Tegusaurus Rex's new home! (for now)

[Guest]

My fiance worked with copperheads doing research on fang shed rate and habitat preference, and it was coming to an end and was scheduled to fully shut down mid-October. The guy in charge said when it did shut down all the tanks and stuff were to be given away. I had my eye on the 125gal tank they used for their habitat preference research because I had been keeping Tegs in a 20gal and knew he'd outgrow it before long.

Well we got the 125gal sooner than we thought! Research shut down a month early and they gave away all their tanks so now Teggie has a nice new formerly-copperhead-habitat tank to live in He is still pretty little right now so its a huuuuuge difference from his 20gal long, and he was a bit perplexed as to what he should do in his new home so he promptly ran into his little cardboard box hide (until I can find something nicer). But before he did that he decided to use his new space to run along the perimeter rubbing his nose on the glass (those rub marks will never heal at this rate!). Figures, I get him a lovely new BIG tank and he repays me by rubbing his poor little nose. *facepalm*

Anyways, here is his new tank:

Also I ordered him a new powersun bulb to make his basking spot a bit nicer. I also found that big rock outside (washed it off and baked at 350 for several hours) so now he should have a nice warm rock to lay on whenever he plucks up the courage to come out of the box. The only thing I don't like about this tank is that the lid was designed to keep people out and venomous snakes in (thats what those metal things sticking up are for....you put locks on them) so its quite a pain in the @$$ to take off and put back on as its very heavy and you have to align it just so. Also don't worry, it looks a little bare right now but it will be spruced up before long. The tank is too narrow and only barely long enough for a full grown tegu but this tank should do nicely as housing while he grows.

 

[Guest]

lucky...i been looking into building my own cage,i have two colmbians they arent too big for it now but i dont like em both in something that small.id like to put em in a custom cage that is around 6feet long or so and 2 or 3 feet high.

 

[Guest]

That looks like it should last him for a while. I plan on getting a colombian myself and i was wondering who is your colombian like behavior wise? Does it run away when you try to pick it up, does it bite, hiss, or tail whip you? The one i wanted at the local pet store was pretty skittish and bit me.

Heres the cage i wanna use for her
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It's about 125 gallons like yours. 4 feet long 28 inches wide 28 inches tall but not long or wide enough for a full grown.

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Its upside down that vent thing is actually where you put the lighting fixtures.

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here she is

 

[Guest]

The dimmensions of that tank are 6ftx18inx2ft, so I don't think the tank is wide enough for a full grown tegu...I think by the time he reaches 3ft long he will need a custom built cage.

Tegs is actually very very nice for a Columbian. I have had him since the 4th and he has never once hissed or tail whipped or even run away from me. The only thing he has ever run from is the cat and he has not shown one shred of aggression. I make sure to give him regular attention so that he stays that way. But I think I just got lucky with him. If you're willing to work with an aggressive/defensive Columbian I think you could get it to calm down but it would take a lot more work than if you had an Argentine. Honestly if you really want a great tegu I would go with an Argentine over a Columbian. I love my tegu to death and he is great for a Columbian but I know that Argentines are a safer bet at having a nice tame pet. Like I said, I just got lucky with mine.

 

[Guest]

umm the cage is 48 inches long 28 inches wide and 28 inches tall. I do plan on building a 6x3x3 cage for permenant housing.

 

[Guest]

For a Columbian 6x3x3 is good for an adult but Argentine's get bigger than Columbians.