Cage Size

[CaseyUndead]

Is it okay to use a smaller cage/tank/viv if you're planning on having the tegu out a lot of the time, and the cage is basically just for sleeping + basking? Because i have some size restrictions on the caging, but i plan to have the tegu out most of the time i'm home when he gets that big anyway.. It seems to me like he wouldn't need all of that roaming-around room in the cage if he gets plenty of that the rest of the day, and the cage was just like his "bedroom" or something. Does anyone do this? I was even thinking of maybe blocking off like half of the room, tegu-proofing it, and letting him come in and out as he pleases when i'm not there. Like a sort of semi-free-roaming thing.

 

[ColdThirst]

If you dont like the carpet in the room and also I dont think anyone here would completely agree with the smaller cage Idea, but what you can do, is what you can do, but first how small is "a smaller cage?"

 

[CaseyUndead]

maybe 4 ft or 6ft..(4x3 or 6x2.. lllreptile's arg. tegu care sheet puts 6x2 as minimum for an adult male) big enough to for a hiding spot or two, a basking area, and some digging.. but as for the carpet thing, i was definitely thinking of putting something down first.. lol. like getting some sort of plastic cover on the floor, then putting some stuff there to "play" on.. and get some sort of steps or ladder-y thing for him to go in and out of the cage. I like to get creative with this sort of thing. But it's my understanding that the reason they need a bigger cage is so that they have room to roam around and get some exercise, and it's probably based on the fact that not everyone lets their lizard out for a long time every day and that's their main living area. If it was just being used to sleep in though, i don't quite see the point of a big one. The whole reason i want a tegu in the first place is because of how much i'll be able to have him out with me.

 

[RehabRalphy]

But you must remember, no reptile deserves the minimum cage requirement.

8'x4'x3' is ideal

 

[CaseyUndead]

yeah. but just for sleeping?.. and when he gets bigger it would be the cage, plus like half of the room.

 

[greentriple]

Rehab, that's true, but often not possible. I don't think they'll suffer too much in something a bit smaller, in particular if they get quite a bit of out time.

 

[CaseyUndead]

okay. we've decide that a 6x3 can fit in there.. so me and my dad(he's a mechanic.. so he knows about tools and stuff like this) have started making up plans to build a couple 6x3 cages that will stack on one-another and open from the front(bottom one for tegu, top one for a retic.. the two big herps i want to get this year) I've heard a couple people on here say that they keep argentines in a 6x3.. so i think this'll do really well.

 

[AB^]

maybe for the argentine but what about that retic? lol

 

[CaseyUndead]

Well... to quote a care sheet bob clark wrote on retics: "Most adult retics can live comfortably in a cage measuring 36 by 72 by 36 inches"

So, seems to me it would be the perfect size.. No one knows more about 'tics than him. Most retics don't get as big as Fluffy.. lol.

 

[AB^]

well, i'd just hope your is one of the smaller localities.