Retrofitting china cabinets?

[Bogertophis]

I imagine you can also make a little less work for yourself if you find one with certain "features" already built in? Like glass doors that can easily have a lock attached and such? Another thing is substrate. Most china cabinets don't have a bottom lip so would one have to build in a little "ledge" to keep it from falling out every time you open the enclosure? I'm also curious how sealing works. Is it just sealing the edges and corners or are the entire inner walls of the cabinet coated?

Sure, by all means look for features that work for you, OR, pieces that lend themselves to what you need.

Tempered glass sliders are fairly cheap- it's just glass, but much more to have wood doors with glass windows.

Installing a "ledge" would be easy enough to restrain substrate.

But all wood (even assuming stained & finished) is NOT waterproof until YOU make it so, & that's the challenge. Ever leave a damp glass on furniture? So if this cabinet will be very moist or frequently so, you'd be better off lining the bottom with something* & sealing all the edges. (like with something used for countertops-showers-flooring-or even plexi/PVC, etc.) As with aquariums, corners can be sealed with aquarium silicone sealant- non-toxic when fully dried & cured. (It takes a LONG time to cure if you put it on too thick- be warned.) Sealing out moisture also seals out mold & pathogens that like to move into surfaces weakened by moisture- you'd want to coat ALL interior surfaces- you'll be sorry if you don't. There's other products that I've heard of also, but never worked with that you might consider using- (as I would, if I was doing another cabinet right now)- it's made to seal ponds & is fish-safe- I pulled this up real quick to point you in the right direction- https://pondwiki.com/pond-sealer-and-paint/ Such products that are safe for fish will be safe for herps too.