Alright, I'm looking to build an enclosure for my dragon that is large enough to house him as an adult, but I have little area for him in my room. I would like for the enclosure to fit on top of a dresser.

I have very little money, but over time I can get the stuff needed - but I need to find the cost efficient option that provides him with something good in size and quality.

Should I buy a piece of furniture and convert it?

Buy wood and build it?

Buy a cage or aquarium?

I want to do the most cost efficient option, once again.

Thank you in advance,
Alex

The problem is that you'll need to finish it off except minus the decorations inside. Before he'll be able to move in.
Converting a piece of furniture is perhaps a cost effective route to take. Providing you can find the proper piece.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."

You will not be able to build him an adult enclosure on the top of your dresser unless you have a very low, and wide dresser. There just is not enough room, and you're going to need a much bigger area for him.

However, if you want to build the enclosure out of a dresser, that might work, or, as Mike said, converting some piece of furniture.

You can find old wardrobes, dressers or entertainment centers at thrift stores or yard sales sometimes for really cheap. Then it's a matter of making sure you can give him proper lighting, heat and ventilation. Converting each thing is a little different, but we can give you some basics if you know exactly how much room you do have available and what you have to work with.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

I've decided to build a 2' x 4' 6" x 6' 6" enclosure for him out of plywood. I'm not sure how to do it, but I'm planning to go get the supplies soon.

I assume I need 2x4's for the frame and plywood for the sides and back?

What do I make the door out of?

What allows ventilation?

What type of wood?

What type of seal?

What type of lighting?

What should I put on the side and back walls on the inside of the enclosure? Tile?

Help me! I don't know what I'm doing.

Remember, I'm trying to save as much money as possible.

Instead of me typing everything out, try doing a few searches. I don't want to sound un-helpful but there are a TON of threads that answer your exact questions and some even have photo step-by-step progress in them.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Well some things, like ventillation, are easier than others. You can actually build a cage all sorts of ways.

Honestly, I'd really suggest planning out all the dimensions and all the functions you want for the cage (like are you going to have the lights inside the tank, or out? Do you want a build in pool area?). Sketch out what your ideal cage would be, dimensions for each element, etc. Then take that information to your local hardware store. If you can find a really friendly worker, they may be able to tell you what's going to work best within you budget. They may even have some options you wouldn't have thought of but will work really well.

I've done that before, and found it really works - especially if you tell them you have X amount of cash with you at the moment. Especially if it's a smaller, privately owned business, sometimes they'll tell you that they just got this shipment of wood in for cheap, and here's what you need to do to make this work.

Just remember to keep it as simple as possible. The more complicated you want, the more confused you'll get. And you really might want to look up cage plans online. You might find a great site that can give you step-by-step directions and all you have to do is go buy materials.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Where can I buy the best premade enclosure for the least amount of money?

Unfortunately there is no such thing. The good enclosures aren't cheap.
What you could do is start out with a 55 gallon tank and build a simple box to go on top of it extending the size and height considerably.
But the cost of the aquarium itself is going to drive you costs up.
You don't have to get fancy. a simple wooden box with a couple of ventilation holes and a clear front door will work.
Maybe something like this without the center shelf.
Display Cage Page 1

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

also, if you have a custom cabinet maker in the area, explain to him about what you are looking to make. He could even just build the skeleton for you.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Thanks for the link on that cage Merlin! Gave me some reminders of things I need to do for mine.

Tricias page has a great "simple" set up for her dragons. Nothin fancy but looks awesome!

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"Dare to Dream! Without dreams, there is no Hope."
***Tami***