Built a BIG Rack!

[ssssnakeluvr]

very nice!!! nice shirt too....goes with my simpsons jammies

[ConcinusMan]

Who's the kid anyway? The new harry potter?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Hahahahaha.... EVERYONE says that to him. That he looks like harry potter. That's my youngest brother Drake. He's 14! I can't wait to show him that post :P

[ConcinusMan]

Might want also tell him, the girls think harry potter is a babe. How does he keep them off his back? LoL.

[Napta]

Hello, I have a question about the racks. They look very practical (and are also used in France) but made how you manage the light ? The tamnophis being diurnal, I thought that an intake of light similar to their natural cycle would be significantly beneficial for breeding.
Thank you for your reply.

Napta

[Napta]

Oh I have my answer in another post. The rack system is not really cool for garters. That's what I thought. Mine seem far more happy and active (and curious, fearless) when several in a large terrarium
So I guess this big rack is not for thamno, and I am very happy.

Napta

[ConcinusMan]

You don't. I hate racks. Actually, I don't know. I have a hard time with grasping why one would use racks in the first place. Looks more like a place to stash files or other junk, than a place to keep snakes. "Oh here, I got some new snakes. I think I'll stick them in a drawer"

Pretty much the same reason why I don't understand heating an entire room full of racks 24/7 and putting species with totally different needs all in that room. People do it. I'm totally confident that Shannon knows what she's doing though.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

You don't. I hate racks. Actually, I don't know. I have a hard time with grasping why one would use racks in the first place. Looks more like a place to stash files or other junk, than a place to keep snakes. "Oh here, I got some new snakes. I think I'll stick them in a drawer"

Pretty much the same reason why I don't understand heating an entire room full of racks 24/7 and putting species with totally different needs all in that room. People do it. I'm totally confident that Shannon knows what she's doing though.

Actually yes I do know what I am doing... and even though you addeed that last part, this comment is still rather insulting. rack systems are extremely efficient for keeping larger numbers of snakes. Especially larger snakes like the ones living in it. there are no garters in the big rack system, this is for my larger colubrids and my sumatran short tailed python as well. A tub is not any worse an enclosure than one made of glass... in fact it's better. It's easier to clean and to lift. the problem I am running into is that lifting off my 20 long tanks from the shelf to do maintenance is hard and I have trouble maneuvering them. I am probably going to be dissasembling that shelf and selling the 20 longs because they are too damned heavy and i almost dropped one not too long ago. I have two 10 gallon tank shelves, those are very easy to maneuver but they aren't very efficient space-wise and large females are too big for them.

My snakeroom is heated as follows: the animals that definitely need supplemental heat sources (pythons, the boa, etc...) are in spots where heating elements are directly applied. The animals that require ambient temps that are more in a neutral range are not near a direct heat source (ie. most of the garters and the water snakes) because my snakeroom would overheat at that point and would kill half of my collection. It's working well for me and it always has. Snakes that are in tanks or wall caging get coil bulbs that do not give off heat. They still sit under them all day.

A lot of my garters are living in tanks or wall caging. Unless they are babies or juveniles, then they are in the baby rack. One thing I have learned is that garter snakes and rack systems DO NOT mix at all unless you put them in very big tubs for their size (hence the rack with large sterlite ultras). these tubs provide almost TWICE the space of a 20 gallon long, but are much more efficience to clean and to take the snakes out for feeding. I am sorry but I would rather have cleaner enclosures than keep all of my snakes in tanks. With a tub I can carry it outside with one arm, hose it down, and take it back in. with a tank, I can't do that. Anything larger than a 20 requires 2 people to move and the glass with sharp corners is much harder to get clean. Also, instead of dumping out the substrate I have to scoop it out, then vacuum it out just to get it all out. Again with tubs I can just dump them.

Again 10 gallon tanks work well but are too small for a lot of snakes. Just because a tub is slightly less clear than glass, because that's ALL it is.... does not mean I am hiding all my snakes away in a file cabinet. It means I am using a much easier to clean, lighterweight, and space-saving enclosure that is better for both me and the snakes. It means I have MORE time to spend working with and enjoying my snakes, and taking them outside for photos. You can still put fake plants in a tub, and put plenty of things in for them to crawl around on.

The snakeroom has two large windows and many lights that are shining all day, and so the snakes still get the difference between day and night. The rack with sterlite ultras is actually different in that the tubs stick out about 6 inches, allowing the garters to come further out into full light if they choose. And they do! But not always, they like to go to the back and hide too.

So now tell me, what is soooo bad about keeping snakes in racks? They STILL get the temps they need. They STILL get exposure to light, natural light even in my case so that their photo period is on track with the outside world. They STILL get well fed, they are much easier and less time consuming to clean up after and even better, I have MORE free time to do the parts of snake keeping that I actually enjoy, such as photography and walking around the snakeroom, pulling out random snakes and admiring their beauty. AND I can maintain a much larger collection than I could with just tanks. I spend at least a half hour every day pulling out random snakes to look at them, to admire how they are growing or how they've just shed and they're looking so beautiful. And any snakes that have different needs, have their needs met, but most of my snakes (garter and water snakes) all have the same needs!

[Napta]

I was not criticizing Shannon
I just wondered about the use of racks for the garter. I had to make the answer I was looking for another one of your posts where you stated that this was not really suitable for thamno, which confirmed my idea.
I understand very well the usefulness of racks for solitary nocturnal snakes that have no use for a nice scenery. And I'm quite reassured to know that you do not destine this big rack for our dear little snake alive, curious and social.

Thanks, your opinion is very interresting.

Napta

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I was not criticizing Shannon
I just wondered about the use of racks for the garter. I had to make the answer I was looking for another one of your posts where you stated that this was not really suitable for thamno, which confirmed my idea.
I understand very well the usefulness of racks for solitary nocturnal snakes that have no use for a nice scenery. And I'm quite reassured to know that you do not destine this big rack for our dear little snake alive, curious and social.

Thanks, your opinion is very interresting.

Napta

Oh no, I know you were not the one criticizing... don't worry!

The people who criticize racks usually have never actually experienced using them when maintaining a large collection and how easy it makes everything.