It will be fine as long as you get the right basking temp (around 110 degrees in a decent-size area) and gradient (80-85 cool end). You can use a 12 x 24" radiant heat panel and an elevated slab of slate (place on a foundation of bricks) to get the right basking temp. An additional 6 x 12" rhp might be needed for the cool end, depending on your room temps. And then you'll need to use good cage lighting.

(I am using a 12 x 24 rhp and a 6 x 12" rhp in a 6-foot Animal Plastics cage that's 18" high. My setup is as I described above. I also have two cage-protected fixtures for 24" UV bulbs (from Cages by Design).

If you use a humid hide box you do not need to have deep substrate throughout the cage. For the rest of the cage a couple inches of mulch will do just fine.

Get a plastic storage box (not a clear one) that comes with a top. Like the tubs they use to collect dishes in restaurants. Cut an access hole in the top, secure the top onto the tub with four small bolts and nuts. Keep the box half full with damp, clean mulch. Your tegu will use the box every night as they use their burrow in the wild. And the rest of the cage will be much easier to keep clean. Make sure the box is cozy fitting - a burrow that the tegu can fit in, but not a larger predator.

The humid hide box is a recommendation of Ron St. Pierre, and people have been keeping tegus like that for a long, long time. Successfully.

If you need a company to get the tub from, let me know and I'll dig out my catalog. Rubbermaid makes them. Mine is gray.

Bill

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