Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's been a bit of time since you finished your rack for the Iris ve 175 tubs. Are there any design mods you would make? I am torn between your idea and the shower stall thing down the page. I am going to build at least one good cage just to post a pic for Chris and the Hillbilly. Will those tubs hold an adult BCI or are they for the hogs? I have hogs and nics but Ialso have BCI and will have more in the near future but I am limmited on space (not realy I gave half the garage to the wife I could kick her out but then I wouldn't get any neat crafts). How did you end up heating them and finaly, if I went lid less with them how much space do I lose? Thanks, Blue

Hey!

It's been a hectic few weeks (aside from the holiday, found out that my baby niece will need brain surgery coming up this month...

The rack is finished and now has the large cage sitting on top of it (which helps keep in heat).

While I was getting ready to move the large cage into the room (found out it wouldn't fit through the wee tiny doorway so we had to modify the cage before we could get it in), I put my two surinams into the rack (one in each tub). Bear in mind that this rack was not built with keeping a heavy female adult surinam in it, I pretty much had to do this temporarily until we figured out how to modify her cage. What I noticed was that with the large (8.5') heavy female in the top tub, with the drawer pulled all the way out, the front of the drawer dipped or sagged down a few inches. The female is extremely heavy (I can barely lift her on my own). The drawer slides didn't break, it just tipped downward when fully extended. Even partially pushed in, it levelled out just fine (nothing bent).

The female is now back in her wooden cage, which is sitting on top of the rack.

With the male surinam in the bottom drawer, with it pulled completely out, it doesn't do anything. He's 7.5' long and much lighter-bodied. So this design would seem to be great for adult males that aren't obese or overly large, juvenile females or smaller varieties like hog islands and nicaraguans.

So, if you were to make a drawer-rack like this, don't plan on keeping large BCI/BCC females in it (though, again, I never planned to use it that way, it will house adult males only). Well, you could, but you might want to make a prop or leg of some kind to help hold the outer edge of the drawer up when it's completely opened. That, or use more heavy duty drawer slides than I did (mine were rated for 75lbs, they make them rated for 100lbs and 150lbs). I saw on another site someone used drawer slides meant for tool chests which telescoped instead of just overlapped, and they looked like they'd work great, though I don't know how much they cost.

Other modifications I did.....

I put flexwatt on the bottom of each tub and put Reflectix underneath (to reflect heat upward into the tub). This is duct-taped into place. The upper drawer has a thermostat probe resting between the flexwatt and the tub. After monitoring that for a day, before the snakes went in them, I wasn't happy with the temperatures, so I went ahead and took the rest of the flexwatt and closed off the open space on either side of the rack, and on the back of the rack. That worked well and the tubs got up to temp (each tub has 2 feet of 11" flexwatt).

I also stapled an old curtain on the top rail of the rack, so that it would hang down over the front of 1/2 of each tub to provide a little more privacy since neither tub has a hide.

I will take photos tonight, sorry for the long delay, life interrupts.... heh.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.1 Hog Island Boas, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

Sorry, mistake, when I'm talking about "putting the rest of the flexwatt" around the rack, I meant the "rest of the Reflectix". Heh heh, that would be a lot of flexwatt.... oh boy, I need coffee.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.1 Hog Island Boas, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

Awsome! So I can build both! I was thinking of going with industrial strength drawer slides with the ball berrings. I mean if it's going to be for the guys it should have some manly stuff on it. Plus, it "shouldn't" bow out on the top. I am thinking of going lid-less on it. What do you think of that? I saw your still had lids, but every thing I have is lid-less for speed feeding, watering and cleaning. Thanks again, Blue

Yeah, I would definitely go with the stronger slides if I had to make another one. I already had lids with my tubs and since they cost extra, I wanted to use them, but it shouldn't be hard to attach a "ceiling" above the drawer slides that stays in the rack when the drawer is pulled out.

Please post pics when you start/finish building!
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.1 Hog Island Boas, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

LOL, I can just imagine a large female Surinam in a rack. I myself have one nearing 9'and 30 pds, I would never dream of putting her in a rack.

I do realize this was temporary, must have been a sight none the less.
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.10 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.2 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

It was funny. She actually curled up quite nicely, but that night proceeded to dump her water dish everywhere. Fortunately her cage was ready for her to go into the next day.... heh heh.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.1 Hog Island Boas, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python