Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like to build my own rack system. I only have three ball pythons so I don't have to have a very big rack system.

What do I use as a heating element?

People told me heat tape in the paste..but Idon't really know what that is or where to get it.

I also have no clue what to do about lids.. Do you use lids that come on opaqe boxes you can find anywhere?

I basicly have no clue w3hat to do here.
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0.0.1 Burmese Python
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.0 Red Eared Slider
0.1.0 Box Turtle
2.1.0 Love Able muts
0.0.1 Teddy Bear Hamster
3.1.0 Rats
1.1.0 Cockatel

I got "Clearview" tubs from target- they were like 7$ (i bought 20 so 3 would be cheap)

you could use heat tape or flexwatt. Or i think zoo med makes a heat cable.

OR- depending on how you build the rack- you could use the standard undertank heaters- don't stick them to anything though.

you could build a small rack- and put something down like a 1x2 or even those sticky button things that come with the heat pads- just to keep the tub off the heat pad- it will melt the tub.

use a drill and a paddle bit to drill a hole in the back of the rack for the cord to go through- then plug them in and slide a tub in...

i wish i was only building a 3 tub rack...

Beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

Do a goole search for something like "homemade rack system" or "DIY racks". There are a few sites that have step by step blue prints and you can get tubs and heat tape from some of the sponser links like lllreptile or reptiledepot big apple ect. ect. Ill look for the link but i suggest you do it to incase i cant find it. Good luck hope this helps ill be making one soon also.
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B Sleeper

1.0 Chocolate Lab
0.1 ?? Normal Ball python (yet different)
1.0 04 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Albino
1.0 06 Het Pied
1.0 06 Pastel
1.0 07 Pastel

i put my blood pythons into rubbermaids and just stacked them on top and have a heating pad over 1/3 of the top of course plenty of holes and thumb bolts with wing nuts my apartment is kept below 70 all the time and they easily achieve 88 on the hot end and 78 on the cool end, im using the hagen desert heat wave pads i think 10x11 they are 16 watts after they achieve optimum temp my herpstat brings power out put down to 20 % or lower cost me 40$ for three heat pads ,tubs, lids, bolts oh the tubs are 23x17x6
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

You have a heating pad for each container or one for all?
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B Sleeper

1.0 Chocolate Lab
0.1 ?? Normal Ball python (yet different)
1.0 04 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Albino
1.0 06 Het Pied
1.0 06 Pastel
1.0 07 Pastel

one on the top of each and one on the bottom of the bottom conatainer the top pad for the bottom acts like a heating pad for the top cage works great and since they run at less rthan 20% they basically use no elctric less than 10 watts for the three.you have to be careful when restacking the cages so water doesnt get splashed around ive never used tubs before so cheap easy to do doeasnt look bad either. ill be using tubs a lot in the future.
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

pic

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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

I dont mean to sound like im critisizing you im more trying to learn but they hold the correct temps like that? Also what kind of heat pads do you use? Also your pic didnt work.
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B Sleeper

1.0 Chocolate Lab
0.1 ?? Normal Ball python (yet different)
1.0 04 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Albino
1.0 06 Het Pied
1.0 06 Pastel
1.0 07 Pastel

yea they work great 88hot end cool end 78 the pads are exoterra desert heat wave 10"x11" and are 16 watts yea I turn down my heat to 65 at night then they run at like 30% but obviously if they are runnin at 30 % they could warm it up quite a bit i think i could easliy go down to the 8x8 size they ar 13.50 at lllreptile

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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

maybe this time..lol

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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

I haven't been able to build a "real" rack yet, and I stack my cages much like what he is describing. However, I run heat cable between all the cages, and plug the cable into a rheostat. I monitor the cage temps, and adjust the rheostat. It's been doing a pretty awesome job at keeping things heated and doing well - I can see my snakes thermoregulating and moving around as they feel the need to.
I have 5 cages stacked, and I will admit it is a pain to unstack everything when you see that the snake on bottom dropped a big poo.
I'm hoping this summer I'll be able to buy/build a rack. Unfortunately, the cost of a rack is almost exactly equal to the cost of buying all of my textbooks...

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

Or not.
Go to home depot and pick up a storage rack for $50.
Take a hacksaw to the legs to cut them to size and you have a rack.
Worked quite well for me.

You can heat it with heat tape, or cable I suppose. I haven't tried the cable myself.

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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

The shelves you have pictured are actually what I have now and what I house my rats on. Unfortunately, the dimensions of that particular kind of shelf are slightly too small to house my adult snake tubs, and not quite big enough to fit all the babies in, either.

I am also not so handy with a hacksaw.
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire