dresser into a viv?

lordkovacs · 08-07-03, 11:10 AM

I was thinking of turning my old dresser (I just got a new one) into 2 viv's, one for each of my 2 Irian Jaya Carpets. I plan on taking off hte front bars of the dresser, and attaching a horizontal piece of plywood that would seperate the thing into 2 seperate enclosures. The wood on the inside is not stained...so I was thinking of doing one of two things... either painting the inside, then sealing with waterproof material, or the second option is to cover the walls in that plastic stuff that you see in showers that is already waterproof. of course all edges would be sealed. any thoughts? has anyone done this? if so, can you post pics and perhaps what you did to the inside? thanks so much,
MIKE

lordkovacs · 08-07-03, 11:11 AM

to clarify, the plastic stuff is not the shower curtain stuff, it's that hard plastic. I could seal with carpenter's glue or something... and the entire inside is not painted or anything, not just the plywood...thanks all.

nellie · 08-07-03, 11:16 AM

Hi Mike,
I did something similar. I used an antique clothing chest. The inside of mine was raw wood also. I used 3 coats of Minwax Polycrylic to seal the inside. It's waterbased. It was really easy to use and dried really quick. It's better than the polyurethene, which takes forever to completely dry.
I sealed the edges with a silicone shower and bath sealer.
I have had no problems at all with mine.
You can see a picture by clicking on my camera! They aren't very close pictures, but I hope you will get the point of what I did.
If you would like some close-ups, let me know. I can take some.
~Nellie

lordkovacs · 08-07-03, 11:21 AM

thanks nellie... i assume you got that minwax polycrylic at home depot or something? was it expensive?

btw, that's a cool enclosure!

thanks a lot...
MIKE

stkkts · 08-07-03, 03:48 PM

I am in the process of doing this now. Its going to be for my ball python until my IJ gets big enough to use it. And then the ball python is gonn get the bottom part of my TV stand which should be more than adequate for him.

I need a more up to date picture. Right now, the hide sits one level higher. I also cut a hole in the bottom so the water dish sits flush. And I got some linoleum flooring to cover the screws under his hide, and on the bottom level. It will also keep it easier to clean. There is also a rectangle cut out of the top so the light hood sits in their perfectly. I just have to put the screen in.

I have a question. What is the purpose of sealing the inside of the tank? Is it for the animals benefit? or to protect the wood?

almost forgot, I am putting in wooden dowels and shelves for the animal to get around, bask, and stretch out on.

NewLineReptile · 08-07-03, 04:03 PM

How big are your Carpwt pythons? And is the dresser a long one or a tall one?

Brandon

nellie · 08-07-03, 04:16 PM

Yes, I got the polycrylic at home depot. I can't remember how much it was, but I don't remember it being really bad. I only bought a quart (or whatever the small can is) and I still have quite a bit left.
~Nellie

stkkts · 08-07-03, 05:08 PM

can someone tell me the purpose of sealing the inside? is it for the benefit of the animal, or the cage?

crazyboy · 08-07-03, 05:15 PM

its for the benifit of the cage it is because of the moisture and if you spill something etc. it will help kepp the wood from rotting. also helps with cleaning.

Oliverian · 08-07-03, 05:26 PM

Hey... thats a neat idea. I might just have to try it one day...

But why are the shelves glass? (or thats what it looks like anyways..) Would the snakes be stressed being able to see each other? Or is it for the light to go all the way to the bottom? ~TR~

stkkts · 08-07-03, 05:32 PM

if you are talking about the one I posted above, the shelves arent glass. There are no shelves there, there is nothing there, yet. Im gonna put small wooden shelves, and dowels for the animal to climb around in. But that is one big tank for one animal. Not 4 little ones.

Oliverian · 08-07-03, 05:48 PM

Oooohh... I see. Lol sorry, I thought it was glass.
Thanks for correcting me.

~TR~

lordkovacs · 08-07-03, 10:16 PM

Hey brandon... the dresser is about 5 1/2 feet tall. so cut that in two and each of my IJ's gets around 2.75 feet tall. my male is around 6 months old, and my female is 3 months old. she is being delivered in two weeks so I am going to judge based on her size if she's gonna go in there yet. thanks...
MIKE