# New large enclosure design



## Waters (Oct 16, 2018)

Starting another large lizard enclosure....this one for my new Tegu  It is going to be 8' X 3.5' X 3.5'. Will be using some equipment from my last enclosure including a Mist King and UV with Arcadia bulbs. Will be run with an Apex controller, which currently runs my reef tank and Bearded Dragon enclosure. Need some opinions on what to do with the center cabinet? I was considering removing the doors and enclosing it with an acrylic door and using the whole cabinet as a hide, with a ramp leading down? Just not sure if I want (or need) the extra space as part of the enclosure. It would have to be completely sealed (I would probably use ceramic tile) and possibly have its own heat source. Seems like a lot of extra work. Any other ideas as to what to use it for? An underground lake ?? My original idea was to just store the water for the mister, and any other equipment I have but I have 8' of cabinet space.....I don't have that much equipment lol.


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## Waters (Oct 29, 2018)

Made some progress......most of it structural inside. Also, a shot of Blue patiently awaiting his new enclosure............


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## Waters (Nov 28, 2018)

Slowly making progress.......the canopy is coming together. Got the UV and heat lights....waiting on the night time heat lamps so I can place those before cutting the canopy room up and placing the wire mesh. Also purchased the larger storage container for the misting system which will fit in one of the cabinets.


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## Waters (Dec 4, 2018)

Got a ton done this weekend.....pictures to follow if anybody is still following this thread lol.


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## Walter1 (Dec 4, 2018)

Looking forward to seeing the finished enclosure.


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## Waters (Dec 20, 2018)

Enclosure is finally (almost) complete


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## Walter1 (Dec 20, 2018)

Came together nice. Tegu doesn't look to be complaining!


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## Waters (Dec 21, 2018)

Thanks......it was hard not making it look more natural looking, which is how I normally design my cages. Figured I better go more towards ease of keeping it clean and doing normal maintenance tasks.


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## Waters (Dec 22, 2018)

Final picture....removed the large ramp and plant.....added some Manzanita branches and some driftwood. Cage with two large ramps looked too unnatural for me. I will have to modify it as he gets bigger with a bigger driftwood ramp.


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## AlphaAlpha (Dec 22, 2018)

looks awesome.


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## Waters (Dec 23, 2018)

AlphaAlpha said:


> looks awesome.


Thank you


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## Waters (Dec 26, 2018)

Ok I lied.....one more picture lol. Removed both ramps, added some driftwood, painted the swimming pool a semi-gloss brown (as well as sealed with silicone so water doesn't get behind and underneath it from the misters), and added a hide (since he kept using the small ramp as a hide). The hide is also constantly wet from the misters so it keeps the hide at a higher humidity.


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## Waters (Jan 3, 2019)

Couple more pics with some minor changes  Maybe at some point Blue will actually be out and in a pic....


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## Waters (Jan 26, 2019)

Made yet another change lol. Removed the water dish platform and hide and made more natural looking areas to hide, along with attempting to "hide" the unnatural looking litter box. Also added some live plants, using the one along the back wall to catch drips from the mister (which doubles as an automatic plant watering device )


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## Walter1 (Jan 26, 2019)

Pretty cozy.


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## EnjoysWine (Feb 8, 2019)

Nice! I like how the Mist King pump and reservoir are in the cabinet.


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## twitchster (Feb 12, 2019)

That's awesome dude! Where did you get the glass and how did you set it up? I've been looking online for plexiglass but it is stupid expensive. How many nozzles do you have set up? I have the Mistking Ultimate and my Tegu is in a 6 X 2 x 2 aquarium with 4 nozzles. I have it going off 5 times a day for 40 seconds but according to my hygrometer, it goes from 80% humidity to 40% in a couple hours.


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## Waters (Feb 12, 2019)

twitchster said:


> That's awesome dude! Where did you get the glass and how did you set it up? I've been looking online for plexiglass but it is stupid expensive. How many nozzles do you have set up? I have the Mistking Ultimate and my Tegu is in a 6 X 2 x 2 aquarium with 4 nozzles. I have it going off 5 times a day for 40 seconds but according to my hygrometer, it goes from 80% humidity to 40% in a couple hours.


Thanks! I actually just used these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006FKUCC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 along with cut 1/8" glass from a local glass shop. Once the cage is built and the track is in place, you just measure and order the glass with polished edges. The glass pieces were only about $38 a piece, which is MUCH cheaper than plexiglass which scratches extremely easy and doesn't slide well on plastic tracks. I currently have 3 nozzles set up.....one in the far right on the cool side an two in the center. I learned from my last cage not to put any on the hot side since the bulbs just evaporate it too quickly, causing the system to keep kicking on and soaking the rest of the cage. Placement of the humidity probe is extremely important also. The humidity is always going to be much lower on the hot side so make sure your probe is in the center somewhere. Also don't be afraid to keep the humidity lower than your hygrometer shows........I use a second gauge to check the levels at ground level. Post some pics of your enclosure!


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## twitchster (Feb 13, 2019)

Here's a picture of what she is currently in. This was back in November. She brumated for about half of December and all of January. The water bowl is now in the far left corner and Carlita loves to burrow underneath it. To the left is the cage for my Frilled Dragon. He's pretty awesome, although he was recently VERY sick. $700 later he's starting to get better! I know Carlitas cage is dull but I've read a lot of places that there's really no need to add a bunch of decorations because they'l just tear them up anyway. Honestly though, I'll probably decorate it in the new cage, at least with more ledges and rocks if not plants. Since this pic, I've added a misting system, temp probes and a hygrometer.


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## Waters (Feb 13, 2019)

Looking good! Are you able to set up a temperature gradient and basking spot with the lights setup like that? I hear ya about not wanting to use a bunch of decorations......that was my plan also. Now, in addition to the last pic that I posted in this thread, I have added some carnivorous plants as well as more driftwood lol. I like the natural looking enclosures and couldn't leave it how I originally built it. Post some pics of your Dragon....one of the few species I have not kept but have always liked.


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## twitchster (Feb 13, 2019)

Yeah, I need to build a platform for him but for right now he just climbs up onto the hide and bask there. She seems to do fine. Whenever I hold her she's nice and toasty. It's a 100w power sun but I think on the next build I'm going to have 2x 36" Arcadia T5 14% bulbs along with a 150w bulb for basking and 2x 100w bulbs for the cool side. Do you think this would work, and if not, what would you suggest?


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## twitchster (Feb 13, 2019)

She seems to do ok. Every time I take her out to let her roam or feed her she's nice and toasty feeling. Currently, I've got a 100w powersun that's in the center (which I should probably put to one side) and 2x 100w. When I build the 8x4x4 though I plan on having 2x 36" Arcadia T5 14% UVB bulbs and a basking platform with a 150w bulb set up. At the middle and far end, I'll have 100w bulbs. Does this sound good? Any suggestion on light setup? Oh, and I'll definitely be going with the guides for the glass you said to do. SSOOOOOOO much cheaper and I didn't even consider the scratching factor.


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## Waters (Feb 13, 2019)

twitchster said:


> She seems to do ok. Every time I take her out to let her roam or feed her she's nice and toasty feeling. Currently, I've got a 100w powersun that's in the center (which I should probably put to one side) and 2x 100w. When I build the 8x4x4 though I plan on having 2x 36" Arcadia T5 14% UVB bulbs and a basking platform with a 150w bulb set up. At the middle and far end, I'll have 100w bulbs. Does this sound good? Any suggestion on light setup? Oh, and I'll definitely be going with the guides for the glass you said to do. SSOOOOOOO much cheaper and I didn't even consider the scratching factor.


Yeah, definitely try to make sure there is a hot side as well as a cool side so he can regulate his temperature. What size enclosure are you planning on building? Once you have it set up you will probably have to play with the wattages of the basking bulbs by checking surface temps. I started with 3 100W flood bulbs and ended up using 3 40W bulbs, which kept the basking temps around 120-130. The 14% arcadia bulbs are good. Make sure they overlap the basking area since that is where the Tegu will be closest to the bulb and spending a lot of time. Rather than use 100W bulbs on the cool side, you could use ceramic heat emitters and just hook them up to a thermostat. They will only go on when needed and not provide any light, which will keep the enclosure warm at night. 

You won't regret the glass and guides...I actually built a Bearded Dragon enclosure using the same materials without any issues.


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## Cjskafish14 (Feb 27, 2019)

@Waters How much would you say this costed you in total? I am trying to price out and find ideas for my build and LOVE this enclosure you made! Please let me know!


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## Waters (Feb 28, 2019)

Cjskafish14 said:


> @Waters How much would you say this costed you in total? I am trying to price out and find ideas for my build and LOVE this enclosure you made! Please let me know!


Thanks  It costed a lot more than it needed to since i used furniture grade birch but if I had to guess probably around 500. That includes the glass, wood, stain, and metal screening for the canopy. Does not include the cabinets, lighting, or Mist King. If you include those, probably closer to 1500.


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## Edward Lotz (Apr 18, 2019)

What type of wood did you use for construction and will it be water resistant for the humidity long term? I can not find and pvc board locally and not sure what to use that will be waterproof. Thanks for any help.


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## Waters (Apr 19, 2019)

Edward Lotz said:


> What type of wood did you use for construction and will it be water resistant for the humidity long term? I can not find and pvc board locally and not sure what to use that will be waterproof. Thanks for any help.


I used furniture grade birch. The inside needs to be treated due to the high humidity (that is true for any wood). I just used latex paint but there are a bunch of different sealers that would work.


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