New Tegu Enclosure

[Non Crimen]

This is our 72x48x48 enclosure for our red tegu Owen.
Here are some pictures and a rough sketch of what it will look like...

 

[AP27]

Haha. Omg i love that last little sketch. Too funny. But it looks like it should turn out to be a great cage

 

[TeguBuzz]

That is the reddest tegu I have ever seen. Damn.

 

[martinreptiles_3]

Looks like it is coming along and going to be a great enclosure! lol TeguBuzz!

 

[Non Crimen]

Just for the record our son is also posting. I give him credit though, pretty good computer skills for a 14 year old high school kid. Artist he is not lol. We decided to have a friend's grandfather build the enclosure. I received a quote from a local cabinet maker of $700-$900 for labor and materials. I'm sure it would have looked nice but with 3 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog (Bullmastiff), 1 hamster, and 1 Tegu I couldn't afford it. Friend's grandfather is retired and just enjoys wood working and building stuff. No idea on cost yet but threads on here say $150-$200 for materials and I don't think he's going to charge us to build it. We'll keep you all informed on the progress.

Kids.....

 

[Non Crimen]

Alrighty now,
72 inches x 40 inches high x 48inches deep. Check.
Enclosure is built and we will be picking it up tomorrow evening. Check.
Sealing the inside: Drylok (Home Depot) 2 helpings of tint. Check.
Will stain and Varnish exterior. Check.
10-12 inches of substrate. Check.
Tequila. Check.
Hide. Check. Although we will be needing a huge one VERY soon!! (Cannot believe growth rate)
Lighting....... Need help with this, have lights but not certain on type or exact needs. Not Check.
Humidity source - Been going around and around between Repti Fogger or Walgreens any suggestions? Not Check.
Vents - 6 3inch diameter vents installed 6 inches from top evenly spaced a cross the back. 10x8 inch side vents, one side up high one side down low. Check.

I am working on interior decorations. I currently have 2 very large pieces of Malaysian drift wood in a 75 gallon fresh water tank set up in our basement. Wondering if I can use these pieces in our enclosure? 2 thoughts: the wood has been in our tank for over 6 years I would think as it drys the moisture would benefit the enclosure or should it be baked in the oven first? Think that's two thoughts.... at least for me it is.
What else am I missing?
As soon as my IT guy gets home from high school I'll have him post up some more photos.
What have we gotten ourselves into.......
Carlton

 

[TeguBuzz]

Get the walgreens greens fogger. Reptifogger is terrible, mine stopped working today randomly after not even 2 months of use. I was using chlorine free water too, nothing from the tap.

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And bake the wood.

 

[AP27]

Get the walgreens greens fogger. Reptifogger is terrible, mine stopped working today randomly after not even 2 months of use. I was using chlorine free water too, nothing from the tap.

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And bake the wood.

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Really? How odd. Mine works wonderfully and I've had it for a good 6 months now.

 

[james.w]

Lighting - I would recommend a MVB on one side and a 4' UVB tube on the other side.

Humidity - You may have too much ventilation, so hopefully you can close them off if needed. I don't use anything to create humidity in my enclosure. I just have about a foot of dirt and no vents. Humidity stays between 65-85% throughout and I spray it down about once every 2-3 weeks. In some of my other enclosures I have used the Walgreens humdifier with no problems other than mold growing in the PVC pipes. This was fixed by using pipe cleaners on the PVC weekly.

 

[Non Crimen]

Okay, I checked with our son (Non Crimen, Jr.) and we have a Powersun 100 watt Self-Ballasted Mercury Vapor UVB Lamp with dome. My plan is to purchase a fixture from HD along with an extension cord to wire it to the interior ceiling. I guess, no I'm sure, that I don't know the difference between UVB and MVB but I'll scour the forums for a definition. Not overly concerned with the vents as I can cover/uncover as needed.
Tequila. Check.
Bringing home enclosure tomorrow am. Will begin painting with Drylok tomorrow night. If I understand correctly we should wait 5-7 days after painting to allow any harmful fumes to dissipate before introducing Owen to his new habitat. Correct, or paranoid?
Thanks for your time and consideration,
Carlton
Tequila. Check.

 

[james.w]

MVB is mercury vapor bulb, they are heat, light, and UVB in one.
UVB would be just light and UVB.

I would wait at least 7 days after painting with Drylok.

 

[Non Crimen]

Good evening Tegu lovers,
Went to HD and purchased materials necessary to install MVB. I have one vent up high on one side and one vent down low on the other side for cross ventilation. Question is, where shall I place the MVB? Above or over where I will put his hide or in the middle somewhere? My local reptile shop said that with the 100 watt MVB i'm in good shape UVB wise and should just purchase an under counter or 4 foot florescent light for mood lighting. Sound about right? More pictures to follow.

Carlton

 

[james.w]

I would put the MVB on the side of the enclosure with the vents mounted up high. They are correct in that the MVB will provide the UVB needed.

 

[Non Crimen]

I would put the MVB on the side of the enclosure with the vents mounted up high. They are correct in that the MVB will provide the UVB needed.

Thanks Sir,
Next question is placement of the hide. Should it be on the side with the MVB for basking purposes? I'll probably end up making two any how, but for now?.........

 

[james.w]

I have a hide on both sides.

 

[Non Crimen]

Again thank you sir. One hide built last night, one to go. I'm thinking of attempting to build his next one out of Styrofoam to make it look a little less industrial and a little more natural. What have we gotten ourselves into........
Again thanks, this could be fun!!

 

[james.w]

What are building the hides out of?

 

[Non Crimen]

The one we built last evening was built from left over 1/4 inch particle board. 20x18. Have first cost of Drylok in it. Checked out some sites that show how to build one from styrofoam. Think I'll try that next.

 

[Non Crimen]

We are making progress. Enclosure is built, but we still have many questions. First question; The interior height of the enclosure is 40 inches +/-. With 10 inches of Cypress mulch we have a 30 inch distance from the bedding floor to the ceiling. Should we use our current 100 watt ZooMed Powersun UV with the dome? The height of the light with the dome and hanger is 9 inches. 30 inches - 9 inches = 21 inches. Height of hide is 6 inches. 21 inches - 6 inches = 15 inches. Is this an acceptable height for basking on top of his hide or is it too close or too far? Or should we use the jury rigged Home Depot set up I built? Doing that would give us 3 or 4 more inches between the lamp and the hide. We are also concerned with the ceramic socket that comes with the dome. Is the home made light set up safe for use with a 100 watt MVB? Or do we need to use the ceramic socket due to heat/fire issues? We would prefer not to burn down our Tegu enclosure, son's bed room, or our entire house!! We have also purchased a 24 inch General Electric Xenon under cabinet light for mood lighting. Being unsure about Xenon we also purchased a 36 inch conventional fluorescent under cabinet light as well. Opinions on 24 Xenon vs 36 standard? We also have a heat lamp with dome available as well. I'm placing the MVB bulb on the side with the hide/basking spot and the under cabinet light on the other half of his enclosure. Any ideas if we should place the under cabinet near the front or towards the rear of the enclosure? I read somewhere that if the lights are placed near the back they can cast a reflective glare off of the glass doors. Thanks in advance for all your insightful wisdom!!

Carlton

 

[james.w]

The distance will depend on what basking temp you are trying to maintain. 15" away may cause too high of a basking temp or possibly too low. You will have to experiment with it. What fixture did you make from Home Depot? I use a Home Depot fixture in my Tegus cage and used them in all the cage I built with no problems. I believe they are rated for 600W.

As far as the 24" Xenon v. the 36" fluorescent, I think experimentation will also help you decide which you are happier with.