how many to a cage?

[frost]

hi, i was wondering how many young tegus u can keep in a cage? im going to have 3 as soon as i get bobbys. trying to save room and dont want cages everywhere.the cage im gonna be putting them in is a 4 square cage.i think itss about 5 feet high tho.

 

[jerobi2k]

hey Frost, I think the ones you are going to be getting from Bobby are going to be very small compared to your other. you should def. keep those 2 housed seperate from the larger. once all have filled out a little and are close in size you might very well be able to house the 3 together, depending on how comfortable you are with how they behave towards one another, only time will tell with that. most likely by the time they are ready to be housed together a 4x4 cage will be very small. as far as how tall the cage is really isnt a factor considering the tegu doesnt require a aboreal enclosure. they climb on low limbs and there hides, but i promise you 5 ft tall is not needed for a baby tegu.

 

[frost]

yeah i kinda figured that the size difference would be a problem. i just put the hight for the hell of it lol i know they arent arboreal.and when they get bigger i made the cage so that i can easily add onto it.

 

[WildlifeLover429]

Hey I am getting a 2011 extreme and 2011 AA since the AA what just laid, the extreme is going to be either a month or couple months older than the AA when it comes. Do you think there will be to much of a size difference to put the AA in the Extremes enclosure (after changing it around of course)?

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I think if you add some platforms and walkways in there for access you will be fine for a cool min or so,.. couple of months tops. Babies climb a lot more often than adults,.. if you think about it.

One,.. because they're not any where near as heavy so its easier.
Two,.. to look for food and they have to be able to get away from threats and being on the ground doesn't always work out.

I haven't had a baby so far that didn't climb up and over any and everything in it's enclosure. Even the little Styrofoam wall that use to be in the back of Tricky's. I eventually had to take it out because he was shredding it.

---

As for their sizes there will be a difference,.. but no way to tell how much until you have them in front of you.

 

[frost]

yeah i was planning on adding shelf's and maybe another lvl to the cage.if all else fails ill prolly build a bigger one and give the old one to a savy or black throat.they like the upper lvls.

 

[Toby_H]

We've heard a few examples here of people whose Tegus got along great... then unexpectedly one day there was a problem between them...

When this happens during monitored free roaming they can quickly be seperated to minimize harm. But when they are housed together, it's very possible that a problem will occur when no one is around and the results can be extreme.

In my opinion, it is generally irresponsible to keep more than one Tegu in an enclosure, unless that enclosure is far larger than the minimum recommendation and there is ample space for the two lizards to avoid one another and still have their needs met.


My suggestion, get shorter enclsoures and stack them... this can create twice the floor space while taking up the same amoutn of space in your home...

 

[montana]

Ditto...

Each should have their own enclosure ...

 

[frost]

thanks i like the stacking idea. i also though of adding floors to cages.i would make them easy to access too. it would also add different temps.but once they get big enough that they wont slip into the tiniest holes i plan to let them free roam most of the time.

 

[Toby_H]

but once they get big enough that they wont slip into the tiniest holes i plan to let them free roam most of the time.

A lot of people start out with this plan but it is rarely a long term solution to a small enclosure.

Having an Adult Arg Tegu roaming the house is quite in convenient when trying to get other things done. Also when considering these animals should live 15+ years, it's not very likely you will be able to offer your Tegu that much free roam time as life evolves.

I think providing an adequate enclsoure for the Tegu is a bare minimum requirement. Even more so if you plan to keep multiple Tegus. Personally I would discourage anyone from getting a second Tegu until they have the personal experience of keeping an adult for a couple years.

 

[frost]

ahh,well i am going to get a big enough cage for them when they get bigger.and now i got a pen i let my lizards run around in to get some fresh air out of their cage.

 

[montana]

Good luck !! I bet you are way excited about your new tegus ....

 

[frost]

yeah i would be more excited if they were here.lol o btw the tegu my fiance picked up had some shed on its tail i been soaking him every day and gently trying to rub it off,but its stuck on there good. heard some kind of oil works on that? what kind?

 

[slideaboot]

I'd definitely go one tegu to an enclosure. You really want to have a permanent, viable solution that is ALREADY in place that will work if your tegus fail to get along the way you want them to or if you can't personally care for your tegus for some amount of time, for whatever reason (and ANYTHING can happen). You don't want to be shortsighted about being in a rush to MAKE something work...proper planning is not only key, it's what your animals deserve.

 

[frost]

thanks slide.that was the answer i was looking for.lol i wasent sure how aggressive tegus are towards eachother. i dont have a problem with cages i have plenty.plus i have a few projects i have been working on.