Room to Enclosure Conversion

[Bwindi]

Hello everyone!

I'm trying to convert a "sunroom" into an enclosure for my one year old gu. He has such a "house cat demenor" that I think he would be happier in a LARGE space.
The room is 7' by 7' with wooden floors and french doors closing off the room.

First off, has anyone done something like this before?

I would like have substrate in the room but I don't want to ruin the floor with gu' poo

Do you guys have any ideas for containing the substrate or alternative options?

Also, I would like to have a larger container with a fish talk filter so he can have fresh water without me changing it everyday.

I am really open to ideas and appreciate any input!

Thanks

 

[JohnMatthew]

There are several members who have GU proofed porches/sunrooms to let their lizards get some good, natural sunlight and free roaming time. I'm not sure if anybody here has a fully converted sunroom enclosure yet, it sounds like a fun project though! Pictures of the sunroom as it is now might help with people giving you advice on what might be your best route or at least start giving you some options. I'd definitely start with putting some type of vinyl flooring over the wood to help protect it from damage as I'd want to have some sort of substrate for a permanent room enclosure.

 

[Piercedcub32]

perhaps laying down sheet plastic or a rubber used for fish ponds... (the latter can get very expensive! but it would save your floor!).

 

[james.w]

I know someone that had a Blackthroat Monitor in a room enclosure (10x10), and they used a blue tarp to cover the carpet, and up the walls about 6". How do you plan on providing UVB and proper humidity?

 

[jtpowers]

One consideration as to sealing the floor and at least a foot or so up the wall...there are two products you might consider. One is a paint on two part aliphatic epoxy pool liner called Ultraguard. It's permanent and ends up like a tupperware liner for anything to which it's applied. Not cheap though. Another is the spray on or roll on truck bed liner line of products. Some of it comes with texturizing rubber granules that you could include or exclude. Check WalMart, I seen to remember that they sell an inexpensive version of it.

Another consideration is the humidity. Simply put, houses aren't meant to have consistent high humidity inside and it may play hell with your building materials, promoting rot, mold, mildew, separation of drywall, deterioration of your insulation, and cause your siding to "pop." Not saying it can't be done, just do your research because it could affect your entire home. Even minor differences in the permeability of your vapor barrier inside the wallspace can change humidity from room to room, and it isn't uncommon to see termite infestations preferentially starting in those rooms with a more impermeable/non-breathable vapor barrier than those with something like Tyvek housewrap or quality roofing felt built in between the cladding
and siding.

Another factor to consider is any existing outlets or electrical fixtures in the room. Will you need to add more? Will you replace them with outdoor versions? The high humidity may promote corrosion and lead to shorts that could even potentially result in a fire hazard. Again, just factor it into your decision.

Finally, pay attention to some smaller things, like which way your french doors open and whether they would be impeded by substrate. Will you build in a tub/pool? Do you need to add plumbing or drain to do it, and if so, is your house built on a monolithic slab or on pier foundations? If slab, a concrete saw is in your future...

Anyway, I hope none of this is discouraging to you, just consider it in advance at least because it may be more work than you bargained for to do it in a way that doesn't damage your home. You may end up deciding that building a "herp shed" or enclosing a patio with specialized building materials is a better option. Regardless, good luck and take (and share) photos!

 

[jdpFL]

My suggestion would be to make your sunroom tegu friendly, by all means, but within that room, have his permanent enclosure also...(tank with substrate, uv light, etc.) You could still hook up lights in the sunroom for basking and uv if you wanted to, and add some things like a nice hide, and so on. But I think his humidity needs, desire for burrowing and security would be better provided with a traditional enclosure setup. Then you wouldn't have to worry about dump truck loads of substrate and possible damage to your home, but at the same time, could provide a safe and enriching environment for tegu playtime! (now I want to ask the hubby to build me a sunroom/reptile room...lol)
I did have an adult iguana once who lived in the spare bedroom...for humidity he got frequent soaks and misting. He was happy and healthy but looking back I would've done it differently. He ended up getting aggressive, maybe due to not feeling secure? Anyway, that seems like a good middle of the road solution, to keeping you and your tegu happy! Best of luck...let us know how it works out!

 

[jtpowers]

^^ Yeah. What she said.

 

[Bwindi]

I probably should have mentioned that I live in an apartment so any extreme makeovers of the room wouldn't be a possiblity.

I like the idea of having his cage that he lives in now open for him to potty (he pottys in one place so its kind of convenient!), bask and soak in his water.

on another note, I just watched a fabulous documentary on monitors called "Lizard King." (its on Netflix, it is a must see!)
--In the documentary they talk about their natural curiosity and how it should be exercised if they are kept in captivity.

Making "toys" with food inside of them is something done in zoos. Has anyone ever made these kind of toys before?

 

[JohnMatthew]

Aye, zoos commonly refer to it as enrichment. It's a great way to give your animals something to do, you know it has to get boring with the same routine day in and day out.. Depending on the species and their level of intelligence enrichment can range from something as simple as a new food item to as complex as a homemade labyrinth with all sorts of surprises and goodies(get creative). I keep it pretty simple and usually just give my animals some solid outdoors time, the GUs especially seem to enjoy exploring outside their enclosure.