Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i had this posted in housing, but wasn't seeing any replies, so i thought it may get seen more here, i would really appreciate some opinions from some more experienced people....
up until now i have had the luxury of being able to regulate the temperature of an entire room for my animals and the make minor adjustments like hot spots with heating devices within the room, although this was somewhat imprecise it has always worked out for me with a variety of species, including balls....now i am moving and i will no longer have the option of an entire reptile room, furthermore, i feel it is time to put together some kind of shelving/heating unit....for now i will just keep my adults in glass cages with yet to be determined heating elements (i have a whole menagerie that i have been working with for years, so i am not concerned with this), but for my babies and juveniles, i have an idea for a combo shelf that will also work for other animals when they outgrow it and will be cheap enough to put together even with the expense of moving....right now, i am keeping them in sterilite brand tubs (some shoebox and some sweater depending on size), i plan to build what amounts to a wooden bookshelf that perfectly holds these size tubs, then to run 3" heat tape along the back part of the bottom of the shelves.... i was thinking of going with just an ranco thermostat and getting the whole deal from mg reptiles as i have heard good things.....so here are my questions.....
1. is this safe to do (presuming i pay to have the wiring done by mg reptiles)? will i risk a fire since the shelves will be wood (the other choices are tto heavy)? will i risk melting the tubs (the thermostat should prevent this, right?)?
2. i see that the ranco is like 60 dollars, but will i require other accessories to make this work (presuming that i plan to keep all levels at one termperature)?
3. also i have heard good thing about helix, but could not find them on the mg website, what is the equivalent thermostat?

any and all feedback is appreciated, and i have a few weeks to work out the particulars of the situation, i plan on having this setup for 16 snakes until spring at which point it may become a nursery setup, may still house some of the ones that are still staying small in the spring, or may serve a whole other purpose if i decide it isn't the best option for my pythons....at this point the goal is a combination of safety and affordability, but not necessarily longevity, as i have very few adults and am not expecting any eggs next spring, giving me a great deal of time to get something better

Even with a several years of electical work under my belt,i still do not feel 100% secure against fire(with my wooden racks).Since numerous other people have reported heat tape(best option out there)that had decided to "short out",and cause fires...So little by little i am phasing out my homemade racks and replacing them with newer fire resistant plastic systems.Don't do what i did.Don't waste time and money on "do it yourself".I suggest you look at RBI plastics.They can also supply you with t-stats.

I'm currently utilizing 1500watt Johnson controls,and Herpstats.A few other choices are:Ranco,and Helix(which i hear,are actually meant for this useage).
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Charles

Hey there,

Just my opinion, but instead of doing what you are thinking, since you are a bit "insecure" about the process.. my advice would be to buy a combo rack that you like that will house different size tubs... some for adults, some for juvies/hatchlings. Get one that comes with heat.

If you have to, sell off your tanks and other supplies you said you have and raise the money that way if you don't have it. Your snakes will be happier (then in tanks), more then likely safer and you don't have to worry about buying a rack in a year like you were saying when you have more time and money or what not.

I use AP racks for now and like them. I have them setup to a helix control unit and everything is all taken care of in one neat setup. For years I had melamine (wood) shelves and other home made racks. Lots of people like these and they work great for them. For me personally, I would never go back to home made racks. I'm a fairly handy builder and I just really prefer the black rack systems over wood, but it's just my opinion.

Hopefully this helped some, even though it wasn't really what you wree asking for. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but it's just my opinion. I would be very cautious of heat/fire no matter what route you go with. Spend the money on a good controller to keep your temps right, and check the tape/cord to make sure it never touches itself at any place in the line.

Goodluck!
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Morph Evolutions
www.morphevolutions.com

If you do decide to build them yourself here are a few tips i have used that all work well for us.
Let me start out by saying i have had snakes for over 10 years and for the past 6 have housed them in some home-made racks and some bought racks. I have never once had a fire or any situations arise from any of our racks.
We use Melamin which can be purchased at HomeDepot or Lowes. Get the coated one b.c it is more water resistant. Also roater out a grove for the heat tape to sit in, this way when you slid tubs in and out it will not get stuck and pull. Also we use Gorilla Glue to secure the tape in the groves, it is a very strong glue but it will not melt with the heat. If you are using a thermostat then you shouldnt have to worry about overheating and melting tubs. I personally use helix b.c it has an over ride shut off. They normally run around 120 - 130 ea . They also have the option of a temp drop, which i do not know if the other systems do or not. Make sure in any racks that the probe for the thermostat is secure. We place it directly on the heat tape and nail it in, this way a lose snake or just from sliding in and out cages will not losen it and cause an improper read which can result in cages overheating. Another reason why i like Helix is it pulses instead of a constant heat which is just a personal preference. As far as electric goes, we actually just use lead and a sodering iorn and regular extention cords that are cut to the proper size... Sorry this is so long. I have alot of free time at work ... If you have any other questions i could walk you though send me an email at exoticreps@aol.com. If you decide to buy racks. AP and Reptile Basics are great racks also Herp Enclosures is awesome we have many of there racks as well.
Good luck
N.A.R.C