# Brand new custom enclosure!



## SamBobCat (Jul 3, 2014)

So my dad and I have been talking about this tegu enclosure project for a while and we started officially about a month and a half ago. It started really simple but as my dad, he wanted to go all out so he thought of more ideas along the way. We worked really hard on this and it's amazing how it came out. I'm so glad we did this. It's two 4×4×2 crates side by side. One will house my baby, and one will house my Russian tortoise. When my tegu gets big, we will cut out one side of each crate to make one big 8×4×2 cage. My mattress is on top, and that whole mattress part lifts up, as does a small part that opens for easy access. Enjoy the pics! I will be putting my animals in their new homes soon.


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## SamBobCat (Jul 3, 2014)

"My baby" is my four month old tegu BTW Hahaha I forgot to mention that


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## jeremy flanagan (Jul 15, 2014)

that so cool i want one


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## SamBobCat (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks! It was fun to build


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## RickyNo (Jul 25, 2014)

Whats the inside look like? 
How do you open it?
Are his lights wired in on the inside and come out the back?
What size bulbs are you using?
No room for digging...


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## SamBobCat (Jul 25, 2014)

The inside is coated on the bottom with about 8 inches of non-toxic deck paint

The entire mattress part lifts up for cleaning purposes

Yes, the light wires come out of a small hole in the back of the cage

I have a 120 watt basking bulb and a 26 watt UV bulb. 

There is plenty of room for digging, I just didn't have the sub straight in when I took the pictures.


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## SamBobCat (Jul 25, 2014)

Correction to my answer to the first question; the bottom is coated with two coats of non-toxic deck paint and the sides have one layer of the same paint that goes approximately 8 inches up the sides.


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## SamBobCat (Aug 22, 2014)

RickyNo said:


> Whats the inside look like?
> How do you open it?
> Are his lights wired in on the inside and come out the back?
> What size bulbs are you using?
> No room for digging...


Here are some attempts to get pics of the inside on both the unfinished tegu side and the tort/ uromastyx side. The tort living outside ATM for the summer weather, but I have my baby Egyptian uromastyx's cage inside the tort section.


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## Josh (Aug 22, 2014)

Looks great! Nice work! Can't wait to see how your guys like it!


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## SamBobCat (Aug 24, 2014)

Thanks josh!


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## SamBobCat (Dec 26, 2014)

Allllrrriiggghhtttt!!!!! Got some nice updates on the cage!! My dad and I spent a couple hours today making some fantastic renovations to my room and the dual terrarium! We only did the tegu side today, but it's awesome! Previously, I had to lift up the whole top where the mattress is which isn't a huge deal, but it's kind of annoying. Now, the front piece opens and when it's free roam time, he can walk out without me having to lift him up. Onto the pics! That's me sitting on the floor there

Overview of the features inside the cage (last picture):
-About 3 inches of cypress mulch (up to 5 in some places because he likes to dig)
-a half log that my dad thought would be nice for him to climb on or in even though he spends all of his sleeping time buried under the mulch
-big Philips brand bulb for heat (112ish°F basking spot)
-UVB bulb that I need to replace in about a month
-a large rock that he enjoys climbing on and filing his nails on
-in the back right hand corner there is a wireless dual thermo/hygrometer that is connected to a main unit outside of his cage
-front left corner is the same thermometer thing as above (comes in a three piece set)
-one happy basking tegu


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## Tiffany Lebel (Jan 18, 2015)

Will you expand the cage when he gets larger?


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## SamBobCat (Jan 18, 2015)

Tiffany Lebel said:


> Will you expand the cage when he gets larger?


Yes the wall on that is on the left in the last picture will be taken out when need be


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## Tiffany Lebel (Jan 18, 2015)

Looks pretty awesome. I'm getting ideas to build one for our little guy. He's about 18" right now so I have SOME time... but not much lol. I like the space saving idea that you did.


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## marydd (Jan 18, 2015)

Looks great! You have one lucky gu!


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## SamBobCat (Jan 18, 2015)

marydd said:


> Looks great! You have one lucky gu!


Thanks!! He seems to like it quite a bit!! He's calmed down quite a bit too since I'm not coming at him from above


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## Jackie & Hellboy (Jan 29, 2015)

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/natural-vivaria-plant-forum/97041-media-bio-active-substrates.html

Check out this link for an idea for your substrate (never have to clean poop again and your tegu will love it! He will spend hours searching and foraging in his cage instead of looking bored like they tend to when there are no unfamiliar smells in their cages) it really makes a difference in keeping humidity levels high for a longer period of time, no daily misting required more like weekly watering in stead. Also in the 3rd picture it looked like he was laying beside some cinder blocks in the corner? If so you should move these under the basking light, it will raise the basking temp which 112 is a bit low 135-140 is ideal for their digestion, basking in the mulch isn't great as they like to absorb heat with thier bellies on those hot surfaces like rocks (make sure his basking spot is as large or even larger that your tegu you may want to switch to using 2-3 smaller wattage bulbs to spread that heat evenly over his body this is especially necessary when he gets larger) good luck with the big guy!


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## Jacobhreptiles (Apr 10, 2015)

whatcha gonna do with the uro when tegu gets both sides?


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## SamBobCat (Apr 10, 2015)

well in about two to three years she will need to be put into a 4×2 at least, so i will be building or purchasing a separate cage for her and most likely putting it either in my closet or where my dresser is.


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## Jacobhreptiles (Apr 10, 2015)

well egyptians being the biggest need more room than that, its a 5x2x2 minimum that way they can get enough heat too


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## SamBobCat (Apr 10, 2015)

oh yes im aware of that. she wont be quite full grown at that time and i dont want to put her in something that is too big for her and i also dont want to keep her cramped where she is now when she gets bigger. ill most likely make a permanent cage and place a divider in it so she doesnt get freaked out with the excess of space.


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## Jacobhreptiles (Apr 10, 2015)

they wont freak out over the excess space since they like a nice chunk of land to burrow and roam. i raised my breeders from hatchlings in their 6x3x3 with no issues. 20 inches of sand soil and a 130 degree basking spot and they loved it


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## CameronJayBauer (May 11, 2016)

Jesus I LOVE the entire concept for your enclosure, it's all under your bed, that's ingenious! Well done, it looks great. Your dad sounds a lot like mine, we're in the process of building an enclosure as well. But kudos on your design, was it your idea?


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