turning cabinet into enclosure

[dutchchameleon]

Hello everyone,

I am interested in getting a panther chameleon and was wondering if i could turn this old cabinet into
an enclosure. It's basically all wood except for the front which is all screen.
I have got some specific questions I would like to ask. Will it hold humidity and warmth or will
most of it escape through the screen? Will it hold warmth and humidity better than a full screen enclore
or will the front screen drain warmth and humidity just as much. I like to think all the wood will atleast hold
it better than a full screen but I am not sure.

Will it be hard to keep warm? The volume is: 90cm(35 inch)L x 50 (20)D x 170 (66)H
Also the screen is not very compact its pretty open as you can see, does that matter or do
I have to replace it with a more dense screen. The enclosure will probably be standing in a room
which is about 20 C(68f) I dont know the humidity of the room but it has to be warmed by a heater
so it's probably pretty low.

Will waterproof paint prevent the wood from rotting or do I have to make extra precautions?

In case it is suitable, do I have to make a drainage system as well? I probably have to spray it alot
to keep humidity up.

Thanks in advance

 

[nightanole]

Um....

It will hold heat better
It will not hold humidity better.
Cage size is fine
Screen mesh size just needs to be small enough that the cham cant fit through, and large enough that the food cant get through. Too small of a mesh can cause nails to get caught. Large mesh gives more room for climbing. With large mesh you will need to make a feeder cup out of a bottle or some other style.
Yes you will need a few layers of outdoor paint. I never had any water issues. You dont need anything fancy, water based latex works fine once it dries.

I would think about drainage, i just use concrete tubs.

 

[kinyonga]

This thread might help...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/chandler-bings-adult-enclosure-build.161561/