Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have aquired 9 brand spankin new CB-110 (19 7/8" X 39" X 6 1/4" high) couple months ago and am going to have AP build a custom 9 hole rack. Cost effective? it's possible...Portable? as a jacuzzi.. super cool for my thayeri adults? you know it!
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0.4 E. prasina
4.5 L. m. thayeri
1.1 A. stimsoni
1.1 C. t. roseofusca
1.1 L. t. gaigeae

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.- Albert Einstein

Hi

Wow! That's a mansion for even an adult thayeri. People usually use those boxes for smaller/subadult boas and larger colubrids(like my 5-6' pituophis). I'm not trying to knock off the idea but I'm curious if it would affect the animal's feeling in of security. One suggestion I could make is that I would put lots of places to hide and/or have a substrate that they can burrow into. AP rack is good choice since it's usually black and a closed rack system. Keep us updated on how it all turns out and good luck.
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Jonel M. Lopez

www.spsnakes.com

Go big or go home Cory!

Your plan is ultra-cool for your thayeri adults, I like the approach you're taking. If you have the space I couldn't agree with you more wanting to use those larger tubs, particularly with adult females. Security is an easy thing to provide, and when it comes time to add nesting accommodations you'll have plenty of space for a roomy nest box and the female will still have room to move. She needs it, and I don't feel it's possible to give them too much space. You can get the job done with cramped quarters but a little extra space doesn't hurt a thing. Most of us couldn't provide the amount of space they would prefer to live in with our entire property.

I built the rack below two winters ago and I'll be building another this winter specifically for adult females. It will be a unit similar to the 4 shelf bottom section of the rack in the pic with a full workbench top surface, and I'll be using 20 larger tubs that measure 18" x 36" x 6". Hatchling racks stacked on top.

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Mike

Mike:

That's a great custom set up you've got there! Lots of planning--work bench is a great idea. Looks like you're serious about monitoring temps, too!!

Cheers,

Bob

Thanks Bob, it was a labor of love and a custom build was the only way I could get what I wanted.

It works fairly well and the work surface is extremely handy and durable, the entire system is oak plywood. Took about a month to plan, and a couple more to build with all the behind the scene details and close tolerances to make it look good and give me plenty of control. I wired in a separate power circuit that provides each shelf with a dedicated receptacle and each shelf is individually heated, temp controlled, monitored, and designed for use with lids on the tubs. It's much easier to clean a lid than the bottom of a shelf!

The deep top shelf is storage space to the ceiling for feeding tubs, etc...
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Mike

Do you have a hard time reaching the hatchling and storage shelf? It looks like it's a long way up there. Even with a short ladder you'd have to reach over the work bench. Other than that, it looks like a great system!
-Phil

It's a non-issue. The shelves average about 6" apart give or take, and that top storage shelf is only 6'4" off the ground which includes the 4" recessed toe-kick under the bottom shelf at the floor. I set the hatchling shelves back some to give me another handy work surface up there, but the small tubs are still easy to reach and I use that surface a lot.

The only thing I would change would be to use heat cable in place of the Flex Watt for better heat control.
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Mike

From the photo it looked like the top shelf was a lot higher than 6'-4". I wish I had the room to build something similar.
I guess it's time to put an addition on the house! LOL!
Take care,
-Phil

Nice set up Mike. Looks like you put alot of thought into it. mike b.

Thanks Mike, I planned that thing out on paper to the last inch of plywood. At over $40 each for sheets of 3/4" oak plywood at the time, I made darn sure there wasn't a scrap left over. Efficient use of space with a work surface was the goal and it definitely works.
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Mike

Magnificant job on the rack! Maybe it's YOUR custome racks we might ought to look into getting. lol. Hell of a job.
Ken

Thanks Ken. Tell ya what... buy the supplies, promise to feed me up at least twice a day and I'll come on out and build you what you want. And we'll have some good times hangin' out and tellin' lies while we're at it!
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Mike

Well, I can't cook a lick, but I can promise you a beer, or two. Will that work? lol.
Ken

Thanks Mike. I must agree with everyone. That is an impressive set up. One of these days when i own a house......
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0.4 E. prasina
4.5 L. m. thayeri
1.1 A. stimsoni
1.1 C. t. roseofusca
1.1 L. t. gaigeae

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.- Albert Einstein