Armoire Enclosure 101

[Tyzoone]

Hey All!

My wife is heavily opposed to reptiles and the live feeders etc so I convinced her to let me buy this nice armoire (for $50 bucks used) and convert it into an enclosure ( I got the idea from some of the awesome enclosures on the sticky). She likes the idea that it's pleasant looking so now I won't have to hide my chameleon in the attic or something when I finally buy it!

This is the start of a lengthy project but I think I've made all the cuts I need for ventilation. The plan is to wrap the whole interior in screen/mesh then seal it all real nice with clear caulk and then add drainage through the hole in the bottom which will funnel into a 5 gallon bucket on the left, and on the right at the bottom will be a 5 gallon of clean water for the mistking.

I had to cut out the door panels on the front with a jigsaw and I'm going to replace the holes with the screen as well. A little restaining and finish work and I'm good to go. Then on to sealing everything, adding all live plants, Lighting, drip systems, mistking and then the best part is of coarse my future Panther!

Your feedback is much appreciated!

 

[DragoLikesReptiles]

You are an amazing builder and artist! Lately, you've been planning and actually making these cool things! That's a beautiful chameleon terrarium, my cham would be jealous to look at your cham all fancy in that terrarium!

 

[Decadancin]

Keeping the wife and the reptile happy... Smart!

 

[mvad]

Keeping the wife and the reptile happy... Smart!

I agree 100%. My wife was not keen on a reptile in the house but now I find her watching my Chameleon. I think she likes him more than she leads on

OP: great start to a great project. Good luck with the build.

 

[Tyzoone]

Thanks for the kind words all. "Happy wife happy life". I'll keep you all posted with the progress!

 

[repdog]

Love it so far. This is what I did, $50.00 from craiglist.com and many hours later I had my cage.

But ok really that many women can't handle reptiles in the home. Wow and here I'm the one that wants them and my husband is 100% ok with having the bugs in the house. But I did marry someone that grew up on the farm, helps a ton.

 

[raeman203]

What a great idea gonna have to do this when I need to expand.

 

[GolfPro20]

Have any photos of how it's looking? I'm searching Craigslist for some armoire to do the same thing. How tall is the upper area you're using for the cham?

 

[Deo]

Hey there! Looking good! If you come across any road bumps (which I know I didn't) feel free to message me and ask any questions. I did this exact same thing and worked out a lot of problems I didn't think about or expect. So if you want any advice let me know! Good luck!! Just realized this is an old thread. But still, stands for anyone doing something similiar!

 

[repdog]

Here is mine. Don't look at the bottom so much as I didn't plan it just right.


I wanted to use all the space of the item being used. Didn't really think of drainage all to well. But now I have the cage in an area where it should stay. So I need to drill a hole in the floor to the basement and have it drain down there to a bucket. He does use the whole cage so its not a waste for me. Just much more time consuming and I don't mind with him.

 

[Patapalm]

Hey All!

My wife is heavily opposed to reptiles and the live feeders etc so I convinced her to let me buy this nice armoire (for $50 bucks used) and convert it into an enclosure ( I got the idea from some of the awesome enclosures on the sticky). She likes the idea that it's pleasant looking so now I won't have to hide my chameleon in the attic or something when I finally buy it!

This is the start of a lengthy project but I think I've made all the cuts I need for ventilation. The plan is to wrap the whole interior in screen/mesh then seal it all real nice with clear caulk and then add drainage through the hole in the bottom which will funnel into a 5 gallon bucket on the left, and on the right at the bottom will be a 5 gallon of clean water for the mistking.

I had to cut out the door panels on the front with a jigsaw and I'm going to replace the holes with the screen as well. A little restaining and finish work and I'm good to go. Then on to sealing everything, adding all live plants, Lighting, drip systems, mistking and then the best part is of coarse my future Panther!

Your feedback is much appreciated!

- Hey! I'm in the same situation. Any updates on how it is working out?

 

[Goose502]

Looks like a fun project. I had the same issue with my wife. I dumped tons of money into a custom cabinet and had to make the enclosure look like a slice of rainforest. Totally worth it! As far as feeders, I only feed worms and grubs in the cage, I have a separate outdoor enclosure for crickets and flies. It being cold now, unfortunately, my chameleon is stuck with all the silkworms, BSFL, supers, and hornworms he can handle.

 

[Stinger]

Looks Fantastic
Takes time to cure VOC.