chicken wire certainly is widely used, I personally prefer 'aviary mesh'
which is half inch by one inch and a heavier gauge of metal. Sure, your initial costs are gonna be higher...then again, you're gonna get what you pay for  Hope this helps! 
GMB*


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## simon021 (Nov 2, 2009)

do you just leave the mesh exposed under the substrate or do you dig down into the ground a bit and then bury the mesh?


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## Greenmanbacchus (Nov 2, 2009)

simon021 said:


> do you just leave the mesh exposed under the substrate or do you dig down into the ground a bit and then bury the mesh?


 Firstly.....I'd bury the mesh a good foot and a half or so, under the dirt ( not under the layer of 'strate only)
*There are a hundred ways to 'do it right'...in the end, it comes down to personal preference. If I were putting up an outdoor enclosure that was built to be big enough for a permanent housing for an adult, , 8'X8'X6'H is more than adequate. Do remember that bigger is better. Assuming there's sufficient room (and finances)  I might go for 8'X16'X8'H. Not only is that more than adequate for a single adult, it also allows for the inevitable additional Tegus , assuming that they get along, of course. If you're thinking of being right on the ground, I'd set the cage up first as a complete secure unit, aviary mesh floor and all. Next I'd dig a square hole 18" deep and set the unit in it. Replace the dirt from the hole inside the cage so that you have a hard-packed dirt floor level with the top of the hole, with your secure aviary mesh bottom 18" further down. Add the appropriate substrate and you're all set.
Sound like a lot of work? It is. Sound like a lot of money? Well....it's not gonna be cheap. Those height specs not only give you 18" of dirt your Tegu can scratch around in, they also give you 6'6" of head room. That's important in terms of maintenance, changing substrate etc. If you've got plenty of head room and plenty of elbow room, maintenance is much easier. Add to that, with that much height, you've got room to create basking areas, various levels etc.
At...what...about two feet long at present? your Tegu doesn't need 16' and 8'X8' is plenty....just something to think about for later on when you choose to upgrade. In further answer to your question, if you're using aviary mesh for the floor, you probably could just have it at ground level on the dirt and under the 'strate. Aviary mesh isn't likely to cut off toes, however the possibility of toe damage still exists due to getting stuck at pinch points etc.
Like I said...there's a hundred different ways of 'doing it right'....some of them more affordable than others. This is just one o' my suggestions 
GMB*


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## ThePHX (Dec 1, 2009)

Looks great! Only thing I'd worry about living where I am is flooding. ANYTIME i dig into the ground and it rains... its gonna flood. I guess you can overcome that by putting more dirt inside and try to make a sort of hill or something


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## Greenmanbacchus (Dec 1, 2009)

ThePHX said:


> Looks great! Only thing I'd worry about living where I am is flooding. ANYTIME i dig into the ground and it rains... its gonna flood. I guess you can overcome that by putting more dirt inside and try to make a sort of hill or something


 Under those conditions, firstly, I'd make sure that the enclosure is secure and escape-proof...full ceiling, floor etc. If you've got an idea where the water level might reach, then you can mount basking branches at or above that level. Like as not they're gonna use these branches all the time, wet or dry, so if the water rises, they'll know where to go when the levee breaks LOL.
GMB


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## First Time Tegu (Mar 12, 2010)

How do you keep them warm enough during the winter months? Even here in Florida it drops into the 20s or lower.


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## JohnMatthew (Mar 12, 2010)

You can add an underground retreat a couple feet below the surface. If you're still worried about it getting too cold you could always bring them inside for hibernation in a cooler room/basement/garage. I'm in north florida and this was Boon's first year hibernating outside. To make a long story short, I got worried during that long stretch of cold and dug him out(he was perfectly fine after a week of temps dropping below freezing every night). He spent the rest of the winter hibernating in the house but now I'll be confident leaving him outside for the duration.


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## First Time Tegu (Mar 12, 2010)

Yea I already know that if I do end up building something for them outside I will be worried about the temps....maybe i'll insulate the underground hide :lol:


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## nemo66 (Mar 12, 2010)

were i live at i tx the winters can get in the single digits and the summers can get up to 110 or so. would that be to cold or to hot to keep a tegu out year round?


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## First Time Tegu (Mar 13, 2010)

I wouldn't know about the cold part, but I would say the heat wouldn't be anything to worry about as long as you have shade for him. They require 105 hot spots anyways so with shade and an underground hide he would be able to get out of the heat when it became too much.


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## carcharios (Jun 7, 2010)

Which of the following would be adequate for two adult tegus? I found these kennels online and am thinking of replacing my rabbit hutch with one of these so that I can dig them out a hide to escape from the hot temps here in the summer.


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## VARNYARD (Jun 7, 2010)

That sounds like a good size, that is what most of mine are, you are going to need a top and bottom on it too.


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## carcharios (Jun 7, 2010)

Varnyard, were yours 4x8 or 8x8? The two links I put down are gone.


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## darkerhalf1324 (Jan 5, 2012)

Im sorry I can't access the plans and I would be very interested in seeing them, can you repost a link. Thank you so much


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