Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking for a hatchling rack container smaller and less expensive than a shoebox in size. Space is at a premium for my new hatchling room. A container in the 3" to 4" x 6"to 8" in size would be ideal. I have been thinking about dividers in a common shoebox. Any suggestions?

I have used some of the containers for food, Gladware. You can also find small containers at the 99 cent store or Dollar Tree. A friend built a small rack that uses the 6 inch round containers that are commonly used for show display or shipping. The only problem I see with these smaller containers is that they seem short lived, temporary. The 6 quart shoe box is good for hatchlings and a grow out period of up to a year with some species. These smaller containers are only good for a few months. Besides working with Balls I also keep western hognose, corns, and red milks.
If you find a better box at one of the $1 stores I would recommend that you stock up. The product may not be available when you return looking for extras. I try to keep at least 2 full sets, 3 when possible.
Best of luck
John Q

There are some polycarbonate food storage containers that are smaller than the typical shoe boxes. More expensive but they are very durable and should last a long time.
-----
Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Good suggestion on the polycarb containers. I'll have to price it out to see if it is worth it over the long haul. Gladware is cheap, but to flexible and short lived for slideing in and out constantly. I've looked a styrene display cses, but they are not cheap.

The polycarbonate boxes sold in the food storage section at large grocery stores are great because the tolerances are tight, meaning they are the same height every time. And they are very tough.

One thing, and the effect will depend on the rack material, is that polycarbonate is not a good thermal mass. It tends to be warm right over the heater and then room temp (this means cold if the room is cold) just a millimeter away. That may be fine in any case. To remedy that a little, a simple piece of cheap bathroom tile on the bottom of the box under the substrate works fairly well.
-----
Mark

I posted this in health and breeding and so far have less than overwhelming feedback. I'm not sure if this is a container problem or not but I will look critically at gladware from now on.

Greetings;

For the past 3 years I have been starting my hatchling rat, king and milk snakes out in the small, square Gladware sandwich containers with paper towel substrate and a small portion cup for water. Each container has 3 1/8" holes in each side for ventilation. I started using these because they were really easy to clean, stacked up nicly and were very secure.

In each season I have noticed that I have had what seems to me to be an inordinate number of deaths amongst the hatchlings where the animal just presents itself as dead with no apparant symptoms or signs of any previous trouble. I have never had this to occur previously with hatchlings which were kept in either shoeboxs or deli cups and eventually I began to wonder if there was something wrong with the boxs themselves which might be causing this problem? Perhaps some sort of out gassing from the plastic? Nothing is apparant upon gross examination of the dead snakes or through a rough and ready counter top autopsy. I have not had any sort of lab work done on any of them although I had considered it a time or two.

I have had mortality in Corns, getula Kingsnakes, Pueblan Milks, Blair's Kings and obsoleta spp kept in these containers. This year after finding 4 Corns dead on the same day I removed all animals from these containers and replaced them in shoeboxs. Since doing this I have had no furthur hatchling deaths in 3 months.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this with animals kept in these containers? If so please let me know or if you have any ideas I would be interested in hearing them.

Thanks!
-----
Peter and Sara
Beouf River Reptiles