Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I plan on making some sort of snake rack. I'm in the very beggining of all my brain stormings. Just wanted to hear from everyone else out there what I should definately keep in mind when building and what to intergrade into my setup. I've been looking at the photo gallery for ideas, but if you don't mind posting yours on here, that'd be great. Thanks a lot.

check out my design...it may be helpful

http://northeastsnakes.com/reptileroom.htm

I have a DIY section but I have to fix the photo gallery portion of it. The FAQ section is up but I'm still having some trouble with the photos.lol

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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

Here’s some pictures especially for carl3- seeing your website was funny- our mouse cages and racks are so similar! I just took these this morning and then I saw your post here, and it was like, didn’t I take some that looked like that today? I like your idea about the sign making stuff for shelves- you swear it doesn’t warp eh? I might have to try it myself.

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Simple roll-around rack with sweaterbox size. I use 3/8 smooth plywood for the shelves, paint the cut edges so they don’t swell up and ruin the fit. I do put a strip above and below the shelf to help keep it from warping and pegboard on three sides so it can’t tilt or wobble even if empty. It is pretty solid. I use a piece of “doorskin” for a spacer when assembling the next shelf, the fit is not so snug that the plastic is scraped every time it slides in and out. Well maybe a little...

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Rack details- I don’t get lidless systems, You have to periodically scrub the “ceilings” of each shelf? Maybe it is easy to pull the cage half way out to clean a poop or something? This system with lids is virtually escape proof, and in my case, very important...idiot proof!

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El Cheapo .99 cent shoebox mouse cage. I just bend the edge for a lid, “sew” a hopper with wire, use two wire “straps” to hold the lid down. Total cost with critter sipper is probably about $4.50. I use these for one or two mommas to have litters in, or several real young that grow here until getting fed off (males) or become breeders (females).

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Another view of a momma’s house. Takes about a half hour to make one of these. This one has a strip of ¼” mesh around the top edge about four squares wide so they can’t chew the edge. I don’t bother with this anymore, I would just replace the .99 cent tub every now and then.

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Bigger shoebox for one male and three females just for breeding. These females get put into individual shoebox cages when they look prego or after a week, or as I rotate another batch of females. Lucky guy...

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Close up of my wire feed hopper. There is a strip of larger mesh at the bottom of the “v” so mice don’t chew through the mesh to get food. Works like a real food hopper should. Simple mesh and sewn together with small gage wire I bought at RagShop for under $2.00

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Male and three females. I use a layer of kitty litter, whatever brand comes in the plastic jugs, then some aspen. I flavor the water with vanilla because I heard it helps the smell? I really don’t have much odor from them at all unless I have a dead one over the weekend and I haven’t checked on them- it happens.

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I am planning to build a breeder rack. It will be unique in that there will be two sweater boxes per shelf, with lids. There will be a matching hole in the lid and floor so the two are really one cage with upper and lower areas. Nothing connected permanently except they nest together into the rack space. You have to slide both out together, then you can get to the top part or lower part like two separate sweater boxes. Except the top one has a hole in the floor, and the bottom one has a matching hole in the lid.
Anybody have such a thing with sweater boxes?

No warping on the 32 qt racks but the 16 qt racks there is a little b/c they were my first and I had a learning curve. And as far as lids...I simply pull the container half way out and scoop out the poop. I LOVE IT...I cleaned like 70 snakes in a matter of 30-40 minutes...WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, for my mice, I use containers from Bed, Bath & Beyond...they are a little bit more expensive...6.99 per Iris container...but completely smooth inside so zero chewing PLUS they have snap on handled lids. Super secure. I've been using them since August and increased my mouse breeding colony A LOT! I'll attach another pic of my mice.
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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

Jason, now I know how I want to build my rack. Not only that I know how to do it as well, the step by step photos on your website are great. Thanks. Kevin

I built this rack and i am about to build another as soon as i have a free day... But this time i am going to go lidless on my new rack. I have a lidless hatchling/yearling rack and it is just much easier to maitain..

As for heating i have one 11" heat pad under each box wired independently.. But, on my new rack i am going to use one long strip for the whole rack...

~ Mike

Thanks a lot for the pictures. Definately gonna save myself the trouble and go straight to having a lidless rack system. I see you have found yours to be escape artists judging by those clips. The thing I'm thinking about now is the heating. I have so far only used undertank heating pads. This seems like a very poor way to supply heat to each individual container, so I'm thinking a heat chord. No idea how those work, though. What would I need to do to have this for my rack. I'm wondering also if it just goes across one end or if you lay it under the box or what. Thanks for your help.

heres a link to the rack i built:

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/iris_rack/iris_rack.shtml

and a link to where you can get the tubs:

http://reptiletubs.com/
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jake

my addiction:
0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
1.0 albino cal king (zeus)
0.0.1 wc garter (zim)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven