Baby tegu enclosure

[SamBobCat]

Hey there, I just had a quick question about an enclosure for a baby/ young chacoan tegu. A friend of mine works in a machinery warehouse and he has a big crate that he doesn't know what to do with. The measurements are 4×4×2, so a total of 16 square feet of floor space. I was thinking that if I could get two of these crates, I could cut out one of the sides on each crate and bolt them together to make a 8×4×2. It would fit under my twin mattress, and the crates are heavy duty enough to support it. The only problem is, he only has one crate. My choices are get one crate and then spend somewhere between $20-$50 on glass or poly carbonate doors, then later have to expand the crate with some plywood when it gets too small, or go pick up a $50 display case that is 8×2×2 and have it take up more room because it wouldn't fit under my bed. Plus, a 4×4 crate and a 8×2 display case are both 16 square feet floor space. I was just wondering if the enclosure needed to be long instead of wide, but I think the crate would be better. What do you guys think? Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your help!

 

[donnaranee33]

My tegu is around 25" (tip of nose to tip of tail) and I just put her in her new enclosure which is 8x4x2 and I think she loves having the extra wide space. They do need the length without a doubt, but in my personal opinion having it a little wide is nice too. Plus it's extra room for a large water pan.