Custom Enclosures by K & M Dragons

[Xazzak]

I am writing this post to share my journey, of shopping around for a custom enclosure. I searched, reviewed, and spoke with several companies in the United States that make enclosures from all kinds of different materials. Most of them generally led me to find a lack of good reviews (or no reviews at all), poor customer service, poor quality, or their enclosures were just not quite what I was looking for. Then one day, I came across the ‘K & M Dragons’ website in my Google search. As I gleefully browsed through their website, I decided to contact the owner, Keith Eatmon, who promptly responded to my inquiry later that day.

Let me just say this...not only is Keith a truly gifted craftsman who can customize your build the way you want it, he is an outstanding individual who is cool, patient, and passionate about his work. Out of all the companies and individuals I spoke with, Keith has far surpassed them with his level of customer service, communication, and skill.

If you live in the United States, and are looking for a beautiful, custom enclosure, then Keith is the one you’ve been looking for. You can visit their website at http://www.kmdragons.com or you can look them up on Facebook (K & M Dragons).

On a side note; I want to ensure everyone that I am in no way affiliated with his company. I am just a very satisfied customer, who wanted to share my experience with K & M Dragons. Please see the photos below of my new custom 4'x2'x2' enclosure.

 

[CooperDragon]

That looks really great! Thanks for sharing your experience. There are a lot of questions about custom enclosures on the forum so hopefully this will help folks out.

 

[Derz13]

Eager to see what you've done with the enclosure! So glad I stumbled upon this!

Keith is great! He will be starting up my viv soon! Keep us posted for sure!
How low does the light hang with the bulb? I've been wondering

 

[Xazzak]

Derz13,
As of late, I've been both lazy and busy at the same time, so we just put the enclosure together yesterday, even though we got it around mid May. As a side note, I received my enclosure right around the time that Keith estimated I would receive it. We haven't fully decorated it yet, but I plan on doing so this upcoming weekend. I took a couple of photos of the enclosure once it was assembled and put on a table.

The table I'm using is a 6' Mainstays folding table, which seems to be sturdy enough as the table doesn't seem to wobble or buckle. The weight that was listed on the shipping box for the enclosure was 75 lbs, so it's much lighter (yet larger) than I was expecting it to be. None the less, it's an absolutely stunning piece of furniture and I can't wait to move Smaug over to it once it's fully ready. Everything in the shipping box came very well sorted and well protected...Keith even included separate organized bags containing all the screws and parts (screw drivers included!), and provided directions with pictures of course. I was surprised on how easy everything was to put together and wire back up (took about an hour).

As of right now, I'm playing with different bulbs to get the temperature ranges I'm looking for (the dimmer switch is AMAZING, so glad I got one). Once I get the enclosure fully decorated, I will put up more pictures on this post. In regards to your question; if I were to measure the length from the top edge of the 120v ceramic fixture, down to the end of the bulb, I'd say...maybe 6 inches? The basking decor item (branch) you see in the photo, probably has a 6" distance between the end of the bulb, to the highest point of the branch. However, I'm still playing around with decor placement and will be providing multiple levels for sitting areas.

 

[Derz13]

Okay, because I know as a standard he just uses the t8 fixtures but I was thinking of going with the t5 and just having him put that in instead because the basking bulb is going to hang low-ish. A T8 should be about 6-8 inches from the basking spot and with the length of the bulb, which I was figuring to be about 6-7in. plus some room so he isn't so close to it makes it around 12in or so from the UVB and I am worried about him not receiving sufficient UV exposure if I keep the t8. What did you do? do you have the t8 in or you go for the t5?

Thanks for the pictures! I am beyond excited for mine I cannot wait until he starts it!!! And what a mighty piece of wood you have in there! I will be making a custom foam background for mine so hopefully it turns out well!

Keep me updated! Can't wait to see what you've done with it!

 

[Xazzak]

I just went with the standard T8 24" fixture, using a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB. The basking branch you see in the photo was purchased in the fish decor area of PetSmart and is made from the same material as any other "fake" reptile decor. I thought about going with real wood, but I don't feel like dealing with any micro organisms or baking. With the correct placement, she'll be able to be within 6" of the UVB bulb at the highest point. Because the enclosure is 2' tall, I will be adding other decor items in to accommodate for multiple levels of perching spots so Smaug can choose where she wants to be, for her different needs of UVB exposure and basking levels. I will certainly be adding photos to this post (when finished decorating) and may even upload a YouTube video, copying the link to the post, so I can go over the details of the enclosure and my setup choices.

That's one of the great things about Keith; he can pretty much create whatever you want him to create. All the lighting fixtures can be easily removed as well, in case you change your mind along the way.

The custom background sounds like a fun project! I thought about doing it myself, but my talents are lacking in that department. I certainly know the level of excitement you're feeling, I was the same way.

 

[Derz13]

Hmm, yea those damn T5 fixtures are so pricey. I was hoping to get away with it. I think I may just leave it and add a homemade aluminum-foil-reflector to bounce some more light into his enclosure. I will be using the reptisun10.0 too. And just mess with the setup to make it so he can get closer to the UV without getting so close to the basking bulb.

Sweet! can't wait to see your updates!

 

[Xazzak]

So here's my rough draft of the enclosure being decorated. I still need to put my UVB fixture in, but I think that's about it. I do feel that I may go with an Arcadia (T5) fixture with a built in reflector though...I will added more pictures if I do.

I'm not too sure how I feel about the vine around the branch/skull. More of a limb stuck or get caught concern then how I feel about it aesthetically. What do y'all think?

 

[Derz13]

Looks great! I think the vine would be fine but that is just me it doesn't seem like it is something that would catch a toe or anything. But you never know!! Some bearded can get into some strange trouble...

I want to go with the t5 light but I may have to wait a little bit because I'm broke after I pay for this lol.