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Building Narnia: An Automated China Cabinet Vivarium Conversion
Building Narnia: An Automated China Cabinet Vivarium Conversion
Building Narnia: An Automated China Cabinet Vivarium Conversion
by RevVivs
I am constantly building vivariums for various animals in our cozy Brooklyn apartment, and I had been staring at this
china cabinet for years. My husband had inherited it from a family member who passed, with all of the china still in it, and
we weren't using it for anything. Finally, I got the go ahead to convert it into a terrarium!
The cabinet has three compartments so I would be building three separate enclosures within the cabinet. This was a heck
of an undertaking, and I had three things to do before I could begin: Research and decide on animals, clear out that
china, and gather supplies.
Supplies:
SUPPLIES:
GE Silicone I caulk: 5 clear, 1 black
Great Stu Gaps & Cracks: 6 cans
Gorilla Wood Glue: 1 bottle
Varathene water-based polyurethane: 1 quart
Flex Seal clear liquid: 1 quart
Flex Paste black: 6 lbs
Box of disposable gloves: 2 boxes of 100
#6 1 inch wood screws: about 100
1.5" wide pine strips: about 10 ft
Aluminum screen: 1 roll
Dry substrate: 100 qts
Sand-blasted grapevine: as much as is appropriate for space
Mopani wood: as much as is appropriate for space
4" & 6" plastic plant pots: enough to get some good height with vining plants
Plants appropriate for inhabitants: tall, short, vining, etc
Glass - I was able to use the glass shelves, which were the perfect size
White plastic ceiling crate
Garden barrier fabric
LOTS of zip ties - I like 4"
Twine
TOOLS:
Before you can really start building, you need to know what you're building for. I've worked a lot with crested geckos and
other New Caledonian species but I really wanted to try something di erent. I had three compartments of various sizes,
but they were all taller than they were long- this meant the animals should be arboreal. The middle compartment is
much wider than the outer two, so that told me the size of the animals. Most arboreal animals are tropical or subtropical,
so that really narrowed it down for me. I nally decided on White's tree frogs on the right, giant day gecko on the left, and
a prehensile-tailed skink in that big middle compartment. I'll link care sheets to each animal.
Whites tree frogs
Giant day gecko
Prehensile-tailed skink - there is not a ton of consistent information on these guys, but this is relatively elaborate
NOTE: I strongly recommend safety goggles and a mask for both components - the sawdust and fumes are harmful and
WILL make you sick.
I decided that I should cut the holes at the top for the purpose of ventilation before applying chemicals to seal the wood.
To cut holes, I rst drilled a hole so I could get the jigsaw blade in - I did this at all four corners. I then used a jigsaw to cut.
These were not the straightest lines but I wasn't (and still am not) too worried about it.
The next step was to create kind of a tray or barrier to hold substrate in. Luckily, the cabinet had thick glass shelves that
spanned the width and depth of each section perfectly. I used silicone to secure a piece of glass at on the bottom of
each enclosure, and then one standing up just behind the door trim. I went over the standing piece a couple of times,
allowing it to cure between coats, just to be certain that it was super secure.
Next, I took some plastic plant pots and secured them into the enclosures wherever I thought some vining plants would
be nice. Prehensile-tailed skinks eat pothos as their main food source in the wild, so I placed pots to accommodate lots of
pothos in the center space. I used wood screws to hold them in place.
I then took my wood and placed it, using twine to hold that in place.
The fun part: Great Stu is a polyurethane expanding foam. It comes out FAST and is extremely sticky. Wear gloves for this
and test it out on paper towels - SLOWLY.
Make sure to get the straw behind everything to make sure it sticks and doesn't create precarious spaces for your
animals to get stuck in. Also, this stu is heavy, so just use a little at a time, you can go back once you see how much it
expands. A bunch of mine fell o as I was working and I had to go back.
Wait a few hours, at least, for the Great Stu to dry.
Then, you get to carve it! Great Stu expands a lot and is a little unpredictable. I use a razor blade scraper to get the size
and shapes I want. You can cut the twine and remove any unwanted screws now, too. The foam is weight-bearing and
will hold your hardscape in place.
Once everything is where and how you want it, you'll want to make sure it looks natural. I used Flex Paste (paste silicone)
and a plastic putty knife to cover the Great Stu . Eventually I gave up on the putty knife and just used a gloved hand This
is messy, but that's okay! Nature is also messy, and we're trying to replicate nature. To this in small sections, starting at the
bottom.
Once one component is covered, pat some dry substrate onto the the Flex Paste. You'll want to press rmly so that it
really gets into the paste so it's permanent when it cures. Do this on each foam component.
Once the paste cures, I use a clean, soft-ish paint brush to gently brush the loose substrate to uncover the texture created
by the foam.
This was the part I was most unsure about. I tried a couple of di erent ways to do this but the easiest and most e ective
is as follows, though I was still cracking the wood.
Cut a piece of screen larger than the hole.
Cut pieces of wood to size to be able to frame the hole, overlapping mostly on the top wood.
Place the screen over the hole, and screw rst piece of wood through the screen into the top wood.
Repeat for all sides, ensuring that the screen isn't super loose.
Silicone the edges to make sure it is secure, especially where wood is cracked.
Trim any excess screen.
*I also used a piece of trim over the wood in the front so it wasn't quite such a mess.
Three enclosures require quite a few electronics to keep temps and UVB correct for each species. First, I secured a pretty
industrial surge protector to the top of the enclosure to provide a central power source.
For each enclosure, I use a dual smart plug for the LED and UVB lights so that these can be timed. I also use a simple
on/o thermostat and heating element (I like deep heat projectors).
Cords are going to be an issue, as is keeping xtures o the screen, so I'm still working out a stand made out of PVC that
can elevate the xtures and contain the cords.
I opted to use a MistKing for this build and I am so glad that I did. You will need to get your own reservoir for this. The
most common is a 5 gallon bucket but any hard plastic container can be used to t your space so long as a hole can be
drilled in it.
First, I cut a space in the shelf in the lower portion of the cabinet to t the bucket. I drilled two holes in the back of the
cabinet: one for the tubing, and another for the wiring. I screwed the pump unit onto the wood next to the bucket, and
hooked everything up. MistKing has a ton of tutorials, so I won't get redundant here with those.
To attach nozzles, I cut pieces of 1/4" thick 1 1/5" wide pine and bored a 5/8:" hole in the middle. I attached this to a front
corner of the screens of each enclosure, ensuing that the hole was not obstructed by any other structures. I screwed
these pieces into place, then cut a hole in the screen that lined up with the 5/8" hole. I then pushed the nozzle up
through the screen, into the hole in the wood, and secured it with its nut.
I then attached all the tubing and was good to go!
I will note that when I rst turned the mister on, it leaked like hell. This was because the tubing was not pushed in all the
way, and this is a very common problem. Pushing the tubing further will x the problem.
You're done!
It's a good idea to let your enclosures cycle for a month or so to make sure that everything is settled and there aren't any
harmful hithchikers (predatory slugs - I just had to tear out a dart frog enclosure because of these stupid things!)
When introducing your animals, do it on their time. O er food but don't sweat it if they don't eat right away - they're
adjusting to their new space. They'll come around and be super happy in their new homes!!!!