Best Hides for tegu's?

[Strange_Evil]

So i will have my tegu in just a matter of months and i already have everything worked out, i have my bulbs,enclosure, Thermometer/Hygrometer, feeding bin and most of the cage decor accept for hides.

I just wanted to know which out of these three do you think i should go with as a hide,

1)http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-caves-huts/11442-513269/zoo-med-natural-cork-rounds.html
2)http://www.reptilebasics.com/large-hide-box.html
3)http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-caves-huts/11442-107636/exo-terra-exo-terra-reptile-cave.html

Which one should i go with,or should i just buy them all and test them out in the enclosure? I like the cork bark hide,but wouldn't that like mold or something?

The reptile basic one's looks pretty good but are hard plastic so i am a bit afraid it may get a bit too hot.

Are there any hides you would recommend i use if not these ones. I want a warm side hide that will double as a basking area,i want one that will last me awhile(Meaning something that the tegu won't be able to destroy easily and something that won't mold over).

This is prob a really pointless thread but i want the best for my tegu.So i am asking the best (You guys here at Tegutalk ). So let me know.

Thanks.

 

[james.w]

I use the ExoTerra cave for mine. He will probably outgrow it this summer, so I will have to figure something else out. I like those reptile basics hides, but will probably use a rubbermaid or cat litter box and make a hide.

I would be worried about the bark style molding as well.

 

[redtegu77]

I use a plastic cat litter pan and turn it upside down,then cut a square hole in it for the tegu to get in and out.Plus there cheap.As they get older i make mine out of woods,

 

[Toby_H]

Your Tegu will be able to make a happy home out of almost anything...

Any (properly sized) reptile hide... Any (properly sized) upside down tubw/ door/hole... A (properly sized) hollow log...

Soon you'll find that being large enough is the critical detail

My Tegus current hide is a piece of (sealed) plywood laying on the mulch. He loves it...

 

[james.w]

But not everyone has a dinosaur sized tegu like Toby.

 

[Strange_Evil]

Thanks guys,
I like the rock cave one's too but they only go so big,even the largest of those hides won't last to long lol,

I decided to go with the reptile basic hides for now or until i find something better.But they look cool and are pretty cheap and durable so even when he does out grow them it will be easy to replace with bigger hides,i just hope the hides don't get to hot.

Toby your right, the main thing i should worry about is size,i was thinking of just making a slate rock basking rock/hide for him when i move him to the permanent enclosure,and a up side down tub with a hole on the cool side.


Btw, Welcome to the forum redtegu77.

 

[Toby_H]

My "hide" doubles as a hide as well as a feeding/basking platform...

I put a lip on the end of the enclosure and cut a piece of plywood to rest on top fo that lip. The plywood rests about 3" above the mulch (when leveled). Then my Tegu pushes mulch around to create a borrow under the plywood.

I then put one (of two) basking lights shining on the plywood so the top of the ply is also used as a basking platform. Also, since there is no mulch on top of the plywood, I feel perfectly comfortable feeding him on this platform.


Having spent many years in the fish hobby, I've made many slate structures. While it would work great in this application slate is heavy and anytime you (or your tegu) move the structure you must be very careful not to break the glue.

Another option you have is to make your structure out of wood and paint it with Drylok. The stuff is amazing (there are a few threads here about it that you can locate using this forums search feature).

But not everyone has a dinosaur sized tegu like Toby.

But you will in a couple years!!!

 

[rrcoolj]

I agree with the above. You can pretty much use anything as a hide. And if nothing else at least have a deep substrate. I have found my tegu hides under everything including her water bowl. Some rock/wood structure would work fine. The problem I find with tegu hides is constantly upgrading them. They grow soooo fast.

 

[Strange_Evil]

The ply wood idea sounds great.I actually have about 8 pieces of it sitting around from a failed attempt at a bird house for my parakeets.

They are all proofed with polyurethane and painted with some type of water based green paint harmless to animals.

Could i use one of those sheets or should i just go and buy a clean sheet(cut out) of plywood and then use drylok on it.

 

[Guest]

Plywood painted will be fine and most likely better than plain as it won`t soak up water and with it bacteria....

What you use isn`t near as important as your tegu having one or two ...

I would`nt get to fancy as soon your tegu will out grow it ...

At first I used short pieces of pvc sewer pipe burred in mulch...

 

[Strange_Evil]

Plywood painted will be fine and most likely better than plain as it won`t soak up water and with it bacteria....

What you use isn`t near as important as your tegu having one or two ...

I would`nt get to fancy as soon your tegu will out grow it ...

At first I used short pieces of pvc sewer pipe burred in mulch...

Thanks,great idea on the pipe line Montana.

i will use the ply wood i have now then.

I will use the ply wood on top of the mulch and underneath it, going into the mulch will be the pipe thing. I can't picture it to much in my head but i am sure ounce i set it up it will look better.

I'm also thinking about using a pvc sewer pipe burried in the mulch lead from one end to the other side of the enclosure or half way across,but i might just let him make his own burrows.

 

[Toby_H]

You certainly want to seal the wood. I've not had much luck "water proofing" wood with polyurethane (I've tried doing so on several aquarium canopies).

But if your ply's final coat is a latex based paint, you can apply latex/water based Drylok over top of the paint. If it's oil based paint you can use oil based Drylok over it... Or you can use it as is and see if it works for you...

You will notice I recommend Drylok very very frequently. While there are usually several practical options to use, I've used a lot of Drylok in my days and have consistently had great results on all sorts of water proofing projects.

 

[Strange_Evil]

Thanks Toby,i am going to coat it with latex/water based Drylok .

My creative juices are flowing ,i am now thinking of turning those 8 pieces into some sort of multi level basking platform.

I might just go with the one piece idea though lol.

 

[Strange_Evil]

Well this is what i ended up with,it is not the best looking hide,but it will do, it is 12"x12"x4" , lol as you can see i went a little over board on the sanding,i sanded mostly all the color off,i will more color and then use drylok on it Monday.

 

[Guest]

That is one of the finest two 2x4s and piece of plywood I have ever seen !!!

 

[Strange_Evil]

That is one of the finest two 2x4s and piece of plywood I have ever seen !!!

lol,I spent about a day trying to measure it,i cut it slant about 4times before i got the right cut,me and carpentry just don't mix to well. To most it looks crappy or simple to me it looks like a master piece lol. I am definitely going to be buying my tegu cage.

Thanks.

 

[myotis]

Looks good. I used left over peices of floor tile as they're lighter than rock or slate. And I just glued 3 walls made of tile. I like it because its thermally conductive heats up real nice for a basking platform. Also keeps the hide underneath nice and warm too.

You can check it out in my videos.

 

[thomasjg23]

I currently a giant rock hide a petco manager gave me. It is definitely large enough but it is so heavy which is rather inconvient imo so I'll be replacing it with a plastic hide of some sort, possibly a cat litter box.

How do you view that attached photo on the previous page? I can't see it.

 

[chelvis]

I used a cardboard box with a hole cut in the top for a bit. Rio loved it! I now got him a rubbermaid hide box... not nearly as fun as he can not push that one around as much.

 

[Strange_Evil]

Yeah i was thinking about a card board box,thats actually what i used for sometime as a hide in my curly tailed lizards enclosures,but wouldn't that get all ruined fast from the Humidity in a tegu enclosure. I wanted something that will last a good 6months.

Thanks,i am going to use a rubber maid hide in the permanent enclosure.