Hi! I thought I'd share pictures of the outdoor enclosure I built for Moggie the blackthroat. She loves to be outside in hot weather, and actually stayed outside the entire winter before, with a makeshift 'hotbox' installed for her.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/wolfy-hound/Moggie/OutdoorCage.jpg

I used 12 8ft 2x4s, 5 6ft 2x4s, another 2x4 to make the door, 2 sheets of 4x8ft plywood(split into 4 2x8ft sheets) and the wire. The top, bottom and sides are all wired, so no digging out, or climbing out. This was built a few years ago, and it's STILL sound, with the exception being a damaged section of wire from the tegus.

Here she is(about 2 years ago?) in the pen.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/wolfy-hound/Moggie/MoggieEggGrab.jpg

I put about 25 bags of cypress mulch in the pen, giving lots of digging opportunity. I was going to use dirt, but I wanted to be able to rake the mulch aside to check the wire bottom, so I used mulch for now. Once the wire bottom is repaired, I'll be thinking about using dirt to almost fill the pen, giving a good 2 feet(almost) of dirt to dig in and poo on.
If there is interest, I can post the building pictures as well. I built 95% of this by myself. I got my sister to come over and help lift the pen to put the wire bottom on. I'm going to do a little re-enforcing and put a heavier welded wire as the bottom. After a few years, I did not believe any lizard could tear the wire mesh, but never underestimate a tegu lizard!

I rotate Moggie with the 2(before it was 3) tegu lizards. Now I'll be rotating Wilson, Moggie and the 2 tegus(Gracie and Noah) so that they get up to a week outside before being rotating inside. I also have a REAL hotbox being built by someone, which will have a heat lamp INSIDE it, but wired away so the lizard can't break it. Then I'll hang a door curtain, and the lizard can go in and out as they like with cooler weather. This worked well for Moggie, only I had a makeshift hotbox, so I'm getting a built wood one now.

Well, thought I'd share!

Good looking enclosure!

Looks like an awesome setup!

Looks great Wolfy. Im sure they'll have a ball out there messin' around.

:yourock:

looks great, i am sure you are loved for that one lol

Very nice -- looks like a great place for them.

Looks good Theresa!! :rockon:

Very nice! I know these guys love to dig!!!!

That is really cool :rockon:

Nice set-up!!!!

Hi! I thought I'd share pictures of the outdoor enclosure I built for Moggie the blackthroat. She loves to be outside in hot weather, and actually stayed outside the entire winter before, with a makeshift 'hotbox' installed for her.



Interesting stuff!

I'm curious-- Have you noticed any behavioural differences in your monitor if comparing the time indoors and the time outdoors? When outdoors, does your monitor bolt for its hide the second it sees a person? What size was your monitor when you got it?

Nice enclosure. How did you do your hot box?

THe makeshift one was a heavy duty dog crate. I put the heat lamp on top, then upended a rubbermaid tub over it, then covered the whole thing up with blankets.
The new one is a wooden box, inside there is a false roof of wire, with a hinged top. One end will have a door, so that I can hang a blanket over the end so she can come and go.

Moggie looks happy in her digs

That is nice... man seeing all these out door reptile enclosures is really making me want to move south.

Makes me wanna head east.... nice ol breathing the outdoor air set up!

I'm going to do a little re-enforcing and put a heavier welded wire as the bottom. After a few years, I did not believe any lizard could tear the wire mesh, but never underestimate a tegu lizard!

Look into 4 x 8 sheets of expanded steel mesh. It may be better for your use and it can be sprayed or rolled with truck bed liner to keep it from rusting.

Does moggie have an egg in her mouth in that picture?

If i had extra funds right now, I'd get coated welded wire 1/2 x 1 inch mesh(we used to use that to make eel traps).
I also have access to flat sheets of that heavy pvc/acrylic stuff, cut to size(use it instead of plywood). I COULD make a outdoor pen that would last 20 years, but it would cost a lot of money that way, and for the same amount I could get a super large enclosure built from a avairy building place too. So... it's all plans for the future.
That's a egg in her mouth. She's such a sucker for eggs, and once in a while she'd get an egg. She would lift it up, settle it just so, then crack it so the contents ran down into her mouth. Sometimes she would eat the shell afterwards. If a egg was stubborn about cracking, she would bang it against the side of the pen.

WOW! Great enclosure! V and I talk about how nice it would be to live somewhere where its warm enough to have outdoor enclosures...b/c there is soooo many things that we would do with that....She's a really beautiful blackthroat! I actually like them ALOT! :D GREAT JOB! :wamma:

WOW! Great enclosure! V and I talk about how nice it would be to live somewhere where its warm enough to have outdoor enclosures...b/c there is soooo many things that we would do with that....She's a really beautiful blackthroat! I actually like them ALOT! :D GREAT JOB! :wamma:

They get really big :D

They get really big :D

I know they get really big...but they are sooo ****KEWL! The outdoor enclosure would be a MUST! I wouldn't want that running around inside the house...it's bad enough I have a 3yr old lil monster...and a Big V....:D