Chameleon Cage in the works!

[wsidepinoy]

sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/fuo/2407026429.html

So I found this armoire and I'm going to convert it to a cham cage!

Any ideas or thoughts about it? Anything I should know ahead of time?

Will post pictures on progress within the coming days!

 

[Damus]

Looks perfect for $60, plus a light for basking already installed in the top. Just replace the glass with screen and add some drainage and i think youll be good.

 

[tdadarwala]

looks great. great find for $60...all the needed supplies should come cheap too.
post picts once complete..with cham'.

 

[wsidepinoy]

Here is the update so far,

Here is the cabinet/curio/vanity (w/e you wanna call it).

I am sealing it with an outdoor/indoor weatherized caulking that also holds up against UV rays (because of the UVB light i thought it would be smart to get one that does this)

i took out the glass and am going to replace it with screen in a couple days.

the bottom will also have linoleum tiles to prevent water sitting on the wood and im going to make "wedges" to have the water drain to the middle bath drain i will install after everything is caulked, sealed and water proof !

Running Total - $70
$60 (Cabinet)
$10 (Caulking Gun & Weatherproof Caulking)

 

[wsidepinoy]

Almost done ! heres what i did in the mean tim, (im taking pictures while im doing them and will post when all finished)

Sealed the Cabinet with wood sealent - Minwax
Attached handles and a small hook lock
made the screens (aluminum screening), still have to make the stop screen
cut out the top for the lights to shine through
reinstalled the glass doors
drilled drainage hole and made "grooves" to propel water towards the drain (as best as I could with the tools I had.
installed pvc piping drainage to a small bucket and sealed with plumbers putty

to do still:
mount screens and screw to the cabinet
drill near the cabinet bottom so i can run wires & hoses for mist system (mist king soon)
install lights and adjust / monitor temperatures
install plants (ficus tree, 2 hanging pothos, bromilade and yuka)
install feeder cup

THEN sit back and enjoy !

**edit, NOT going to use linoleum as I read up on it and it can cause massive problems with water, sitting water AND chemical run off from the glue..

 

[wsidepinoy]

So its 99.99% complete !!

Here is how I tackled Drainage:

What I opted to do is create small bevels (as ugly as they may look) that work a bit TOWARD the recessed pvc piping.

While everything is sealed and I didnt test it out COMPLETELY it worked well enough for me to believe it will work. Also I will be tilting the cage back a bit so the water will run towards the back peice of wood, into the grooves and into the drain leading to the bucket.

Hole on top which is where the lights are going to be is screen this is the before picture..

this is the after picture; (you can see the lining of the screen and the frame as well)

as in the original picture there were glass sides, well i screened the sides with aluminum screen framing and aluminum screening.

the front doors are going to be kept glass and later on in the future I will tint the glass from the outside in so that way you can stand infront of his enclosure and he cannot see out that well and will not get startled or get shy and you can see him in his habitat naturally.

i also put on handles and a lock (fish hook and eye)

i reinstalled those magnetic cabinet locking mechanisms for a couple bucks because it wasn't working as well

this is it as a whole so far

the last thing i need to do is, clean it (dust/debris), drill hole on bottom back panel for electrical wire and tubing for mistking, put buckets underneath, furnish and stick him in there !!


FELIX !!!!!

 

[Bruno]

Nice what are the dimensions?

 

[lisa h]

Looks great! Be sure to post pics when it's all planted up.

We did something similar, and for the bottom we used plexi glass that was bowed by heating it (on top of the stove or in the oven. Don't remember). We heard the same thing about using tile/linoleum -- too many chemical fumes.

 

[wsidepinoy]

@ bruno: the dimension off the top of my head (internal dimensions)

60" x 32" x 18.5"

not completely furnished yet; i have the vines that I have from his 16x16x30 cage (gonna put many more). and his ficus tree sitting on a homedepot bucket with plant risers so the water can flow underneath freely.

@ lisa: yeah I believe im gonna make a plexiglass tray or something like that, cuz i realized that the water is splashing through the door crevices.

so far he was irked at me moving him, and wouldnt get off the side screen lol

 

[BrandonBeahm]

I love the looks of this, great conversion!

I might suggest adding a vine or something that goes from the ficus to the very bottom incase he falls to the bottom or something.

 

[wsidepinoy]

I love the looks of this, great conversion!

I might suggest adding a vine or something that goes from the ficus to the very bottom incase he falls to the bottom or something.

didnt think of that...i assumed he wouldnt lol, im getting plants and vines soon so hopefully he doesnt fall within the week or two...but the screen does go all the way down the side so he could use that to get back up kinda

 

[BrandonBeahm]

didnt think of that...i assumed he wouldnt lol, im getting plants and vines soon so hopefully he doesnt fall within the week or two...but the screen does go all the way down the side so he could use that to get back up kinda

Oops, I couldn't tell that was screen from your pictures... Guess I should read more carefully next time, haha

 

[wsidepinoy]

Finished !!

Finally completely furnished (as far as plants go)

hand misting until i can get a better drainage solution and enough money for a mist king...but it looks good and felix LOVES it !!

the tree is a camellia and the smaller one is a ficus !

 

[allencg101]

Finally completely furnished (as far as plants go)

hand misting until i can get a better drainage solution and enough money for a mist king...but it looks good and felix LOVES it !!

the tree is a camellia and the smaller one is a ficus !

dude that looks so awesome so do you wanna make one for me next!!!??!!!

 

[Rob G]

sweet cage!! I'm actually in the process of building my own cage with the similar dimentions except the height is 48". What did you do to install the screening? I was thinking either stapling it on the frames then making a trim to cover it up so it looks better or I was gunna spline it into the frame.

 

[wsidepinoy]

dude that looks so awesome so do you wanna make one for me next!!!??!!!

LOL man i havent even touched drainage since failing at it ! and i wouldnt re do it unless it was gonna be an even more epic larger cage...LIKE A WALK IN CLOSET !!!! lol

 

[wsidepinoy]

sweet cage!! I'm actually in the process of building my own cage with the similar dimentions except the height is 48". What did you do to install the screening? I was thinking either stapling it on the frames then making a trim to cover it up so it looks better or I was gunna spline it into the frame.

I made the screen sides by framing the aluminum screen with spline and screwed them to the sides...looks a lil neater imo, but im not good with cutting straight unless i have the correct tools so i have small gaps in the frame and the wood, which means an escapee of crickets once in a while (if they get out the large tupperware cup) but i've had em non the less.

good luck on your cage !