Need suggestions for enclosure materials.

starion88esir · Member Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 42

I have come up with the design I am going to use to build the enclosure for our tegu. I now need suggestions on what material to use to build it. Is treated wood ok? I want to make sure whatever I buy wont rot due to the humidity inside. I'm looking at Lowes or Home Depot for supplies as that's about all there is local to me.

VARNYARD · Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:48 pm Post subject:

Are you going to bulid it inside or outside? I use 3/4 inch plywood outside but it is painted with outdoor laytex paint. Here are some pictures of mine.

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starion88esir · Member Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 42

The enclosure will be inside but I am worried about the amount of humidity that must be kept inside of thier cage.

VARNYARD · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:29 am Post subject:

You could still use exterior latex paint, this is nontoxic as well as water proof.
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eradi · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:16 am Post subject:

Stay away from any treated wood. Most of it contains arsenic. Avoid particle board as well since formaldahide (sp?) is used in the process.
That wood falls apart when wet or too much moisture.
Any wood should be at least painted with non-toxic or laytex paints. To go one step further you can also seal/finish with a non-toxic finish like
polycrylic. I am currently constructing 2 8' x 3' x 3' stacking enclosures.
The bottom or base is 3/4" plywood that I painted with laytex and then applied several coats of ploycrylic finish. I also painted and sealed the interior. Where the walls meet the bottom/base I ran a bead of
silicone to keep water inside in case of any big spills, etc. since tegus
love digging around and dumping any container in their area.

I will post pix soon since it is almost done.
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

starion88esir · Member Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 42

Ok, thank you. I guess I will go with the latex paint and some thick nontreated plywood. Should cut down costs from what I was inititally looking at.

I don't need to re-inforce the corners like I would for a home for my boas would I?

I think my tegu is starting his hibernation (brumation I guess would be the correct term) in his small home.

But I guess that gives me time to get the new home ready for him and the monitor.

eradi · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:24 am Post subject:

I am not sure what is meant by reinforcing the corners? That a snake thing?

Yeah, my tegus are REALLY winding down! They sleep until mid-afternoon
and don't appear as hungry as they usually are. I don't think it will be long before the big nap.
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

starion88esir · Member Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 42

With a cage for boas (one made of wood) they like to sit in the corners and they flex. (Thier bodies contract and expand with great strength) and they can pop the corners of an enclosure if they aren't reinforced well enough.

I didn't think this would apply to tegus, just wanted to make sure though.

eradi · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:58 pm Post subject:

Interesting! Do they do that to keep warm?
I don't know much about snakes but I love learning about other herps
and appreciate them.

At any rate tegus are strong animals that like to claw and dig but I don't think reinforcing corners is needed if you use a thick plywood and durable sides/walls.
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

Nate · Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:54 pm Post subject:

Varnyard,

How do you level those cages? do they have a bottom or is it open to the soil? I'd like to build my Tegu an outside enclosure but don't know where to start.
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Nate

VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:30 am Post subject:

On the bottom I used new heavy duty chicken wire buried five inches under the soil, attached to 2x4s buried in the ground all the way around the inside. On the top I used 3/4 inch plywood, and from the plywood at the bottom all the way to the top I used 1/2 inch hardware cloth (rabbit wire) or heavy duty chicken wire. There is a hole going down outside the enclosure. It is lined with wire. The wire is attached to the bottom to the wire in the bottom. It goes to a box buried outside under the ground 2 feet. The box has a hole cut out of the side of it. the wire is attached to the box. The tunnel is lined with indoor/outdoor carpet. This keeps the tegus from rubbing the wire traveling in and out of the hole. There is no where to go but the box or the cage. the wire is connected to the box, as well as the wire in the bottom of the cage.

I build mine so that they get morning sunlight as well as afternoon. Argentine tegus bask in the cooler parts of the day. When it is the hottest part of the day, they go into their burrows. Argentine tegus can be kept outside all year around. They will hibernate here from mid August until March. They can take temperature drops to 35 degrees for a few days. If the den is two feet below the ground, then the temperatures would need to drop much colder outside than this to effect them. If the temps drop below 25 for three or more days, I would be concerned. But this usually is not the case here. If there is a real cold snap comming or excessive rain I use plastic over their den box to keep excessive moisture and cold from affecting them. The plastic would tend to keep the ground warmer than if it was just bare ground. You could also use old carpet or plywood on top of the plastic for even more insulation.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

This is a outside veiw.

Note: The top of the box is just under the ground. The water table here is about three feet. I mound up the dirt on top of the box along with the insulation (plastic and plywood). I also add to this in winter, a tarp is laid over the hide as well. If I put it deeper there would be a chance of the den/hide getting flooded if the water table rises.

This is a inside veiw.

this is a outside veiw.

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VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:44 am Post subject:

Here is a picture, that at the time was under construction, but it gives you a general description:
This enclosure is 8ft x 8ft x 6ft tall. It has 1/2 inch plywood, 2ft up from the ground all the way around, this is for two reasons. One is to keep your tegu from rubbing his/her nose. The other reason is to keep dogs, cats, or varmints from getting in. The rest of the way to the top is heavy duty chicken wire. It also has a roof.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

The piece of plywood inside the enclosure in this picture was only for them until I could get the hid dug and finished.

If you need any more help with this, feel free to ask.

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VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:53 am Post subject:

One more thing. The dirt to cover the chicken wire was brought in later and added. This way the inside of the enclosure is slightly higher then the ground outside. This helps in heavy rains. To the top I add cypress mulch, and then a thick layer of fine hay. The hay is easy to remove if it is soiled or becomes too wet.

As you can see, the end results is happy tegus.

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VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject:

Also it is best to remove any hay that becomes too wet, if not it will mold and can cause health problems. Tegus also like this fine hay for nest building.
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Nate · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:43 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the great pics and plans. I think I've got my fall project lined out.

Nate
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Nate