Enclosure Idea

[TeguNovice]

I took a little break from Tegus and did a little research on some other herps but none of them can keep my interest like an Argentine Black and White Tegu so I am going to stick with getting one by the end of this year.My tegu is going to start out in a 75 gallon aquarium but we all know that is not going to last very long so I am going to build my own. This will be my very first time building a reptile enclosure so I want to make sure I have everything I will need.

The enclosure I will be making will be 6'Lx3'Dx3'H. I want to make it out of melamine wood. Will I still need a wood sealant for the melamine or is that just for plywood?

Here's the supplies I have listed. If I am missing anything, please let me know.

- x2 6'x3' Melamine
- 6'x2' Plexiglass
- Drill
- Latches
- Silicone
- Screws

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Ok, nevermind on the Melamine. I did a little more research on it and I think plywood would be better to use. When the enclosure is finally done, I wanted it to be black. What type of paint could I use to paint the enclosure black?

 

[herpgirl2510]

I have never used melamine but I have heard it makes the enclosure very heavy and can get moisture in it. If you use plywood you could use drylock around 3-4 coats. You might think about tempered glass because plexi glass scratches alot.

 

[Rhetoric]

yeah plexi gets really scratched up. I have it on one of the encloures, its nice that its light because of how the doors open but they're REALLY scratches up and one of the doors has had to be

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replaced already. If you can afford it, tempered is much better IMO.

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no edit button to fix my typo

 

[Toby_H]

^^Good advice HerpGirl

Melamine is waterproof, so when using it you simply need to seal the edges/corners.

Melamine is expensive and heavy. In my opinion there are better options, though if you have thoroughly consider the available options and have settled on melamine, it can work.

I am a huge fan of sealing wood with Drylok for enclosures, vivariums, terrariums, etc.

As mentioned, Plexiglas scratches very easily, but is much lighter (in weight) than glass. Plexi also bends/warps very easily. As for price, when dealing with larger panels glass is cheaper than Plexi, though I recommend tempered glass which is slightly more expensive than Plexi (but well worth it).


The 75 Gal enclosure should work wonderful for your hatchling up until his first winter. At that point you will either need to hibernate him or move him to a larger enclosure.

My Adult Tegu lives outdoors in the summerin an 12' x 6' and spends his winters in an 8' x 3'. Putting it simply, I do not believe that a 6' x 3' is an acceptible sized enclosure for an adult Arg B&W. I suggest you go larger.