Tegu enclosure advice need, Please!!

[SkyGirl30]

Hello everyone. I need some help. I have been wanting to get a Argent B&W Tegu for a few months now. although i still cant afford one yet, I want to get all my ducks in a row and be well prepared for when I am ready to get one. Ive never owned a tegu or any large lizard before. I have only owned a bearded dragon(now passed) now I currently own a ball python. Now i know these lizards are not for beginners, but where i lack in physical experience, I make up for with knowledge. I have done and is still gaining proper knowledge for how to care for a tegu via different sites on the internet. This is the first forum I have tried so I hope you guys can help me learn more.
Anyways, my reason for this threat is the enclosure (the most important ingredient to preparing to get any reptile).
I have read on different sites that the recommended size for an adult tegu is 8' or bigger. But i have also read that it is ok to keep them in a 6' cages as long as they got to get out and allowed to explore for a little bit; i have also heard that a 6' cage would only be ok for short term housing. The reason i ask is, in my house there is only one spot that i could possibly fit a large enclosure....but i can only fit 6' of length. the spot is a nook in my brothers old room (i keep my snake in the same room) and there's a 6' nook between the closet and the exterior wall of the house. The nook also allows a depth/width of 3' as well a height of 3' ( i know height isnt important but i read somewhere that and extra foot of height will give 'you' more comfortable head space when you go to clean the enclosure). So will a 6'x3'x3' work for an adult tegu temporary keeping until i am able to build proper size enclosure?

One more thing, I plan to build the enclosure and i was wondering anybody would like to share some tips on doing so that would be great. mainly i want to know is materials to use. What is the cheapest way to a build a good quality enclosure? And if anyone would like to share pics of their enclosures and what worked for them, that would be awesome. Thank you

 

[Skeep]

6'x3'x3' is generally considered okay if they get out regularly, like you suggested. I'm only a new hatchling owner, so maybe someone with a full-grown tegu will know better, but the breeder and my other friend's with tegus all told me 6x3 was okay.

I wound up buying a custom enclosure since I don't have the means to build one (it was very pricey), but there are lots of good ideas here on how to build it!

 

[SkyGirl30]

thank you, every little thing helps.

 

[N8bub]

If that's the size and you're going to get a tegu no matter what , I suggest buying a female they are generally smaller and would fit better into your cage parameters.

 

[Jacobhreptiles]

knowledge and experience are 2 very very different things and no amount of knowledge can fully prepare you. i would suggest not jumping right into a tegu unless you have a bit more experience because they are nothing like a beardie or ball python. but if you insist on owning a tegu a 6x3x3 is ok for a short period but the reccomended size is 8x4x3 roughly. so it's not big enough for an adult but it will work for a smaller one for some time.

 

[sphenodon]

knowledge and experience are 2 very very different things and no amount of knowledge can fully prepare you. i would suggest not jumping right into a tegu unless you have a bit more experience because they are nothing like a beardie or ball python. but if you insist on owning a tegu a 6x3x3 is ok for a short period but the reccomended size is 8x4x3 roughly. so it's not big enough for an adult but it will work for a smaller one for some time.

What kind of experience would you recommend before getting a tegu?

I'm also considering a tegu and I'm trying to learn as much as possible, including all the reasons why I shouldn't get one.

 

[Skeep]

My hatchling gu is my first reptile, and it has definitely been a learning experience! But she is doing well; healthy, active, and starting to get social. I relied on the support of friends and others quite a bit to figure everything out. I'm also curious what previous experience would be considered adequate for preparing since there is always more to learn.

 

[SkyGirl30]

knowledge and experience are 2 very very different things and no amount of knowledge can fully prepare you. i would suggest not jumping right into a tegu unless you have a bit more experience because they are nothing like a beardie or ball python. but if you insist on owning a tegu a 6x3x3 is ok for a short period but the reccomended size is 8x4x3 roughly. so it's not big enough for an adult but it will work for a smaller one for some time.

I know that experience almost always wins over just knowledge, but on that same note I'm not like some people out there who gets a "Cool" animal without a clue how to take care of it properly. Besides you got to start somewhere, you'll never gain experience in anything if you dont start somewhere. Everyone is a beginner til they try learn and gain their experience. Thank you for you advice.

 

[SkyGirl30]

If that's the size and you're going to get a tegu no matter what , I suggest buying a female they are generally smaller and would fit better into your cage parameters.

Thank you, but isnt hard to sex hatchling lizards (which is the size i plan on getting).

 

[N8bub]

It isnt 100% you are correct. That being said any of the dealers that focus on tegus can get you into a very high probability. If you look through the forums there are several threads on sexing tegus. 1 post in particular that I recall viewing was from Renske I believe and it shows in a YouTube video how to sex adults and juveniles.

 

[Jacobhreptiles]

I agree it can be good and it's always a learning experience no matter what! I've owned reptiles for 10 years and just got my first tegus this year and it's a learning experience. It just is nice for me to have other experience because it helps with understanding them as a whole like body language etc. But you could easily learn all that by owning one just make sure you really decide

 

[Rebecca Stout]

I think the 6' is fine for an argentine as long as it gets out. I did an 8' and I have a female. I really think its overkill for me cause she did not end up to be some huge monster boy. I think this size cage would def be needed for an average to large male though. Columbian would be waaaay overkill. I got a blog about building mine. Now, the materials on my page are what you find people use online. It is the most common recommended list. Now that all is said and done? Good lord this thing is DEFINITELY overkill. Lol. Unless... you'd like to also use it as a big piece of furniture you can use to pile heavy things on. I Used 2x4's all the way around. And I used tons of support beams. I did it the way I did because I didn't know how big my girl would get. But even if I had a massive male, I've got to tell you ... this strength of this thing was not "needed". You don't need 2x4's all over the place the way I did it. Just building a box with a bit of reinforcement would've been fine. Using 2x3's or 2x2's would've been fine. It doesn't "need" to be 4' high either. In fact because of the height of mine, I had to add a good shelf rather than build up a basking spot. Its cool in that it gives her extra walking and burrowing space though and you can get in there comfortably to sit, clean etc. If this isn't to be on a ground floor, I'd have to recommend not doing it the way I did or as tall as I did so that its not as heavy as mine. I would not skimp on the other stuff too much and def dont skimp on the plywood thickness.

Okay that all said, the pricing on this page is the WORSE case scenario because as you will read here. As I said, I did overkill with the wood and size. So that drove up the price. Also, I had zero means of getting anything discounted, used, over stock, things laying around , or that other people could give or loan me etc. Please do not let the price scare you too badly okay? I still wanted to show you because if you are on a super tight budget (and as you'll read we were so much on a budget our cage got pushed back time and time again so she was forced to live in the bathroom), then you do need to see it. People don't list the screws, ties, etc etc and it adds up!

On this page, you will also find other costs such as food etc. Again ... I haven't access to cheaper things than most people.
http://wolfystegu.weebly.com/blog/how-much-money

This was one of the best things I did in my life (getting a tegu). Its the second most major commitment I've made in an animal and she is family and part of our lives now! Really cool animal. If something ever happens to her I'll do it all over again!