Ideas on an 8ft x 8ft x 6ft outdoor enclosure

[Greenmanbacchus]

is the chicken wire dangerous to the tegus feet at all if they try to dig through that? Thats my only concern...

Chicken wire itself ( " poultry mesh" ) is pretty thin, and therefore sharp.
If for example, you had a poultry mesh floor buried under your substrate, it's not hard to imagine your tegu industriously digging through the 'strate and hitting the thin sharp metal and losing nails or toes.
While chicken wire certainly is widely used, I personally prefer 'aviary mesh'
which is half inch by one inch and a heavier gauge of metal. Sure, your initial costs are gonna be higher...then again, you're gonna get what you pay for Hope this helps!
GMB

 

[simon021]

do you just leave the mesh exposed under the substrate or do you dig down into the ground a bit and then bury the mesh?

 

[Greenmanbacchus]

do you just leave the mesh exposed under the substrate or do you dig down into the ground a bit and then bury the mesh?

Firstly.....I'd bury the mesh a good foot and a half or so, under the dirt ( not under the layer of 'strate only)
There are a hundred ways to 'do it right'...in the end, it comes down to personal preference. If I were putting up an outdoor enclosure that was built to be big enough for a permanent housing for an adult, , 8'X8'X6'H is more than adequate. Do remember that bigger is better. Assuming there's sufficient room (and finances) I might go for 8'X16'X8'H. Not only is that more than adequate for a single adult, it also allows for the inevitable additional Tegus , assuming that they get along, of course. If you're thinking of being right on the ground, I'd set the cage up first as a complete secure unit, aviary mesh floor and all. Next I'd dig a square hole 18" deep and set the unit in it. Replace the dirt from the hole inside the cage so that you have a hard-packed dirt floor level with the top of the hole, with your secure aviary mesh bottom 18" further down. Add the appropriate substrate and you're all set.
Sound like a lot of work? It is. Sound like a lot of money? Well....it's not gonna be cheap. Those height specs not only give you 18" of dirt your Tegu can scratch around in, they also give you 6'6" of head room. That's important in terms of maintenance, changing substrate etc. If you've got plenty of head room and plenty of elbow room, maintenance is much easier. Add to that, with that much height, you've got room to create basking areas, various levels etc.
At...what...about two feet long at present? your Tegu doesn't need 16' and 8'X8' is plenty....just something to think about for later on when you choose to upgrade. In further answer to your question, if you're using aviary mesh for the floor, you probably could just have it at ground level on the dirt and under the 'strate. Aviary mesh isn't likely to cut off toes, however the possibility of toe damage still exists due to getting stuck at pinch points etc.
Like I said...there's a hundred different ways of 'doing it right'....some of them more affordable than others. This is just one o' my suggestions
GMB

 

[ThePHX]

Looks great! Only thing I'd worry about living where I am is flooding. ANYTIME i dig into the ground and it rains... its gonna flood. I guess you can overcome that by putting more dirt inside and try to make a sort of hill or something

 

[Greenmanbacchus]

Looks great! Only thing I'd worry about living where I am is flooding. ANYTIME i dig into the ground and it rains... its gonna flood. I guess you can overcome that by putting more dirt inside and try to make a sort of hill or something

Under those conditions, firstly, I'd make sure that the enclosure is secure and escape-proof...full ceiling, floor etc. If you've got an idea where the water level might reach, then you can mount basking branches at or above that level. Like as not they're gonna use these branches all the time, wet or dry, so if the water rises, they'll know where to go when the levee breaks LOL.
GMB

 

[First Time Tegu]

How do you keep them warm enough during the winter months? Even here in Florida it drops into the 20s or lower.

 

[JohnMatthew]

You can add an underground retreat a couple feet below the surface. If you're still worried about it getting too cold you could always bring them inside for hibernation in a cooler room/basement/garage. I'm in north florida and this was Boon's first year hibernating outside. To make a long story short, I got worried during that long stretch of cold and dug him out(he was perfectly fine after a week of temps dropping below freezing every night). He spent the rest of the winter hibernating in the house but now I'll be confident leaving him outside for the duration.

 

[First Time Tegu]

Yea I already know that if I do end up building something for them outside I will be worried about the temps....maybe i'll insulate the underground hide :lol:

 

[nemo66]

were i live at i tx the winters can get in the single digits and the summers can get up to 110 or so. would that be to cold or to hot to keep a tegu out year round?

 

[First Time Tegu]

I wouldn't know about the cold part, but I would say the heat wouldn't be anything to worry about as long as you have shade for him. They require 105 hot spots anyways so with shade and an underground hide he would be able to get out of the heat when it became too much.

 

[carcharios]

Which of the following would be adequate for two adult tegus? I found these kennels online and am thinking of replacing my rabbit hutch with one of these so that I can dig them out a hide to escape from the hot temps here in the summer.

 

[VARNYARD]

That sounds like a good size, that is what most of mine are, you are going to need a top and bottom on it too.

 

[carcharios]

Varnyard, were yours 4x8 or 8x8? The two links I put down are gone.

 

[darkerhalf1324]

Im sorry I can't access the plans and I would be very interested in seeing them, can you repost a link. Thank you so much