Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm getting a pair rainbow boas (that'll make 3, plus my python and my leos) and am thinking it's about time for me to graduate to a rack system. Haha it's a rite of passage of sorts.

Anyways I figured it would be cheaper to build it rather than buy something, but I also would like it to be usable for baby boas once they arrive in a year or two. Are there any plastics companies that make some containers all exactly the same height but different sizes? That would come in pretty handy.

Also, what's the best material for this? I'd prefer it to be movable since I might move next year and I'm thinking now that melamine could be too heavy.
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Danne
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1.0 '07 BRB "Monroe"
1.0 '08 Pastel BP "Sebastian"
1.1 Leos "Bowser & Peach"
0.3 cats "Beast, Smokey & Thelma"
0.2 Dumbo (non-feeder) rats "Josie & Holly"
0.4.2 fish

Email = dshoback@eden.rutgers.edu

>>Are there any plastics companies that make some containers all exactly the same height but different sizes?

Yes, Sterilite 1752, 1754 are the same size in height but are out of production.

I no of no others, I only use one home made rack. All the others were replaced with commercial products. My current home made rack is designed for the tubs above. My other racks were designed for one tub or another, not a mix.

>>Also, what's the best material for this?

Melamine coated particle board is heavy but easy to work with and surprisingly cheap.

Plastic is expensive durable and can be just as heavy as melamine coated board.

Medium Density Fiberboard or MDF requires a coating.

Plywood also requires a coating.

With the products available on the market now days, unless you have an absorbent amount of time and the desire to build your own enclosures, it works out cheaper to buy racks. Keep in mind the tolerances required to keep the tub sliding nicely while still trapping the animal.

Cheers
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile
Specializing in Boa Morph's

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
1.0 Ghost
0.1 Possible Super Hypo
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Suriname/Columbian cross
0.1 Anerthrystic

What I have done in the past is just lay down layers of hardboard, posterboard, or whatever to build up a rack level for a shorter box.

I still like melamine for racks. It's cheaper, flatter and more consistent in thickness than any other material other than MDF, which I'm not crazy about.

Like Jeremy said, many plastics are as heavy as melamine, some are even heavier. Another issue is yield. It sounds like you'll be needing some larger boxes and those tend to not work very well with the typical 4x8 sheet goods. The waste with plastic really adds up for one project. The professional companies are either able to justify ordering larger sheets or are able to use the scrap for other products.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

You can purchase ready-made racks with heat for baby boas. These small compact and effective racks are hard to beat for babies compared to home-made racks. Just look on the classifieds.
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Mark

adjustable & breaks down to move. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.