Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I'm finally at a point in my life where I can once again amass the snake collection I had in high school The only problem is that I'm short on space. Currently I have a corn snake (he measures in at a little over 6'), a pair of black racers (measuring at the moment at about 2'), and a ball python (she's still small like 18" or so). The racers are pretty active and really need to get into bigger cages. I was gonna get some 40 gal breeder tanks from one of the pet stores, but don't really have a place to put them in my "snake" room. So I've decided to built some racks to house them and future aquisitions. I've found great plans for several differently configured racks and everything, I'm just having a hard time determinging what type/size tubs would be appropriate.

I've hit the local stores and looked at the different Steralite and Rubbermaid tubs. I've also checked out some Iris tubs online. I really like the Iris tubs best cause from what I can tell they're really clear so I'd be able to see my animals better, but the Rubbermaids and Steralites are easier to get. My biggest hang up is in the size of the tubs. What would be an adequate sized tub for my 6' corn snake? And the others?

Thanks,
Dan

I have used a few Iris tubs and have liked all of them. Right now I'm only using the CB-80 and it's a nice large tub but maybe a bit tall at 12" for your needs.

Also, in the past I have been very impressed with the selection and service I have received from ReptileTubs.com. Unfortunately for them the Iris tubs I ordered have held up so well I have not had to make an order in years. I assume they are still as good of a company as they used to be.

Now, regarding how clear a tub is, I do want to point out that in theory just about any tub with flat ends can have an acrylic window installed to add or improve viewing. So don't necessarily limit yourself to just Iris tubs. If you find a solid colored tub you like you can always add viewing.

A lot of people keep cornsnakes in typical sweater boxes at 23" x 16" but I can't support this. And having kept racers in racks I would certainly want to provide something bigger than this.

Looking at the Reptile Tubs website, there are a few tubs in the CB/CF catergory that are larger than the typical sweater box.

One that stands out to me is the CF-750 at 28.75" x 17.75" x 9.5" -- I assume those are the measurments with lids so assume the box is more like 8.5" tall.

It is not as big as the other large boxes (CB-70, CB-75, CB-110) but it is taller and that really helps if you're trying to set up a rack with viewing area. I have found that when trying to build a display rack 9" is a good compromise between viewing area and space savings.

What I also like about this box is that the dimensions will allow a better yield for shelves when building a rack from the typicl 4' x 8' sheet material.

The CF-750 would yield eight shelves from a full sheet while all of the others would yield only four or five.

I believe this box has the exactly floor area as the CB-80 I use, which is about 27" x 14".

That's another thing to consider about boxes -- the thick rim around the top and the sloping sides means that the actual floor area is nowhere near what is listed.

If you're willing to spend a bit more money and give up a bit of size then the clear Polycarbonate tubs from Cambro make excellent display racks. On paper thise boxes look large but unfortunately they have a very thick rim which makes the floor space not much bigger than any old "ordinary" box.

But the display racks I have seen built around these boxes are very nice. I had some pictures saved on my old computer but don't have access to them right now.
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Currently keeping:

5.8 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Two points about my post.

First, if I were to add viewing to a tub I would pay extra for polycarbonate (lexan) instead of acrylic (plexiglas).

Second, the floor area of the CB-80 box I use is approximately 27" x 14". The way I wrote it below it came across as the box itself was that size.

As you can see the floor area of the CB-80 gives up about 4" of length AND width to the listed dimensions of the outside of the tub. It's worse with a taller box but this still gives you an idea of how floor area can compare to actual dimensions.

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Currently keeping:

5.8 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback