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Our Terraria at Agama International

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Outdoor Vivaria

Lizards are coldblooded animals that need to thermoregulate in order to maintain the temperature they prefer. This preferred temperature may vary according to season and time of day, therefore it is very important to give the lizards plenty of opportunity to do this adequately. In the outdoorterraria I build I try to create a microclimate that is favorable for the lizards.

Lizards that live in a climate similar to the climate of central Alabama give the fewest problems in creating the mircroclimate they want for obvious reasons. For such lizards I prefer to build terraria with the use of painted, galvanized steel sheets. I bury these sheets approximately two feet deep in the ground, which means that they are about a foot inside the hard yellow clay we have here, which is itself under a 1-foot deep layer topsoil. I water this lower foot of clay very well after closing the ditch, so that the earth packs in and will be impossible to dig out for the lizards. (This also means that moles, mice and shrews cannot dig in!) The sheet sticks 2 to 3 feet above the ground, depending on the size and agility of the lizard.

I use flat sheets for the smaller terraria, but corrugated for the larger ones, as corrugated is stronger and withstands wind better. Some terraria I just leave open like that. For example, the 1000 sq feet (100 sq meter) terraria for large adult tegus is open as they have no predators here. The terraria for smaller lizard I cover with a very sturdy wire screen. It is sturdy enough to keep cats, opposums, raccoons and rats out. This screen, or wire, I put over the terraria in the form of a ridge, so that there are two sloping sides. I make a sturdy frame with treated wood, mostly 2 by 4 inch (5 by 10 cm) lumber and screws rather then nails. This gives me the option to cover these terraria with plastic during bad weather conditions (e.g. cold, lots of rain, etc.). I have sheets of greenhouse plastic ready for this purpose, so that I can cover them quickly and on short notice (the weather in Alabama may change very quickly).

For lizards from warmer and/or dryer climates I build terraria that are sunk into the ground. These terraria are built with blocks, concrete, and cement. They are mostly about 7-by-10 or 8-by-8 feet. They are made in batteries of 12-15 in one row. We call these streets, and just like normal streets we give these streets names too. For example, we have Hester Street, Tegu Alley, Bert Blvd etc. This way we can tell each other where we are working.

These terraria are about 2 feet into the ground and they are projected with a screened side to the south and with a glass side to the north. Inside the walls, about 18 inche below groundlevel I have numerous hiding places that have very stable temperatures. (Below a certain depth the ground maintains a very stable temperature both in winter and in summer.) These burrows form a refuge for the lizards during hot and cold weather. These hiding places are so deep, that I can check them for animals with my arm. Their entrance is made narrower by placing a stone in the entrance, and leaving just enough space for the lizards to enter. This makes the hiding place better, as it will be darker there and the animal will feel safer. As well the temperature will stay more stable inside that way. The glass side to the north and screen side to the south make a ridge again in east-west direction.

The sloping glass is steeper and covers about 1/3 of the northern half, while the sloping screen is less steep, covering about 2/3 of the southern side. At the northern side the earth is situated higher, so that that area receives most sunshine and least rain. Some rain will only fall there if combined with southern wind. This creates a dry area, suitable for Uromastyx. In case of rainy spells, and in winter, the southern, screened side of the terraia is covered with plastic. Greenhouse plastic costs much more, but can be used much longer as it does not deteriate in the sunshine.

All terraria have build in drainage systems. No additional heating is needed this way, as we select only the lizards which can be kept in these sorts of microclimates.

Snow is no problem for the animals, we keep them outside year-round:

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