Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If you had the opportunity to build the perfect reptile breeding facility to breed colubrids, boas and pythons, and assorted lizards how would you set it up?
How would you heat and cool and ventilate? (I live in Virginia humid summers and fairly mild dry winters)
how would you configure the space? Various room uses...
"Must have" types of equipment?
type of building construction? block, steel, concrete etc...
Types of caging systems?
any special kinds of construction details needed for the building?
would you include space to breed feeder animals and insects?

I am looking for the big wish list here. Pretend that there is enough money in the budget to build what you want...I would be interested in hearing from some of you who have built or created spaces to breed your animals on lessons learned and things you might do or have done differently.

I hope to breakground on a building for my ever growing collection within the next few years.
John

Mine are housed in a bedroom of my house but if I had a facility, a few things I'd want:

Seperate rooms for seperate climate needs.

Rooms would be relatively narrow and long. ie if your caging is 2' x 4' footprint, then the room could be 8' wide and 20' long.

POWER - outlets everywhere!!!! High on wall and/or ceiling and every four feet IMO would be better for cage and rack stacks.

Everything on wheels!

Seperate heat/AC for each "zone", could be a few rooms grouped on one system.

Sinks, maybe one per room?

Toilet(s) - Duh, would need a bathroom but maybe an extra tiolet for disposing of large loads in the large snake room(s)?

Office?

Phones?

Lighting - I like my lighting to be warmer more natural spectrum lighting. Does so much better at showing off the natural coloring.

Photography studio? Gotta get them pics for the website/sale ads!

Feeders - I do breed my own and keep them seperate. Could be a room or a seperate building.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

100% agree with Dave!
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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

Make the rooms escape proof, NO holes or access to walls and tight fitting doors especially at the bottom. Then if (when) something gets out, it does not leave the room it's cage is in.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Ooooooooooooh! Good one!

How about built in hoses for misting, cleaning, etc., like hanging from the ceiling.

And supply carts to move from one cleaning to the other, like a mobile clean station with a built in holding cell. All this traveling from cage to counter works the feet alot.

Intrigated vacuum system.

Night lighting option, I work nights 60% of the year sometimes its all I can do is clean at night.

Frige/Freezer in the facility with organized prey food item bins. A counter with cutting board for salads (Look at my animal list).

Maybe an industrial dish washer for tubs!

I'll sleep on it.

Good List Keep it going!
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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

all great ideas. I think the vacuum is a great idea. I was thinking about record keeping also. It would be nice to have a database with a barcode reader and a portable data recorder to carry with me as I checked each cage of fed each animal to record the various info with out have to write it down on paper and then after we get finished go sit at the computer and log in all the data for each snake. This would also be nice to be able to track a snake throughout its life.

I am thinking about a building 40' wide 100' long. I would want a front area to be a display type area/ office.
a work space for making or repairing cages/ preparing and shipping reptiles/ 2 quaretine rooms/ room for incubators

I like the idea of commercial dishwasher for cleaning tubs and other smaller stuff like waterbowls etc... this would also be great for sanitizing everything. I think that a room with a floor drain and a hanging sprayer for washing those large boa cages.

radiant floor heat with a different zone for each room. I currently loose a lot of space because the fllor of my rooms are too cool and it is difficult to regulate the cage temps with those above the floor. radiant floor heating would give me use of the fllor to actually set cages on without worry of it being to cold.

Rodent room with lab quality ventilated rodent racks so that all cages get ventilted to the outside of the building. I hate rodents and the smell is horrific. thse racks cost mega bucks but if I could.....I would spend the money.
keep sending ideas. I may start putting these ideas onto the drafting board and see what we come with.

Backup power would be a must.

I would make the sinks "Deep" sinks like utility room sinks, and they would have detachable spray heads.
The floor would have to be easy clean up.
The previously mentioned "Feeder" room would need special ventilation.
Unfortuantely a security system would also need to be installed.

Maybe some of those wireless thermometers that transmit back to a base station.

There are a lot of variables here that would depend on other things as you went along.

Maybe a shipping room?

All cages and racks on wheels so you could reconfigure easily as your priorities change.

That is just a quick brainstorm for now.

Ray

If starting from ground-up construction, I would absolutely use a hydronic radiant heat source in the slab to heat the room.

I would use structural insulated panels (SIPS) for the construction. I would make the building in a way that adds value to your property. Make it tall enough for someone who wants to store a small RV or using it for woodworking. The extra height won't matter much when it comes to heating if you use the radiant floor heat.

Include a header that will allow a huge overhead door to later be installed, although I would frame this area in and insulate it, making sure the wall could be easily removed by a future owner.

Have backup emergency lights. You don't want to have a tiny and valuable hatchling in an open tub when the lights go out.

I would probably use plugmold for much of the electric so you could raise or lower the outlet height as needed. Have some of the outlets on a timer, some fixed.

You'll want clean sinks and dirty sinks, just like zoos. Some for dumping dirty stuff, some for soaking, and some for just getting fresh water.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

When my partner and I were setting up our facility we nailed a few things, and screwed a few things up....

Utlility Sinks - In each room. These are absolutley invaluable. We used the cheap plastic ones, they work. They could be bigger though, some large tubs don't fit well.

We boarded and insulated the windows (from the inside, doesn't look bad from the outside). It is dreary (for me) but warm.

We have access to a large door.

I have hooks everywhere to hold, well everything.

Multiple trash cans (simple but helpful)

Of the things that we haven't accomplished yet (or didn't think about at first...)

Night (red) lighting would be super dope. As is, I am becoming very good at avoiding chondro strikes in the dark. You learn fast...haha....

Hoses with spray heads off of the sinks.

Timers on wall switches for lights.

Tables space. Seriously, there is never enough space to put everything you are working with. The mobile cart idea is pretty cool too.

Multiple rooms (we have 3) help more than you can imagine.

This is just what comes to mind right now.
Good luck....
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Ben Team
Mark Davis
New Paradigm Herpetoculture
Captive Bred Morelia
404-438-2135
chondro776@yahoo.com

Sounds like a cool facility, especially with striking chondros under the red lights. Very snakes on a plane.

I used to work in a few retaurants and we had these giant stainless steel tables, maybe 3-4 wide and 8ft long which were great. Easy to disinfect and always super clean. We even had some with giant double sinks in them. If I ever had a big snake room I would definatlely use them, plus the sinks had hanging water hoses.

Best,
Vinny
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“There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that whilst this planet has gone on cycling according to the fixed laws of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” -C. Darwin, 1859

Natural Selection Reptiles

Check out Jeremy Stone's New facility at boaconstrictor.com awesome setup he's got now.
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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