DIY enclosures? Furniture re-furbished into enclosure?

[ScarletOwl13]

I have a pantry that I no longer use and would like to possibly make it into a new and better enclosure for my Jackson's Chameleon. I was wondering if anyone else has taken an old piece of furniture not being used and refurbished it into an enclosure. I am willing to keep him in the enclosure he has now and spend some time and money on the one i want to make. I am wanting to basically use the upper half as his caging area and then the bottom half to hide the drainage system and his food etc. I like the fact that it will look more like furniture and not just a screen cage as I have him downstairs where although we don't have a lot of foot traffic I still want it to look nice when we do have people over that would like to observe him. I keep him in an area where we aren't at all the time and I plan to have 2 or 3 different spots down stairs for him to free roam. Any tips, advice or suggestions and ideas would be awesome. I will be figuring out a way as well to make sure there is adequate support as well. Pictures of what I want to use below.

 

[Kclarke02]

I have a pantry that I no longer use and would like to possibly make it into a new and better enclosure for my Jackson's Chameleon. I was wondering if anyone else has taken an old piece of furniture not being used and refurbished it into an enclosure. I am willing to keep him in the enclosure he has now and spend some time and money on the one i want to make. I am wanting to basically use the upper half as his caging area and then the bottom half to hide the drainage system and his food etc. I like the fact that it will look more like furniture and not just a screen cage as I have him downstairs where although we don't have a lot of foot traffic I still want it to look nice when we do have people over that would like to observe him. I keep him in an area where we aren't at all the time and I plan to have 2 or 3 different spots down stairs for him to free roam. Any tips, advice or suggestions and ideas would be awesome. I will be figuring out a way as well to make sure there is adequate support as well. Pictures of what I want to use below.
View attachment 162769 View attachment 162770

I have not, but I like it already. Im SO curious what others have in mind for this project!

 

[Decadancin]

Main concern I would have is the moisture. That looks like press board or particle board and easily absorbs moisture. It would have to be sealed very well.

 

[ScarletOwl13]

That was something I was concerned about. The backing will be completely removed and the sides i want to cut out spots for screening and then put on coats of polyurethane to seal that wood. The front door I will remove to use screening for the upper half and the bottom half i will fashion two shutter style doors. I will likely build a frame as well to add extra support and strength. the pantry is more of a layout to build around and start from.

 

[WAMBO]

Main concern I would have is the moisture. That looks like press board or particle board and easily absorbs moisture. It would have to be sealed very well.

I agree. If that is compress particle board, it's going to warp, and eventually disintegrate, although I don't know how long it would take to disintegrate. However, it will soak up water, get blisters and lumps, and eventually fall apart. The moisture may cause mold too.

 

[WAMBO]

That was something I was concerned about. The backing will be completely removed and the sides i want to cut out spots for screening and then put on coats of polyurethane to seal that wood. The front door I will remove to use screening for the upper half and the bottom half i will fashion two shutter style doors. I will likely build a frame as well to add extra support and strength. the pantry is more of a layout to build around and start from.

I suppose polyurethane may seal it well enough. That's what it's designed to do. I hope it works and looks great!

 

[kimmytheriault]

I'm gonna go with everyone else on this - my husband and I do carpentry projects on the side for fun. And what you appear to have there is unfortunately pressed chipboard with probably some sort of sealant/polymer/plastic on the outside. I could be wrong, since I am only looking a photo's... If it is though it will not hold well over time, even with proper drainage and screens it will warp and, in my opinion, be a lot more headache than it's worth in the long run. (I'm thinking you create an amazing enclosure only to have it breakdown after a few months). Particle board also sucks to cut into and doesn't hold up well, if it is thin like that, when large pieces are removed from the middle section. This happens because the layering that is used to hold the chips together becomes compromised once pieces are taken out. If this is your ultimate goal I'd look for cheap pieces of solid wood furniture, old kitchen cabinets, curios, or hutches might work well.

Also, polyurethane only makes the wood water resistant, not water-proof.. which means moisture will set in - and when it does the polyurethane will bleed into the water. Spar varnish might be a better option (it's used on boats and it is also Ultra-violet resistant and won't fade out easily.) I'm not entirely sure if it is chameleon safe though.. but then again I dont know if polyurethane is either.

Good Luck!! I've seen INCREDIBLE pieces made by chameleon lovers - you don't need to be a carpenter to make something and I applaud your desire to go that route! We just got our guy, a rescue, a few weeks ago and are already drawing out ideas to create something similar using an old curio cabinet (were taking out the glass and placing screens, etc etc)!

 

[cdavis0645]

I bought this used corner curio I converted for Stewie (blue bar Ambilobe panther Cham I purchased from alphakenc) made of wood with laminate overlay. I removed the glass on the top 3 sides and made DIY screen kits. I also did a cutout on the top to set his uvb and basking light on top of a heat safe screen. I drilled a little hole enough to feed his Monsoon mister tube to mist. I bought a window cling to cover the lower half of the door for storage so you can't see inside. He's currently in a nursery box that you see so he can graduate into his permanent home. I used bamboo sticks to prop him to the right level to get the temp he needs. Those holes for the shelving come in handy! I used foam background to cover the mirrors so I didn't have to remove it and will finish decorating with greenery/floral in a tropical theme arrangement when he's ready to live in his permanent home.I have a couple of kitchen cabinet liners that I used at the bottom just in case he escapes he would land on a thick foam. Good luck and have fun making a home for your little chameo!

 

[RedMountainHome]

I'm currently working on making a new enclosure from scratch and lemme tell ya, I wish I had tried a re-furb first! All this lumber adds up in cost very quickly. I've seen some SUPER impressive enclosures that were made from refurbed cabinetry and the like. These are two of my favorites:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/thank-goodness-for-9-ft-ceilings.111618/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/1st-diy-enclosure.143681/

It looks like they cut most of the sides out and re-covered them with screen to help with the ventilation.