Rack

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Okay... don't shoot me, but.... what's the point of a rack system?
You can't see your snakes. Isn't that why we keep them? To see them? I know lots of keepers use racks, but I really can't understand why. To me, it's just storage.
(James sits back and prepares to be flamed!)

Well, I must say you have a point, and that is why the majority of my caging is... cages! the rack system top is for housing baby things... because in all reality, with as many babies as I have at points, housing them all in cages is at this time, not possible for me. The rack system allows me to easily acess them, and the best part is how easy to clean everything is becaue the tubs are so light. And the fact is, that the babies that I produce are not display animals, they are only being kept and cared for (yes, stored) until they are ready for new permanent homes where I certianly hope they won't spend all of in a rack. It would take me twice as long to feed/clean all those babies if I housed them all in tanks. the bottom rack holds BP's and snakes that hide or burrow all the time. AKA the sunbeam snake... who literally lives in a big tub FULL of aspen.... the corns... etc. I chose tubs that are see-through... because I still like seeing in there, and really, you can't beat the rack system when it comes to housing BP's! The tubs hold humidity so well compared to a tank or cage and BP's really do not wish to be bothered or seen (unless of course it is feeding time!).... I walk into the room and my garters are like HEY HEY!!! look at ME!!! As they bite at the glass and jump (yes I have seen garters jump!) off their branches to see what I am doing....the ball pythons and corns are like omg hide!!! run!!! I can't beleive she just saw me!!!

[drache]

yeah - I guess, if you keep enough of those kinds of snakes, a rack is a really good way to keep them
none of my snakes would truly qualify, although the kings have times when it seems like that, and I really only get to see the lystrophis at night
I just wish I were better at window cleaning - that's the part I could really do without and well, I do without for far longer than good for viewing pleasure

[guidofatherof5]

Shannon,

I too have seen the jumping Garter. One of my baby Radixs jumped across a 10 gal. tank to be the first to get food.
I was shocked and then broke out laughing. The littleone was so excited about being fed he launched himself, not to be ignored.
They are so much fun to watch and interact with. They make life a lot more fun.

[Loren]

I use flexwatt heat tape from Beanfarm.com. They have competetive prices and all the accesories. I use 4".
Its not very hard to hook up. No need to buy special crimping pliers- I use a hammer to carefully flatten the clips onto the heat tape(against the concrete or other hard surface), and then crimp the wire on with a standard crimping pliers. The plastic clip guards are optional- up to you- you can always wrap them with electrical tape. I have done it either way.
For wire- I just buy a handful of cheap white extension cords from walmart or home depot (like the 6 and 12 footers).
Flexwatt must be controlled with a thermostat or dimmer or it gets too hot. I have a herpstat ND running the heat tape for all my aquariums, but just use dimmer switches for the racks. Either way works fine. Just takes a little testing to get the dimmer in the right spot- then tape the dimmer dial so it cant get turned on accident. You may need to adjust it a little for seasonal room temp changes.

I use 3/4" melamine for my racks. Its heavy, but other than that, it works well. I do not use lids on my racks. I do make them with fairly tight clearances. If you make melamine shelves to wide however, they will sag with time. But, the price difference versus a custom plastic rack is staggering.
I use deck wood screws from home depot. pre drill, and final tighten by hand. set the clearances by putting very thin cardboard or several sheets of paper on the tubs and building it one shelf at a time. Use a square or triangle to make sure everything is straight.
I have tended to make the clearances too tight, and have paid for it with tubs that are hard to pull out- but, no escapes. But, in the future, I will allow a little room for saggage.

When adding costs- dont forget- the price of the tubs adds up fast. Then the flexwatt, a box of good screws, an 1/8" pegboard packing plate (thats what I use) and if its gonna be very big, 4 casters(2", 2 swiveling, 2 fixed, 4 bucks each) and a 2 x 4 or 2, to brace up the bottom and attach the casters to. While home made is much cheaper, I wouldnt be able to build a very big rack for under 100. A 10 tub rack with 28 qt sterilite tubs will cost 100 just in tubs alone, by time tax is added.

Last time I checked, a 4 x 8 melamine was near 30$ plus tax.

As for fire danger- my own personal way is to line any wood shelves with 2 layers of aluminum foil under the heat tape, then tape the flexwatt down with foil tape (home depot or beanfarm sells foil tape). I think the instructions actually advise against mounting it on metal for danger of shorting/electrocuting- but I would rather risk that than burning wood. I figure the foil gives me quite a few extra degrees before a fire would occure. My flexwatt is kept under 95 f. as they advise- and I always come up with ways to prevent scraping or other damage to the tape, which is the main danger in my mind.

In deciding which tubs to use- also take into account how many shelves you can get out of a 4 x 8 sheet. I want to build a 41 qt sterilite rack, but it is a somewhat inefficient size to build with, where as 28 qt tubs make good use of wood.

Always look at the tubs in person before deciding on a style. Some of them are cheap pieces of junk. To use lids or not to use lids... personal choice. Without lids will require melamine or something sealed. With lids- doesnt really matter I guess.

I say bite the bullet and build a small one, expecting to learn from your mistakes. The next one will be better.

well, that all for now.

oh wait- always buy all the tubs and a spare or two first- tub companies, especially sterilite, often change designs with no warning. when they're gone, they're gone.

[Loren]

As for the viewing quality and use of racks-first off, I agree with everything Shannon said in her last post,
and my addition is;
depends a little on what tubs you use, but yes, display tanks do allow much better viewing.
My honduran milks and corns ate at eye level in sterilites, and I can see them quite well. Others, down at floor level, are not so well seen, but then, neither are the ones in glass tanks at floor level.
As for the performance- I have had many, many species of snakes thrive in racks. My infernalis, fitchi, and marcianus are all in sterilte tubs- and are eating machines. They will be upgraded to glass tanks when they get a little bigger, by this summer. Nearly all my garters were started in tubs.

I just moved my albino gopher out of her sterilite- she was docile as it gets and never missed a meal. Now she is in a glass tank, with a hide box and deep aspen bedding to crawl through- shes meaner than crap and wont eat. I hope she'll settle down, but if not- back in the rack she'll go.

The truth is, I used to think racks were cruel, until I tried it and saw how my snakes did. Generally speaking, they thrive. They seem to feel more secure, in the case of many snakes (not garters so much), it is a closer comparison to how they live in the wild- hiding in cramped quarters like many snakes I have found. Just like how hideboxes that are cramped actually seem to work better than nice roomy ones. More security.

Ideally, I would love to have every snake in a nice display tank, but first and foremost, with the variety of species I keep, I first do what it takes to get the snakes acclimated and feeding- and the racks win that one so far, for most species.

James- most definitely not argueing your point- I love to see my snakes, and cages like those that you built are definitely the best for that, and do provide the snakes a great home that looks great as well.

[Loren]

I too have seen the jumping Garter. .

My valley garter is nuts. It has hit the floor a few times now after jumping out- fortunately the carpet is soft enough to pad the fall.

[crzy_kevo]

Shannon,

I too have seen the jumping Garter. One of my baby Radixs jumped across a 10 gal. tank to be the first to get food.
I was shocked and then broke out laughing. The littleone was so excited about being fed he launched himself, not to be ignored.
They are so much fun to watch and interact with. They make life a lot more fun.

my little guy turk jumps all the time because he is skittish whenever he is on the branches and i come by to open the tank for feeding he jumps right off the branches to try and find a hiding spot lol

[snakems]

i COMPLETELY agree with this.
But I suppose if you're someone who does a LOT of daily handling of all your snakes it's workable.

Okay... don't shoot me, but.... what's the point of a rack system?
You can't see your snakes. Isn't that why we keep them? To see them? I know lots of keepers use racks, but I really can't understand why. To me, it's just storage.
(James sits back and prepares to be flamed!)