# converting furnature into vivs,



## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

Is there any particular reason why I haven't noticed anyone converting mdf wardrobes/chest of drawers/cabinets etc. into vivariums? You can get them for under £5 on ebay.... Is this a particularly bad idea or has it just not been thought of??


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## DazedLewis (Aug 21, 2008)

My friends made loads of vivariums out of IKEA shelving, and they look quite good and were cheap to build


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

DazedLewis said:


> My friends made loads of vivariums out of IKEA shelving, and they look quite good and were cheap to build


so theres nothing unsafe about doing this? :2thumb:

i'm considering getting one of those really big cabinets with lots of sections, so it's like a multi viv setup sorta thing =D staking the vivs and glass tanks is becoming very untidy, and i think it would look pretty cool tbh


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## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

ive done this with a old cabinet easy and cheap:2thumb:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

converted bookcases for my stacks ~ a lot cheaper and it's easy :2thumb:


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## leecooper (Sep 6, 2008)

mine cost £1.25 off ebay and its well smart :2thumb: and very easy to do


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

thank you everyone. will be doing this then when I find a nice cabinet =P they really do go very cheap.

:2thumb:


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

ooooh. actually, can anyone tell me the best material to use for a viv wood wise? I've heard a couple are poisonous to lizards? =S


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## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

i think pines a nono cant remember the others


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

moonstruck said:


> Is there any particular reason why I haven't noticed anyone converting mdf wardrobes/chest of drawers/cabinets etc. into vivariums? You can get them for under £5 on ebay.... Is this a particularly bad idea or has it just not been thought of??


 
i think you just haven't noticed it lol.. 

You don't even need eBay. I've seen loads of units etc on Freecycle, although i did pay £20 for the cabinet i've got the snakes in.


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## Falkor-Dragons (May 15, 2008)

ive made mine out of a wall unit, its hell of alot cheaper :2thumb:


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## Jazz (Jul 21, 2008)

I've made vivs out of old furniture before, but the best bargain I've ever got was a double glazed window in perfect condition 6'3x4'.5 for a tenner at the local dump.

I'm now using it for a 6.5x6.5x8 viv with a pond made out of the kids' old sandpit. So far the whole thing has cost me just over £100, and that was mainly for things like tile grout, sealant, polystyrene and tarpaulin.

Still got a way to go in the building but it's getting there! (Have the advantage my Dad's been in the construction industry forever and has more timber in his garage than you can shake a stick at! Though I think I've nicked most of it now)


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## Gerry4292 (Apr 25, 2008)

What ever you do DON'T use mdf,it give's off vapours when warm that will kill your reps.Old wooden wardrobes make brill vivs when you lay them on the side.
Gerry.


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## angels1531 (Aug 27, 2008)

Heres mine  Sorry for the large picture.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Gerry4292 said:


> What ever you do DON'T use mdf,it give's off vapours when warm that will kill your reps.Old wooden wardrobes make brill vivs when you lay them on the side.
> Gerry.


 Thought MDF just expanded when moist and pine gave off vapour?

i'm about to start building a CWD viv out of MDF although its going to have a full fake rock interior and probably coated with pond liner / visquine before to hold the humidity in.


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

Yeah my unberstanding was that the dust when cutting mdf can cause probs but once it is cut it is ok as long kept dry and that if you seal as meko has suggested it isnt a problem - would love to know cos I thinking of doing a similar thing to Meko when my CWD is bigger


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

to be honest if its sealed etc then it'd be fine as the wood isn't getting wet.

Like we've both said, the fumes are when cutting it and that's dependant on how much ************ is in the wood and how its glued together blah blah blah. Once its cut and sealed its fine.

there is a thread somewhere about using MDF for a viv..


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

angels1531 said:


> Heres mine  Sorry for the large picture.


that is nice what do you keep in that??


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

arg i've had no itnernet it's been hell, im on the net at work. that doesnt even look like a wall unit anymore =P very well done


philbrown78 said:


> ive made mine out of a wall unit, its hell of alot cheaper :2thumb:


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

I agree that wardrobe/viv is nice. 

so were did you buy the panes of glass from?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

for the glass you get them from your local glazier / skips and have them cut down.


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## langyfromswansea (Jun 1, 2008)

hey im acutlly doing this at the moment i was lucky. i went to a charity shop and got a 6x3x3 cubordy thing for 5 pounds bargin or what ..... im half way through at he moment and the most expesive part i found is the glass, so i guess it can be done.


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## Gerry4292 (Apr 25, 2008)

sharpstrain said:


> Yeah my unberstanding was that the dust when cutting mdf can cause probs but once it is cut it is ok as long kept dry and that if you seal as meko has suggested it isnt a problem - would love to know cos I thinking of doing a similar thing to Meko when my CWD is bigger


I have checked mdf out with a carpenter at work and he said that so long as you use an extractor when cutting and then completely seal all the insides you should be ok.So its out to the second hand shops for me this weekend.
Gerry.


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## Lizard Loft (Mar 1, 2008)

I got 2 wardrobes which where around 6X3x2, from my mum who was getting new ones and guna throw the old ones away, 

then filped one on its side and converted it into a viv, just took the doors off and added runners, was really easy, 

i used tongue and groove from B&Q for the runners, and got glass from a local glazier for £30 so the viv was £40ish, then i built one of my backgrounds into it an hey presto you have an amzing viv......even if i do say so myself lol : victory:

heres a pic of it with no doors 










and the finished thing


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## jackyboy (Apr 8, 2008)

hears one viv im making 
it aint green anymore and has black vinal tiles on the walls roof and floor and there is also vents added and a big log fitted in to and it hes a ceramic now to









and heres one i am still i just need to put the runners and glass in


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## Kellog (Aug 31, 2008)

I made two from the old type IKEA BENNO TV CABINETS ( the ones with sliding doors)
Just remove inner shelving, block cable hole at back and finger holes in sliding doors.Advantage is they come with sliding doors and locks!
Got both mine from Ebay £20.


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## Brat (Oct 7, 2007)

I too converted an Ikea Benno TV cabinet. Cost me a fiver off ebay, put a new back on, added vents, cut an archway between the centre section, added a plinth at the front to stop substrate falling out.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

doing this with an old wardrobe of my sisters :lol2:


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

thanks for the pictures, jackyboy i'd be interested to see them when they're finished, to see how they've come on, it's great what people can do with things

lizard loft that finished viv is amazing!


i've now acquired a large cabinet my rents' were going to throw out, theres two large 6ft areas and lost of smaller 4ft and 3ft areas, as well as a nice tall one... just need to get the rest of it down here, get some glass, runners, vents and make the backgrounds, then i'll have some very happy lizards and snakes! (not that they aren't already =P)

i've been looking on ebay... seriously considering buying double glazed windows and hacking them up... they sell for nothing, nobody seems to want them


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

moonstruck said:


> i've been looking on ebay... seriously considering buying double glazed windows and hacking them up... they sell for nothing, nobody seems to want them


 
skips and glaziers skips!! especially glaziers skips as they'll probably be able to cut them down for you as well. 
No point buying them when you can get them for free.

i need to borrow my camera back as i've done a few builds / conversions and in the middle of doing one for baby CWD's


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

i got a fair bit of wood from a skip the other month, but almost never see any around here, that's why i took so much while it was there


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## Shelly24 (Aug 28, 2008)

ive just made my cham a viv out of wood and netting. made a frame and used netting and the back of a cupboard to enclose it. 

i got given a cupboard/cabinet this morning which im going to convert into 2 tall vivs for other chams. Wasnt sure about the glass but having read this i shall go routing round the back of a glaziers!

my friend made 4 vivs out of a shelving unit, just added runner and glass then kept his snakes in it.


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