Large chicken-wire tanks are easy to build. I built an outside cage for my Beardie and it was soo easy. It is 400 gallons. Chicken wire and wood. Let me know if you are interested!
what is the real cost of owning a tegu?
- Thread starter djsaltynuts
- Start date
besides a small difference in the amount id be feeding it why would a foot difference in size create more expense? argentine cost like 100-200$ more but other than that i really dont see a difference id still build the same size enclosure.
A LFS near me has a few full grown tegus and they just eat dog food. Not sure if that's 100% healthy but I dont go there often as there quality is shady.
I have also heard of people feeding Tegus dog food. I would be leary of this as most have the same horrible fillers that we avoid in our fish food. If I was to go the dog food route I would use one of the "raw" kinds has to be stored in the fridge so long as it didn't have alot of fillers.
the reason i ask is because anyone whos had a bearded dragon knows the upfront costs dont compare to the overall cost of care.
i already have a uvb mercury vapor bulb id be using for the basking itself so id probably have to buy a ceramic(just to make sure the basking spot is hot enough) and a light for the full length of the enclosure. if anyone has suggestions on lighting or what theyve used for large lizards in the past id like to hear them.
the enclosure itself will be a large tote at the bottom to hold substrate deep enough to burrow then id just built the walls up more. the lid will most likely be off most the time but ill make it out of a wood frame and screen.
the diet im not super concerned about, theres a breeding pair of ducks for sale on craigslist for free but i dont have an incubator. id use some cat food and plant matter as well as a good calcium supplement. im fortunate enough to have a great reptile store close to me that sells feeder rabbits and feeder birds, id be using allot of eggs as well as i was thinking i should feed it mystery snails.
im tempted to buy a columbian tegu because of the price and i wouldn’t mind a slightly smaller tegu. i understand that they can be allot more difficult temperament wise which i dont think id have the biggest problem with, but my hangup is that i have dogs and while i would definitely try to keep them apart one is still a puppy and would most likely try sticking its nose in the tegu’s face if it ever got the chance.
the brumation is convenient for me so that i can let the tegu be outside during the warm part of the year and shed be asleep for the cold.
the substrate im a little concerned with because this will be my first reptile that i dont use a large clean up crew for. i hear cypress mulch is good if anyone has a link to the best priced compatible mulch at home depot thatd be very helpful.
this isnt related to cost but how much should of the day should the tegu be out of its enclosure. the room is very hot and humid from fishtanks my concerns would simply be him maybe chewing on wires or something like that, or just stress from not being in his enclosure. i was wondering if i could treat his enclosure kind of like a bed when hes not brumating and not basking. would the limitation of being outside his enclosure just be having enough basking time every day?
i used to see allot of people just give tegus a corner of the house with a towel and a uvb/heat bulb basking spot but i didnt see any mention of this when researching the care.
i already have a uvb mercury vapor bulb id be using for the basking itself so id probably have to buy a ceramic(just to make sure the basking spot is hot enough) and a light for the full length of the enclosure. if anyone has suggestions on lighting or what theyve used for large lizards in the past id like to hear them.
the enclosure itself will be a large tote at the bottom to hold substrate deep enough to burrow then id just built the walls up more. the lid will most likely be off most the time but ill make it out of a wood frame and screen.
the diet im not super concerned about, theres a breeding pair of ducks for sale on craigslist for free but i dont have an incubator. id use some cat food and plant matter as well as a good calcium supplement. im fortunate enough to have a great reptile store close to me that sells feeder rabbits and feeder birds, id be using allot of eggs as well as i was thinking i should feed it mystery snails.
im tempted to buy a columbian tegu because of the price and i wouldn’t mind a slightly smaller tegu. i understand that they can be allot more difficult temperament wise which i dont think id have the biggest problem with, but my hangup is that i have dogs and while i would definitely try to keep them apart one is still a puppy and would most likely try sticking its nose in the tegu’s face if it ever got the chance.
the brumation is convenient for me so that i can let the tegu be outside during the warm part of the year and shed be asleep for the cold.
the substrate im a little concerned with because this will be my first reptile that i dont use a large clean up crew for. i hear cypress mulch is good if anyone has a link to the best priced compatible mulch at home depot thatd be very helpful.
this isnt related to cost but how much should of the day should the tegu be out of its enclosure. the room is very hot and humid from fishtanks my concerns would simply be him maybe chewing on wires or something like that, or just stress from not being in his enclosure. i was wondering if i could treat his enclosure kind of like a bed when hes not brumating and not basking. would the limitation of being outside his enclosure just be having enough basking time every day?
i used to see allot of people just give tegus a corner of the house with a towel and a uvb/heat bulb basking spot but i didnt see any mention of this when researching the care.
if the tegu overall seems like too much to handle or too much to take care of im thinking of getting a blue tongue skink because theyre like mini tegus, but im tired of small lizards and the starting price is the same, and if i went with a columbian the starting price would be allot lower than both.
I have heard many times that Columbians are more aggressive and less manageable than Argentines. If the cost of the lizard itself is your main concern you may want to rethink things. Not that they are the most expensive pets to own (some people blow it way out of proportion) but building the enclosure (with the price of lumber these days lol), sourcing food, lighting, and the time it takes to maintain larger animals will far outweigh the cost of the animal, especially since they live quite a while. The main thing is that you will have to build a very large enclosure, A lot of people recommend an 8x4 footprint for an adult. To me, even that seems a bit small for an active lizard that will get to almost 4 feet, but I've never kept one so what do I know. I do know that letting tegus "free roam" (there was a particular lizard on youtube I won't name that inspired lots of people to do that a few years back) is not a good idea and will end in health problems for the lizard. Other than that, make sure to do your research. I know that there's a lot of different viewpoints on how to care for larger lizards and reptiles in general (a lot of things in the reptile hobby seem less "generally accepted" than with fishkeeping) but extensive research is important.
Good luck, a tegu is definitely on the list of animals I would like to own someday, I just don't have the time or resources right now.
My plan was to build a 4x4x8 enclosure.
Bottom foot would be for the mulch. Other three feet usable space. Tegus are not a climbing lizard so height for branches etc to climb is not needed.
I was going to place 4 of these for UV needs.
I planned to build the frame on the exterior to ease the water proofing needed on the interior. Pond armor is recommended for interior of wooden enclosures. Over time the continued high humidity would cause the wood to rot.
I was going to put a window on a side for access
Having to replace the mulch 3 to 4 times a year you will need good access.
Also we have all seen the heater vents on people's floors. Use 6 or so to provide a good supply of fresh air.
Bottom foot would be for the mulch. Other three feet usable space. Tegus are not a climbing lizard so height for branches etc to climb is not needed.
I was going to place 4 of these for UV needs.
Amazon.com : Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 High Output UVB Fluorescent Bulb 36 Watts, 48-Inch : Pet Habitat Lights : Pet Supplies
Amazon.com : Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 High Output UVB Fluorescent Bulb 36 Watts, 48-Inch : Pet Habitat Lights : Pet Supplies
www.amazon.com
I planned to build the frame on the exterior to ease the water proofing needed on the interior. Pond armor is recommended for interior of wooden enclosures. Over time the continued high humidity would cause the wood to rot.
I was going to put a window on a side for access
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Having to replace the mulch 3 to 4 times a year you will need good access.
Also we have all seen the heater vents on people's floors. Use 6 or so to provide a good supply of fresh air.
