Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know where the cheapest place would be to buy 28qt boxes? I know walmart is the cheapest so far they run about $6 each.

do you need any particular one, like iris vs. sterlite vs rubbermaid, or just a general 28 quart box?

I'm looking for both sterilite and rubbermaid. That's what i have now and plan on building my first racks with them.

My advice is to find the brand and model you want, and then buy extras, knowing that it will be obsolete in a year or so, replaced by a "new and improved" model that may not have the precise dimensions of the earlier version. I'd say if you can find whatever you like in sufficient quantity at Walmart, but them. You might be able to find something a bit cheaper on ebay, but you must factor in shipping costs and the near-certain probability of having some units arrive with cracked corners and having to be discarded.

Good luck.

Bob

SierraHerps.com

I saw these killer boxes at Office Depot yesterday. The biggest they had was 17 quart, but the neat thing is the lids had snap locks and went down far and tight enough to be escape proof, unlike the lids of the sterlite or rubbermaids. They were pricey, like $13 each for that size, but you could stack them on regular bookshelves or something and not have to worry about designing something with exact tolerances. I think if they would have had a 28 or larger size, i would have gotten a half dozen or so!! I would recommend looking at these for smaller milks, hognosed, or for juvie colubrid boxes if you like the idea of the lightweight plastic box, but hate the idea of making a rack that is escape proof!!

>>I saw these killer boxes at Office Depot yesterday. The biggest they had was 17 quart, but the neat thing is the lids had snap locks and went down far and tight enough to be escape proof, unlike the lids of the sterlite or rubbermaids. They were pricey, like $13 each for that size, but you could stack them on regular bookshelves or something and not have to worry about designing something with exact tolerances. I think if they would have had a 28 or larger size, i would have gotten a half dozen or so!! I would recommend looking at these for smaller milks, hognosed, or for juvie colubrid boxes if you like the idea of the lightweight plastic box, but hate the idea of making a rack that is escape proof!!

That sort of sounds like what I've been using for a while now.. these 30.6 qt tubs. Sounds like they are bigger and cheaper than what you are describing too.

The lids lock like Fort Knox and they are built to stack. They have channels on the top and bottom that fit really snug. You could literally stack these to the ceiling with no worries. The only "prep" work I did was to drill 1/4" holes on both ends.

(The smaller ones pictured on top)

Disclosure - I work for The Container Store but I'm not being paid to endorse anything.
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Josh Loehr

And that's another good point...lids or no lids? Most of us use (and prefer) lidless rack systems, and when you purchase commercial racks with tubs, lids are not usually included. However, one thing to consider is if you will need to move individual tubs to a cool room for brumation (instead of simply turning off heat to a rack and hoping that temps will get down to where you want). If you think that might be a possibility, then you need to carefully examine the 28-quart tubs to see if any are truly escape proof when lids are in place. This is where you want to get opinions from those with experience using different brands. Another option is to move individual animals into smaller (e.g., 17-quart) lidded tubs for winter; in that case, there are some escape-proof options.

Bob
SierraHerps.com

...One place to look right now, although your nearest one may have clearanced them completely, is WalMart. (Sterlite) Look for the ones with red or green tops/lids. They were for Christmas and Holiday and I just some of the 41 qt. under bed type that are the same height as the 28 qt. for 4 bucks ea.! Should be in a "clearance" area.
Cheaper than most 28 qt.
I couldn't care less what color the lids are for that price.
On a related note, I have many many of the old Rubbermaid 28 qt. and have made racks to hold them with lids on...When I bought some Sterlite 27 qt. (again at clearance of $3.ea) I noticed they fit perfectly in the Rubbermaid racks I made, so I can interchange the boxes with no problems.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

dang you gotta great deal!! I'll have to check the clearance section tomorrow. Guess i'm going to walmart for the tubs. I planning for lidless rack. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

I am from the east coast and i get the 28qt. Rubbermaids for under 5 bucks @ HomeDepot & Target