Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First, sorry in advance for the length of this post.

My blue tegu needs a new cage and I really have no idea what to get him. I want a cage that is as large as possible, but as i am in college i have to move frequently so the cage needs to be as portable as possible. So I'm trying to get a Vision Cage for him, the 734 would be awesome but I dont have that kind of money, or space. Anyone know anything about the Model 632 72" W x 36" D x 18" H? I know its not very tall, but would that be ok for my tegu? I'm not sure if that would be tall enough once substrate was added and it wouldnt give him any space to climb. I was also thinking of getting him one of those reptarium screen cages, since they are cheap and portable...but as JIFFYPOP pointed out, the humidity could be a problem? I give my tegu daily baths though, and i was considering buying a misting system with the money id save by buying the reptarium and installing that for humidity control. I also thought that cage would be easy to clean, though substrate may require some kind of liner to be installed, maybe? So what should I do, buy the VISION 632, the REPTARIUM, or a CUSTOM CAGE? And lastly, what kind of substrate is everyone using. I want the cage to be easily cleanable. Everyone knows how messy tegus are, and it sucks having to empty out the substrate every week and buy new bags of fir bedding...anyone have any good solutions?

THANKS FOR READING THIS !!!
GREATLY APPRECIATED,
CHRIS

Diego also thanks you!

OR WOULD THE Model 433 48" W x 28" D x 28" H BE A GOOD CHOICE SINCE ITS THE SAME PRICE AS THE 632? DIEGO IS ONLY 2 FEET LONG FROM SNOUT TO END OF TAIL.

THANKS AGAIN
CHRIS

Hey there Chris! Diego is awesome! As Jane mentioned to you (I believe) stay away from the reptarium...........tegus will tear it apart. They love to explore and see how they can escape. The mesh will not stand up to them whatsoever! I know cages are expensive, what about making one? As a substrate...cypress mulch if you can find it in your area.

Good luck!

Greg

Thanks for the input Greg. I think at this point I would rather buy one than have one custom made. For Diego (2ft long) what would you reccommend? Remember, this is only temporary, maybe for the next year or two...

VISION

Model 433 48" W x 28" D x 28" H
OR
Model 632 72" W x 36" D x 18" H

you can see pictures of them here:
www.bruceedelmanreptiles.com/BER_Products_Right.php?prodtype=Vision Cages&prodcat=Cages

THANKS,
CHRIS AND DIEGO

Cute pic of Diego. He looks completely blissful basking on those paving stones!

As others have stated, I'd stay away from a reptarium for your tegu. I have one for holding pen/sunroom use for my other lizards, and last time I moved, I put it in the (empty) bathtub with my big red tegu inside, along with hides & warm towels until the movers were finished and her cage was setup. She was rubbing, scratching and climbing the walls the entire time, and managed to move the reptarium to the other end of the tub. (??) Needless to say, I don't put her in there anymore.

I looked at Vision cages a while back, but they didn't seem deep enough for "diggable" substrate, and it seemed substrate would get stuck in the door tracks. Perhaps someone else here has successfully used a Vision for tegus?

Yes, I agree about the sliding tracks..........I take it you have attempted to clean them out daily before. LOL
Most visions are also not deep enough as you stated. The minimum ht. I would go is 21" and that is pushing it a bit. Most adults will do fine w/ that ht., but then ours are out roaming the house at night when we are home, so they get their excerise outside the cage as well.

One suggestion is to attempt to find used cages in your area.
You are looking at for up to 2 yrs.? Diego will need one around 6' x 2' min., or even a different shape w/ the approx sq. footage will work fine as well. Remember though, it is crucial to have a gradient temp in his cage. A rectangle one if easier to provide this versus say a square cage.

Greg

If you buy a Vision cage be sure to buy a style that has a double light well that can accommodate two lighting fixtures.
Most of the smaller sized Vision cages have a lighting well that's only accommodates one fixture (and they specify a bulb no greater than 50 watts be used). The problem with this is that temps in the basking spot drop significantly outside the small circular area directly under the light, so a lizard the size of yours would not likely be able to get his entire body into the warmest area. I couldn't see the top on the 48" model you asked about, but it looked as if it might be set up similar to another cage they offer that has two separate light wells designed to provide two separate basking areas. Perhaps you could modify the cage or, in the taller cage, place the lights inside the cage. Those cages hold heat pretty well, though. I suspect a basking light inside the cage would heat the entire cage too much.

The six-foot Vision cage does have a double light well. I use one that size for my small monitor lizard. It's a decent cage, but I've had to add extra fluourescent light fixtures to keep the cool side of the cage from being too dark, and it's difficult to get enough substrate in it. I've seen a monitor the size of an adult tegu kept in a Vision cage that size, though, and I thought the low ceiling of the cage made it look like the lizard was very cramped in his accommodations. Other things to note if you buy a Vision cage: Get a lock! My monitor quickly learned how to slide the door open. Also, with the amount of substrate and the weight of cage furniture in a lizard cage (as opposed to the snake cage that I think the Visions were really designed as), you will probably not be able to stack the cages like they show in the ads as the weight of the cage above will be so heavy that you likely won't be able to open the doors of the cage below. Additionally, the basking lights of the cage below may heat the upper cage too much. You can remedy this by placing bricks or other spacers between the stacked cages. Finally, the molded cages have a couple of ridges in the bottom that will drive me nuts when I'm trying to set up stable cage furniture, basking rocks, etc.

Personally, I think you would probably be more satisfied with a custom cage than with a Vision cage. The tegu I bought as a hatchling last month is in a 36" Vision right now, and he's going to outgrow the basking area of the cage very soon. When he does, I'm moving him to a custom melamine cage.

Hey,

I thought about the 2 lights problem...but if our tegus are supposed to have one side of the cage hot and one side of the cage cold, wont having a light on each side really complicate that? I was thinking just one very strong bulb on one side and nothing on the other, leaving him with a cooler, more moist side and one high heat one...

chris adn diego

When I said a double light well, I should have been a little more clear about what I meant. The larger cages have one long molded light well (on one side of the cage) that is long enough to accommodate two light fixtures. There is a hot side of the cage and a cool side, and because the two bulbs are side by side in a single well, the basking area is large enough to accommodate a lizard longer than about 8 inches. The smaller cages have either a light well that will only accommodate one bulb (casting a very small circle of maximum heat) or two wells, one on each side of the cage (which, of course, would not be appropriate for lizards). From the pictures of the cages, this problematic feature isn't obvious. I just wanted to make sure you knew how the cages were designed before buying one.

got it, thanks madeline, that makes sense...ill be sure to check that when i go to look at them next weekend.

thanks again
chris and diego