Converting a dresser into a reptile enclosure!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ย. 2022
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Hello everyone! My name is Max King and I am the owner of my small business Dragon King Bioactive, LLC. I started this channel to show everyone my process in making custom enclosures and learning new and better ways to care for reptiles. I AM BY NO MEANS AN EXPERT, just someone who loves reptiles and has big dreams that involve them. We also provide educational programs for kids and small groups with our animal ambassadors to help spread the love of reptiles to anyone we can. I am also a licensed therapist and my dream is to open a rehabilitation center/reptile zoo in my home town that involves helping people in recovery by rehabilitating reptiles while they heal. I have a very long way to go but that is where I want to be. Please consider subscribing and checking out more videos, I'd love to hear from all of you!
Your buddy,
Max King
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Upon unboxing, I was immediately upset at how the rails were very noticeably bent. But I kept going, all tools needed to assemble were included th-cam.com/users/postUgkxqtX4Dxs6aecAZEuz6GY5-d81YecKCshn and I had it set up in about 30 minutes. Honestly I love this thing, make sure to read the measurements and measure your space so you know if it'll work for you. I bought this to put inside my closet, underneath where I hang my clothes and it is absolutely perfect! It is VERY sturdy and all drawers glide easily and mine are stuffed, and they are still flush when closed.
Okay that legit just makes me want to rip apart my dresser and make one giant enclosure, and stick a bunch, well not a bunch, but a good group of little green lizards, or tree frogs. Could you imagine if I made one that large for my Pac-Man frog.
That’s a great idea!! And yes I totally understand, we may or may not have a video dropping soon of an entire closet being converted😯 #hinthint
Underrated creator, love the results!
Thanks so much!
I’m working on figuring out how to repurpose my dresser for two ball python enclosures, so between your video and the comments I definitely got the majority of what other vids aren’t offering me! Thank you but also thanks to all the commenters fr!! 😋
Glad you liked it! Good luck on your project🤘🏼
@@dragonkingbioactive7665 fingers crossed! lol. Definitely got yourself a new sub 😋
@@M.A.P_the_screenwriter Awesome!🤘🏼🔥💯
Great video! I'm definitely going to try building an enclosure from a dresser in the future, good idea. Currently building one with a basic glass tank and it's nice to get so much inspiration for the background as everyone seems to have their own and interesting techniques
Thank you! Good luck with your builds, I’d love to see them when they’re done!
I love this!!! Talking about repourpose a resource and thinking outta the box!!!
Thank you so much!
Love this! My only recommendation would be to go easy with the bright bulbs for daytime. Prolonged exposure can lead to early blindness. I like to use black or red bulbs, and just allow my room lighting to illuminate it better. My two oldest leos both turn 14 this year!
Great thank you for the tip and for watching!
That’s actually the opposite. The red and colored lights can cause blindness and hurt their eyes. The only lights you should be using are white lights.
Congrats man my Leo is almost 15 years old
Colored light for animals with good eyesight is like the worst you can do!! White light, in the spectrum of 5200K to 7000K, is what is safest for the eyes of reptiles, read some science papers once and a while stop spreading harmful information about a topic in which you are not informed
Great video! The tank came out great!
Thanks! Desmond seems to really like it!
I love enclosures made from furniture, they are unique and a great way to provide a larger space for your animals. I have thought that the mostly glass china cabinets would make beautiful enclosures for reptiles that need vertical space.
I’ve thought the same thing! Thanks for the comment!
Love love love this omg i need to do this to a huge one and divide it in half for 2 leos with a way so they dont see each other ❤
Much love from Calgary Alberta 🎉
well done. desmond looks most impressed 🦎
I think so too lol
Great job
Used it for a lawn party and it was a big splash!!!
Great conversion!! And great video!! The only thing i would highly suggest for leo’s is to put a bit more decor. Overall. Great build!!
Thank you!
Lots of great ideas! Cant wait to find a piece of furniture I can convert!
Thank you! Good luck with your build, it’s really fun to have furniture and an enclosure all in one👍
Yeah I always look out for free furniture like book shelves, entertainment stands, and dressers and even large picture frames for the glass and old windows. Real glass is so much easier to cut and lasts way longer then plexiglass that gets scratched easily. Just some ideas because I’ve probably made easily over 100 different enclosures like this. I’ve kept a few for myself for my monitors and snakes and sold the others or gifted to friends. But this is definitely great way to save money and make great enclosures specific for your reptiles. I’m definitely happy I found this channel and know it’s destined for greatness 🙋♂️✌️
You madman! Every guide I've seen does spray foam, wait for cure, cut into foam, then silicon, then cocofiber, if this works well that's so much time and steps saved!
Lol Thank you! Yeah It works amazing and can save potentially days on a project. Just definitely wear gloves because it is impossible to get off your fingers. I learned the hard way.
This is super helpful! i'm doing this to a tall dresser for my crested gecko. I noticed some comments about the substrate attached to the foam not holding up, how's it holding up?
Can I do this with a metal cabinet....I've found them and like metal structures more I'd make it an industrial look. Obviously I'd treat it with the same waterproofing and maybe even add wood or insulation
You did an amazing job
Thank you😢
Your welcome
Are there any concerns about fumes from the foam after heat is on it?
How do you hold the lamp up? Im trying to do something similar but in my closet, please lmk thanks!
Awesome
Thank you!
Good job
Thanks
You do know that most of that background will only last a year at most, considering all that dust that is under it. That's why most spray the foam and wait for it to totally cure before covering it in silicone and then adding the substrate over black silicone. Then there are others that add the substrate directly one the foam like you did but they do it in sections with proper curing time between the back and either side.
The spray foam is a horrible product to use. It is easily damaged as well as some small lizards can dig into it. It also has a short lifespan in high humidity as well as high temperatures. It isn't made to be an outside structure but an inside gap filler. You are better off using pink, blue, green insulation foam boards. They come in a few different thicknesses so you can stack the sheets if needed and glued together with expanding glue AKA gorilla glue or simular. Then you can carve it to the shape/s you want or need. Then, cover it with whatever substrates you want to use. You can use grout to make it look like stone or just as a base coat to make it harder for your reptiles to dig into it. It also makes a better base than silicone as you don't have to worry about having patches of black shiny spots after a while. It also gives a much better surface for mosses and veining plants to grow on. Those are just a few things that are better about the insulation foam boards than the spray foam. Oh, not to mention the price of the sheets are much less the cans of spray as well as not needing days of waiting time between coats of foam as you are only supposed to do single layers of foam and not thick layers as the foam needs air to cure properly and if it is too thick it won't cure properly and you will have pockets of uncured foam in your background. It sucks cutting into these pockets (even if only a pinprick hole) only to have a huge growth show up in what you thought was a finished background the next morning.
Good job! I am in the process of making my ball python a new home from a piece of already existing furniture, so I have been soaking this kind of content up! One thing to keep in mind though, is to be careful of making a hide that you can't pull up or get behind to easily clean. They will always make that their poop corner!
Thanks for the advice! He has absolutely chosen the one hide I can’t get him to spend most of his day😂 I’m thinking I’ll post an updated video with this tip. Good luck on your ball python enclosure!
@@dragonkingbioactive7665 I forgot to mention it, but I love how much space you gave him!
@@karenschmaltz649 Thanks! He’s an adventurer and likes his space🤘🏼
I’m trying to do this for my snake and I’m awful at diy so great vid thank you xx
You're welcome!
I’m about too take cabinets out of a camper and make a enclosure
This is the first DIY enclosure video I've seen that doesnt wait for the foam to dry first (followed by silicone) before putting the dirt on it. Have you found that its still sticking, 3+ months later?
Yep it’s on there now 8 months later
Where did you get the window tracks? are they called something else? I’ve been trying to find them lol
Amazon!
This is sick
I’d love to make one for my step son’s ball python. Great idea, VERY creative.
Thanks so much🙏
Currently preparing to flip my fireplace type entertainment center into my bearded tank struggling with the door part
Nice!
How well does the tank hold heat? great idea on old dressers
Pretty well. The spray foam does a great job of insulating the enclosure and keeping temps from fluctuating👍
I just have one question…does there need to be some kind of ventilation? I love this build!
Thank you! The spacing between the two pieces acrylic glass and the hole in the back for the chords provide enough ventilation while holding enough humidity for the plants. Good catch!
Nice
Thanks!
Nice! What kind of plywood did you use? When I look for plywood all I see is pine which is toxic
I just the standard 1/2 plywood from a local hardware store. The site says it’s Spruce, Pine or Fir, however we treat all the wood we use with drylok and/or the liquid rubber sealant coating with the appropriate amount of time to fully cure and haven’t had any health issues yet. I will look more into using safer wood though, thank you for this tip!
Did you just buy a reptile light and hang it? I'm trying to figure out how best to do lighting for my dresser conversion, but I don't want my beardie to be able to touch it.
They are just standard grow lights, we supplement Desmond’s calcium with calcium powder.
Did you make sure that the sealant is safe for reptiles? Not doubting you, but I'm wanting to do something similar and want to be 100% sure
I have never had an issue with these products as far as the health of the reptiles. I make sure to give each product its recommended time to fully cure, however I still highly recommend doing a lot of reasearch before I using a product👍
cool on top
Thanks!
Where did you get the tracks?
Amazon🤘 www.amazon.com/Plastic-Sliding-Panels-Outwater-Plastics/dp/B08SJPDSSW?pd_rd_w=Pyys1&content-id=amzn1.sym.deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_p=deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_r=F4ND80ZDV3GMPS6RAEF3&pd_rd_wg=X9M4H&pd_rd_r=7782f74b-2341-44fb-a006-1686762d0dff&pd_rd_i=B08SJPDSSW&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_6_i
Do you need to drill holes in the plexiglass for ventilation?
Nope, the space between is plenty
What lights did you use?
Grow lights off of Amazon
would this work for a leopard tortoise as well?
are all the products u used okay for tortoise also?
Absolutely!
Thanks for showing this, I've been looking at empty cabinets, didn't think about taking out the drawers of dressers!
Like commenter below, I'm thinking a double decker for a pair of snakes 🐍
An artist's comment about the "moss" painting, the bigger blotches with a few smaller ones look good, but the rest are a bit too uniform, look a bit like someone was playing paint ball...
Using a natural "sea " sponge can be a real help in painting more natural looking blotches.
The hardest part is spacing, I struggle to get that part looking good....
Thanks again: )
Thanks for to tip that’s such a great idea! I’ll definitely utilize that for the next build🤘🏼 Good luck with your ball python build and I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
@@dragonkingbioactive7665 you are welcome, it's fun with a sponge:)
My set up will be for Sonoran gopher snakes, that are native to Texas, so I'll need an extra wide dresser, but it will be fun to attempt a biotope: )
@@lorettajackson8759 That’s so exciting! Sonoran gopher snakes are an awesome species. We would love to get a bull snake eventually down the line. Great stuff!
I saw one on Facebook marketplace and i was wanting to make one for when i get a python, i had one for 6yrs but unfortunately i think a pet store sold me some sick mice bc she was healthy one day, she ate some mice 2 days later dead
Hey man I got a question did you dry lock the entire inside ? And I wanna try to make one I have two old book cases about 7 feet tall 2 feet long about 18" deep I could re measure but I got two and my sister wants to toss them but I wanna set them up for like idk but did you sand stuff first ? Like dude this is amazing brother 😅makes me think I don't have to spend 800$ on a custom tank for my beardie 😅
Yep dryloced the whole thing
Is all of this safe im wondering because I want to make an encloser but im scared to mess anything up
As long as you are giving everything used here time to fully cure, you should be in the clear. Again I am no expert but I have used these products for various enclosure projects and have had no problems yet. Thanks for commenting!
👍
🤘🏼
But is all the paints and sealing stuff pet safe
As long as it’s fully cured, your in the clear
did u use normal plywood.? ive heard all plywood is usually pine n thats toxic to snakes.?? im about to be building a enclosure for a 6ft boa constrictor n its my first time building a enclosure also lol😬
It's oriented strand board sheathing. It's various types of wood chips glued together. Cheaper, but not a good choice over actual plywood. There's no telling what kind of fumes will be in the cage. Or if the sealant will keep it out.
get some more foliage in there, looks nice but pretty bare on the left side
I totally agree thanks for the input🤘🏼
@@dragonkingbioactive7665 sorry if I came off rude
@@newwave1343You’re good man! Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated
Where's the ventilation?
The hole in the back and space between the plexiglass is plenty and it holds humidity when needed.
We travel as far as mexico
Sounds exciting!
They través as far as mexico
Awesome!
brothers 10:15
👍
I’m planning on using a dresser or some type of furniture to make an enclosure for my snake (although I have to figure out doors or curtain to hide the glass (it may be against my lease to have reptiles 🫢)
*Obviously only closed when needed*
Good luck in your venture!
@@libbylou6004 LOOK FOR AN OLD TV CABINET WITH THE DOORS THAT OPEN AND FOLD/PUSH IN, ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE MAKING COFFE STATIONS OUT OF THEM, BUT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO CONCEAL THE ENCLOSURE IF NEEDED...
Such a great idea and what a hottie! 🔥🔥🔥 *SUBSCRIBE*
You’re husband is a lucky man😎🤘🏼
Its so flat