Need help finding the cheapest way to build a tank ?? please any input would be great !

[Magnus Boden]

Magnus thats a pretty nice enclosure i think im gunna go somewhat the route , thinking about finding used windows with the frame and install it as if it was a door lol also noticed you built yours in thw garage , how did you get it inside without taking it apart ? I've been trying to make it so i dont have to take it apart if i move but no matter what tegu cages are wider then standard door frames .

The walls and the bottom are only connected to each other with these.

So unscrewing about 20 screws or something and you can carry each wall segment and the floor by itself.

To reach the screws I would have to empty the substrate and remove the pond plastic sheet I use for waterproofing. So it is a matter of 30 - 45 minutes to dissasemble it. A small job in order to move such a big enclosure which will probably only happen once or twice.

The small side walls have three of them against the floor. The long walls have five against the bottom. Between the walls there are one in the bottom and one in the top.

It feels very sturdy and robust.

The top just lays on top of the enclosure with some wood pieces screwed under it so it can slide sideways.

 

[CameronJayBauer]

Haha I used some of those same exact brackets. But I also used some full length pieces of angle with holes drilled in them. I fortunately had access to these though.

 

[BuffaloBill420herp]

I have a big heat pad and a nice spot in the sun. My apartment stays pretty humid but I could always use plastic wrap if needed.

 

[CameronJayBauer]

also noticed you built yours in thw garage , how did you get it inside without taking it apart ? I've been trying to make it so i dont have to take it apart if i move but no matter what tegu cages are wider then standard door frames .

Someone on Facebook once asked if anyone built their enclosures to be assembled in sections. I realized that pretty much everyone has to. Like you said, a standard enclosure won't fit through a door frame, so unless it's built within the room it's going to stay, you will have to assemble it there and build it somewhere else. The difference between enclosures is going to be how easy or difficult it will be to reassemble it.

I built mine so the floor, side walls, back, lid, and front windows could all be assembled and disassembled as easily as possible. Fastened all them with brackets, nuts and bolts, and lag bolts, trying to avoid simply screwing things together.
Leaving most all of the hardware on the sections themselves so nothing got lost, I then transported it from my dads house to my apartment section by section. It's an effort, but definitely doable

 

[CameronJayBauer]

I have a big heat pad and a nice spot in the sun. My apartment stays pretty humid but I could always use plastic wrap if needed.

I feel like you're trying to take an easy way out, but in the long run you're just going to make things harder for yourself.
A dog cage would have your room hot like an oven trying to maintain the correct temperatures, because all the heat will be escaping. And no apartment is humid enough for a tegu, if it were, your walls would be dripping with moisture and your carpets would be wet to the touch. The enclosure is supposed to retain that heat and humidity without it releasing to the rest of your home.

 

[BuffaloBill420herp]

Well thats why I joined this site never know too much about tegus but always wanted one. They way differnt than any reptile I have ever had.

 

[CameronJayBauer]

Most definitely. You're doing the right thing by gathering information. My advice to you, scrap the idea of a dog cage. Think sealed-enclosure.