I know this is kind of off-topic -- considering most you aren't going to house your BPs in something this big -- but this is where most of my friends are, since I mostly keep BPs, and also where I'm conviced you can get the best feedback on Kingsnake, LoL. So I thought I'd share!
So, here goes!... We've done it again!!! (Actually my just my Dad did, with Frank's help. I just drew it up with some measurements and gave him the idea... an early Christmas present I guess, LoL ) My Dad's pretty crafty, not to mention he's got all the equipment, tools and saws at his house to pull it off! This rack has the same materials and a similar concept as the last arboreal rack we built (if anyone remembers that post). However this is a 90 QUART rack so its HUGE, and REALLY freaking HEAVY.
One Column, Four Rows.
The tubs are the Sterilite model 1865. They each hold 90 quarts or 22.5 gallons, and has an extremely similar footprint as a 20 gallon-long aquarium. However, these tubs are ONLY sold at select WalMarts (usually only Super WalMarts), and they typically don't advertise them on their website. The best way to find them is to call you nearest Super WalMart and request to speak with the "Housewares" Manager, and tell him what you are looking for. Usually, they'll look to see if they are on the shelves, or atleast tell you how often they get shipments of them in, so you don't waste a trip.
The walls, as before, are made out of coated Melamine from Home Depot. And of course, this stuff is still ridiculously heavy. To minimize even a little on any added weight of Melamine (cuz at this rate, every square foot matters), the sides of the rack only cover 3/4 of the tub. This I feel, allows a place for light and to look around, and also gives them a sort-of natural built-in hide spot towards the back (this does nto make the hide-box unneccessary, however). Due to the lack of side support on the front, we added wooden dowls at each front corner to support the weight all the way up.
And of course we added trim that we painted black, as before, to get rid of the rugged cut-edges Melamine tends to have. Each tubs also has footie-pads for easy sliding. The bottom has five 90 lb support wheels -- one in each corner and one in the center to prevent any sagging that could occur in the long run (Many of you know this is often the result of Melamine, but with planning and prevention, it seems to hold up just fine. My last rack is still going strong!).
The back is not made out of Melamine, and really can be made out of anything cheap that holds in a little bit of heat. The less the Melamine weight, the better. The rack itself is heated with 11 inch heat-tape down the back center, which is controlled by a Helix DBS-1000, which all my racks are heated by.
This rack is intended for some of my large, but not too large snakes. It currently holding a 3 year-old, very-small-for-his-age male burmese python (he has a heart condition which has stunted his growth), an adult male redtail boa, and a 3000 gram normal female ball python (with one empty space). Don't worry, they've all been in my collection for a very long time and have all passed quarantine with flying colors
PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AND PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!!! I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT EVERYONE THINKS ABOUT IT!!!
ALL COMMENTS WELCOME!!! THANKS!!!
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)
