DIY help for new enclosure (:

Kalistina

New Member
So I found this little gem at a hardware store going out of business for $3!! I'm thinking I could make an amazing enclosure for Camo. I need all the tips and tricks you can provide for me.

I am removing the diagonal side wood, the middle top piece and the 2 middle shelving pieces. Other than that, I'm stuck. Any help is appreciated and welcomed.
 

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The diagonals are most likely structural and prob shouldnt be removed, it might wobble if they are.
The horizontal 'shelves' can be removed, but their mounting points should be left for structural support

youre going to want to seal the wood if it hasnt been already, to prevent mold/mildew.
I doubt the wood is pressure treated, but if its newly treated it will leach heavy metals and other harmful chemicals

once you get all that set you can buy aluminum screening for the sides and bottom. You'll probably want to remove the middle brace on the top and go w/ 1/8" hardware cloth to let more UVB in. The screen can be attached with heavy duty staples or carpet tacks, just make sure there are no points to get poked on.

you'll have to fashion some sort of door for it. You could probably just get small hinges, spline, frames and connectors and make a quick DIY door from that. make sure to get some sort of latch or way to make sure it stays closed
 
Thank you both for your replies! I see now that the diagonals are structural and will leave them. I'll probably paint them with some rainforest type designs and then coat with the polyurethane I have read other users use.

Chef- I was thinking about purchasing a custom sized cabinet door (or attempting to make one myself.) I'm not sure what hardware cloth is, it lets in more uvb than a screen? I will go check it out later today. :)

Thanks again!

Anyone else have ideas, or products they use for their diy vivs?
 
DONT FORGET TO SEAL IT!!! my first one got mold and mildew on the bottom. learned my lesson. Also when removing the wood pieces make sure to keep an eye out for splinters or loose nails. you can remove that diagonal piece but you will have to put corner brackets or something like that. it will take some elbow grease but you will have a solid frame. make sure the screening is tight to not let little feeders out.
 
I have a stain / polyurethane paint right now. Can I just use that, or also add another clear coat of polyurethane?
 
If it were me, I'd put screen on all sides, top, and bottom possible depending on the conditions. Then, I'd install a slide for plexiglass to fit in on all 3 levels and conver the empty space with either tape or some sort of material to cover the holes while there is no plexiglass. That way if you have a female that lays eggs, you can slide something into the space after eggs are laid and you'll have an extra container for the babes. You can even build a light enclosure in the middle on one side for the "second cage".
 
here is a pic odf a recent build i did maybe you can use as a reference :)you can buy the screen baer and cut to length you can buy the corners and roll your own screen into any size you wish. each of the enclosures cost me between 60-75 bucks before tax. i bought aluminum screen by the foot and stapled all sides i used a plastic pvc bottom and a soldering iron to cut the hole for the drain. which with the plant sags enough to drain to the center. IMG_0087.jpg
 
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