# saving money!!!!



## Alane252 (Nov 30, 2011)

I no we all will do what we Have to and spend what we have to keep our gu's healthy and happy.... With that Being said i want everyone to post what they do to save a lil when u can Like feeders , enclosures , and so on .... Ill start it off by saying i have just purchased a breeder colony of dubia and have puchased to start breeding them also


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## TeguBuzz (Nov 30, 2011)

Rodentpro.com, cheap feeders sold in bulk. As well as petmountain.com for supplements, and other things you could use. For enclosures, cheapest way is to build your own.


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## Strange_Evil (Nov 30, 2011)

^^ I agree 100%, and if you can try to find someone near you and you guys could split the shipping when ordering from rodent pro and save even more cash. I buy my bulbs online and save cash like that as we'll.

Building your cage is much much more cheaper! Try to make the first cage the last cage if possible, it get expensive bumping your tegu up from cage to cage and its also pretty stressful for the animal. Just go all out and build the permanent enclosure,he won't mind and if so just section half off.


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## JohnMatthew (Nov 30, 2011)

Breeding your own feeders is a great saver. I raise my own discoids and zophobas.


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## omgtaylorg (Nov 30, 2011)

To add on to all the good stuff everyone else said, as far as other foods go besides feeders and cages, when I get the different meats for my gu I find all the stuff on manager special or on sale meats and portion it off right when I buy it and freeze the rest of it until its time to feed it then I thaw it out that morning. Ive got around $15 worth of different meats in the freezer and thats around 2 months of food because I got such good deals lol


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## Gedy (Dec 1, 2011)

I have a dubia colony, it might save some money but I don't like feeding him roaches to often so I still buy crickets, worms en hoppers. It saves some money but I don't think it's much 
I freeze fruits from my garden this summer, and also his meat so that I always have supplies.
My biggest money-saver is that I bought a lot of dried eco-eart form a local shop that was cheap, I bought enough to clean his cage for a year


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## Rhetoric (Dec 1, 2011)

I put an ad on CL looking for mice and rats. I found a guy locally who delivers 200 (30+g) mice for just under $100. He also does rats and is hoping to start doing rabbits. I always stock up on meats when they go on sale, we eat them and the tegus eat them lol. Buy fruits when they are in season.


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 1, 2011)

I found a good place that does custom enclosures for cheap. I like having them professionally made. Had an entire wall unit done with water sealing and laminate for only $1600


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## james.w (Dec 1, 2011)

Sirhc401 said:


> I found a good place that does custom enclosures for cheap. I like having them professionally made. Had an entire wall unit done with water sealing and laminate for only $1600



Can you post pics?


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 1, 2011)

I'm going to have pics, a video, where I got it and all the info. On the good guy bad guy thread in a day or 2. I need access to wi-fi. So keep a look out Actually I might be able to get at least a pic up here....




Not the best pic. But general idea


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## JohnMatthew (Dec 1, 2011)

Sirhc401 said:


> I'm going to have pics, a video, where I got it and all the info. On the good guy bad guy thread in a day or 2. I need access to wi-fi. So keep a look out Actually I might be able to get at least a pic up here....
> 
> 
> 
> Not the best pic. But general idea



That's a sweet wall you got goin there!


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks. The important part is my reptiles are happy in it.


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## james.w (Dec 1, 2011)

What are the dimensions of that enclosure wall?


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 1, 2011)

5Lx6Hx2D. With all enclosures. And I know you are going to say "that is too small for an adult tegu" and you are right. But he has a much larger outdoor enclosure and Freeroam of the house. Which I will have videos of when I post my thread on the enclosures. I just have to refurbish the enclosure


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## james.w (Dec 1, 2011)

It is too small, but I think we have discussed that already. I was more interested in the size to try and figure out if $1600 was a good deal, I'm gonna keep my opinion to myself though.


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## JohnMatthew (Dec 1, 2011)

james.w said:


> I was more interested in the size to try and figure out if $1600 was a good deal, I'm gonna keep my opinion to myself though.



Yet manage to convey your opinion anyway, why bother saying that at all?


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 4, 2011)

Thank you johnmatthew


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## james.w (Dec 4, 2011)

I didn't mean it to come across as negative, but the OP asked for ways to save money, how does an overpriced, undersized enclosure do that.


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## JohnMatthew (Dec 4, 2011)

Maybe it's a question of saving space and time. I know I spend quite a bit of my time just moving stuff around, taking out empty setups, bringing in new ones, rearranging for space, etc.. I see a permanent wall setup like that as a saver even if you think the initial investment wasn't. Time is money and over the years I think it'd add up.


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## james.w (Dec 4, 2011)

That does make sense John, I did not look at it that way.


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 4, 2011)

5 feet can be big enough for an adult tegu as long as it has access to larger areas and more space to roam. I would really love to see evidence that shows it isn't but I don't see anyone actually proving that.


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## james.w (Dec 4, 2011)

Yes if the tegu gets daily time out to a larger area, a 5' enclosure can work for a "bed". I find that this rarely happens as things come up and keepers don't have the time they once had. It is very unfair to put a 4'+ lizard in a 5' cage.


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 4, 2011)

Yeah agreed, but you also have to consider that a large portion of the lizard is the tail. I agree that the bigger the better, but that's not to say it can't be done.


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 4, 2011)

I have said on other posts that Odin will be able to freeroam the house and when he gets bigger. and we have an outdoor enclosure for him as well. we just need to make fixes to it. and as johnmatthew said, time is money. i have had no time at all and for $1600 i got a professionally made wall unit in 2 weeks. water sealed and laminated the whole shabang. so in my book, im saving...ya know?


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## Sirhc401 (Dec 8, 2011)

james.w said:


> Yes if the tegu gets daily time out to a larger area, a 5' enclosure can work for a "bed". I find that this rarely happens as things come up and keepers don't have the time they once had. It is very unfair to put a 4'+ lizard in a 5' cage.



I hope this makes you understand a bit better that I had no intentions to keep a tegu in a 5 foot enclosure. 
Future outdoor enclosure


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