My New Enclosure - Still Under Construction

[Rick]

I am not a carpenter, but there was no way I could buy something large enough for the tegus and manage to get it through my doorways so I built my first enclosure.

It's made up of four levels.

Level 1 is currently an enclosure for Tux (24 inches) & Tila (20 inches) until they are moved into the lower section.

Level 2 is the lighting, automatic timers & wiring center. The lights from here (1x 150w Basking bulb, 1x ReptiSun(tm) 10.0 UVB bulb, 2x 10,000k Daylight Fluorescent bulbs, 2x 10,000k Actinic Blue bulbs) fill Level 3.

Level 3 is the basking level, it has direct access to Level 4 via a ramp with ladder rails for footholds. Level 3 has a shallow layer of substrate to help with cleaning, but this level is not intended for "digging in".

Level 4 is the cool zone. This zone can hold 8 to 10 inches of substrate. There is a fluorescent tube, this tube has a slight purple/white tint. It's a GE bulb intended to show off the colors of fish, reptiles or flowers, but it doesn't put off any measurable heat. Level 4 also has a small 'doggy door', or Tegu Door if you will, and the tegus in the bottom level have free roam access to the entire reptile room.

It's nearly done. I still need to finish the top level, sliding doors, etc and I need to do the trim. I may also put something different on the outside. Like the rock face similar to the fake brick put on chimneys.

Here are a couple pictures.. [Picture 1] (http://www.thetegu.com/public/bottom%20nearly%20done%20-%20p1.jpg) - [Picture 2] (http://www.thetegu.com/public/bottom%20nearly%20done%20-%20p2.jpg)

Rick
theTegu.com

[charlene]

wow, nice work i'm sure your tegus will appreciate it :)

Charlene

[tegu_girl0]

i want 1 can you send me the mesure ments and cost that wold look good in my bed room or in the living room.

[tegu_girl0]

come on rick how big is it?

[Rick]

Relax, it may be hard to believe but I don't sit here 24/7. I take a day off once in awhile! :P

The back wall is 4 feet, the left wall is 4 feet, the right wall is 1 foot, the front face is 5 feet. The rest of the measurements elude me at this time since I did not make this from a plan, nor did I make a plan. I just bought a load of 2x3's, a few sheets of plywood, a few different size wood screws, a gallon of white (low fume, non-toxic) white paint, 4 sets of white slider tracks and just started tossing it together. I used minimal tools and did most everything by eye.

I hope that helps.

Rick
theTegu.com

[James_James]

8O I'm jealous. I suck at building things :( Nice cage! I'm sure your Tegus are very happy. You should build me one like that sometime. :wink:

[Rottncorpse]

cool setup, will be posting pics as soon as I am done with mine.

[tegu_girl0]

lol i made a plan that my dad said is ok and we can start maby after are house is fixed to maro i wana post pics of the house and wha there doing

any way back 2 the cage
its in HxDxL
6x2x4 there is 3 levels and each are 2 feet high leaving 1 1/2 feet of head space

how big will a 3 1/2 foot tegus body langth be isent it like half of the total or less?

[Craigo]

Rick,

Very nice corner unit! What purpose will the top level serve when it is completed? How much time do they spend in the 3rd level vs bottom level? I like the idea of multiple levels to conserve floor space. I'm in the process of researching tegus and intend to get one some time in the next year. Too many remodeling projects going on right now to take the plunge. Currently have 1.0 uromastyx egyptian microlepis just coming out of brumation for the season.

Thanks for sharing!
Craigo

[Rick]

Thank you all for the nice words.

The top level is a single level enclosure with hanging lighting. It's purpose is to house smaller tegus or as a quarintine enclosure. It's heat and lighting come from hanging lights as well as excess heat from the lighting in level two.

The second level is the lighting and wiring level for the third level as well as storage for extra bulbs, light shield, timers, etc. The heat generated from the lights heat the floor on the top level so that no heat is wasted.

The third and fourth level are attached via a laddered ramp. Most of the day is spent lounging in the third level under the heat lamp, UVB lighting, etc, but they go down to the fourth level to get out though a doggy-style door that gives them access to the entire reptile room. The also enjoy digging in the fourth level as the mulch is a foot deep down there. The mulch is only several inches on the third level.

If you have futher, or specific questions feel free to post them.

Rick
theTegu.com
HerpSites.Net

[darkangel]

interesting i just got my wood together and started making 1, at min its 4ft high, 4ft across and 2ft width, looks a bit like ricks as above but aint got no sections in yet, if i didnt put sections in would that still b ok ? lighting and heat wise ? or do u recomend putting at least 1 section in middle? also would u recommend real glass or perspecx as from what ive read they can b tough little buggers and dont want it to get hurt, i,e broken glass? prob just me being over cautious :roll:

[John]

Sounds awesome Rick!!! I can't wait till I have the space outside to keep my tegus!!!

[Rick]

aint got no sections in yet, if i didnt put sections in would that still b ok ? lighting and heat wise ? or do u recomend putting at least 1 section in middle?

Tegus are not huge climbers, if you don't do levels all but the very bottom would be a waste of space. Plus the heat and UVB lights should be within a foot or two of the bedding material.


would u recommend real glass or perspecx as from what ive read they can b tough little buggers and dont want it to get hurt, i,e broken glass? prob just me being over cautious :roll:

Plexiglass is harder to break then glass, Lexan does not shatter, but both scratch up easy. Glass is fine as long as you get it thick enough for the size. The guys at the glass shop can tell you how thick you need if you explain what you are doing. I am using 1/4 inch glass.

Rick
theTegu.com
HerpSites.Net

[darkangel]

thanks 4 that well been loose with jigsaw today :lol: put a middle section ill put sum pics up got some plastic plants to put in it :lol: kids getting more excited dino alert lol :D

[herp_haven]

Sounds great, Rick. Dang if we lived closer I would pay you to build me one. :lol: I am not able to build enclosures, especially not complex ones. I'm not even sure if I can build a snake rack--and I don't have the money to waste to try (if it all went wrong). haha

Maybe someday I'll attempt to make a nice big enclosure with a separator in it for a pair of aussie frilled dragons. I have a vision in my head of what I want it to look like, but I know it wont turn out that way. haha

[John]

Sounds great, Rick. Dang if we lived closer I would pay you to build me one. :lol: I am not able to build enclosures, especially not complex ones. I'm not even sure if I can build a snake rack--and I don't have the money to waste to try (if it all went wrong). haha

Maybe someday I'll attempt to make a nice big enclosure with a separator in it for a pair of aussie frilled dragons. I have a vision in my head of what I want it to look like, but I know it wont turn out that way. haha

I like bennetts caging for the frills! That's what I plan on doing!

[Craigo]

Rick,
I've been thinking about how to make an enclosure like yours for my unique conditions. Here's the difference. I have a window near a corner that gets good afternoon sunlight, however it is 4 ft from the floor. So I'm thinking about making a unit like yours with a ramp that goes from the 3rd level to the top level. It would pass through the lighting chamber, so I'd make a wall to prevent the tegu from entering that section. I'd like to provide access to the sunlight, so I'd make a metal screened window on the top level and then open the window on the room so that no glass existed between the tegu and the sun. One thought is to eliminate the light chamber and just attach the lights to the ceiling of the 3rd section (one up from the bottom in your enclosure).

I guess I'm wondering if you think they'd be curious enough to actually climb a ramp to the upper level to get to the sunlight. My side dimensions would be 4 ft and 5 ft providing about 15.5 sq.ft. per level. Would that be adaquate for an Argentine Chacoan? What do you think about my ideas?
Comments/suggestions from anyone are welcome.

Thanks,
Craigo

[darkangel]

im in middle of making 1 that size its 4 ft high 4ft across 2ft width without putting a pic up its a bit like on the photo section, rams vivarium, but looking at it rams his looks a lot bigger, but how he made ramps is similar with the spot light on the second level, ill post a pic when finished :lol: