Going all out on Enclosure

[ScottSutt]

Hey all!

In a few years, I'll be buying a Caiman Lizard. Tegu Talk has the best information about them from what I can find. Especially THIS awesome post. I say "in a few years" because my wife and I are dedicated to doing this right the first time and building a zoo quality enclosure. Caiman Lizards need a very special enclosure, and so this is a totally custom build. I've gotten in touch with two companies: Cages By Design and ATM (The guys from Animal Planet's "Tanked" show).

I've sent them designs and I'm waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I need more quotes and more idea. This cage is going to have it all:

-5 feet wide, 4 feet deep, 6 feet tall.
-2 feet of water.
-Land area with substrate and hide raised above the water to maximize water area.
-Branches to climb (and of course he's going to need a hammock).
-SUPER heavy duty filtration system.
-Drain running into my house's plumbing.
-Lighting/heating.
-Ventilation.
-Webcam so I can watch him while away from home.

So two things I'd love to hear back from you, the experts. One, do you have any improvements? Any other ideas that could make better this enclosure to be. And two, do you know of companies who are capable of building it? Preferably in the mid-atlantic US region.

Thanks so much for any responses and most importantly for providing me with all the info and education on Tegu Talk!

 

[beardeddragon111]

Pretty sure ATM would do a fantastic job . Not sure if you could do this, but I've heard caimen lizards do best in greenhouses.

 

[ScottSutt]

Pretty sure ATM would do a fantastic job . Not sure if you could do this, but I've heard caimen lizards do best in greenhouses.

I'd love to have a greenhouse, but with my home that would be impossible. Yeah, ATM sounds like they're on top of things. Still, I'd like some other options. I need more price point of references.

 

[Walter1]

I can contribute here to husbandry. In the long run, worth the effort for excellent filtration and ventilation. Dirty water and stale air are killers. Sounds like you are aware of the importance of these two considerations.

 

[ScottSutt]

Yeah I agree, thank you. I want overpowered filtration for sure and a drain is an absolute must. It would make complete clean-outs take half an hour instead of 2 hours of labor.