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Argentine tegu portrait

Enclosure Setup / Species

Argentine tegu enclosure setup

The argentine tegu (Salvator merianae) is a sun and shade basker from a tropical habitat. Here is what its enclosure needs, and a plan sized to yours.

The care card

Adult minimum
96 x 48 x 48 in
Recommended
96 x 48 x 48 in
Basking surface
100 to 110°F
Cool side
75 to 80°F
Night, lowest
70°F
Humidity
70 to 80%
UV zone
3 of 4
Substrate
tropical, 8 in deep or more

What keepers get wrong

  • Adult tegus need an 8 x 4 ft floor: most keepers build it.
  • They dig deep burrows: a deep, damp soil keeps humidity and lets them hibernate (brumate) in winter.

Common enclosures

Plan your argentine tegu enclosure

Your enclosure size, your top and your room. It is drawn with its lights as you go.

The inside is drawn on your planWhich tube and how far it sits, how high the basking spot goes, which bulbs, how much soil, and where everything goes.

Your enclosure, at your size. The layout, the lights and every measurement are what your plan is for.

Your setup plan

A plan for your enclosure

  • The UVB tube and how far it sits from your animal's back
  • The basking height, the halogens and the thermostat for your room
  • The soil in quarts, the drainage, plants, hides and cleanup crew
  • The build in order, and what to check before it moves in

$9

Opens right after paying, and comes by email. No account. Wrong for your enclosure? We fix it.

The argentine tegu shelf

The parts your plan names most. Your plan says which tube, how many bulbs and how much soil, for your enclosure.

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Hands pouring soil over a drainage layer in a new enclosure

Light

UVB for the bones, a halogen for the basking spot.

Heat control

A thermostat on every heat source, and the tools to read it.