Reptile & Amphibian Forums

for sub-adults1 These are just temporary holding places till they either get sold or they go into a larger tub.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Cool!,......

But how come you have it flipped upside-down?..LOL!

Usually the shelf support ledger's are underneath so they can take a better load. It will work either way though if it is fastened well.

Hey, where did you get the containers?

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I see why, the width of the ledger's don't quite clear the lids unless you ripped them all down. If the 2 x 2's were ripped in half in the beginning, it would have worked the other way. But like you said, if it's temporary, who cares..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Yeah it works good. I use wood screws, for all my jobs so it won't come apart. I don't always plan things perfectly but I'll get it done some how, lol!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Lol, I know right? I had limited wood and I measured it all out and I was just shy of shelf wood. So I got the Ideah to flip it and then it fit better cause the bottoms are thinner than the tops. I got the shoe boxes at Big Lots! 2 bucks each. Not a bad price, I like the locking clips. My only complaint is i wish they were not so tall, but still not bad.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Yeah, those containers ain't bad at all for $2.00 bucks!

I might check some of those out myself!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

They look like the newer Sterilites but I thought those were exclusive to Target. I use them for incubation boxes, they do a good job keeping the flies out.

They are like the ones from Target, just a little cheaper. Big Lots has them as a regular item now. But they don't have the smaller ones. Those are only at Traget. They are perfect for hatchlings but they cost a little over two dollars. I have a bunch of those smaller ones too, and over 100 of the ones like I posted in the first picture. Every payday I would go and spend 10 nor 20 bucks untill I had a lot stocked up. They disontinue so many of the good ones very often so I wanted to stock up, lol!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

LOL! I know what your talking about - I do the same thing! Every payday I order a case of boxes from Walmart.com. (Walmart.com is cheaper than buying in store, and has free shipping from "Site to Store".

I found a Sterilite 2.7 qt "latch box" that is really nice. It's basically a standard shoebox width and length, but less than 3" high! So not only is it perfect for hatchling-yearling kings and hogs, but there's no wasted height space. I recently finished a melamine rack that holds 90 of these shoeboxes! 15 rows high, 6 across. The rack is only about 5 1/2' tall x 4 1/2' wide.

Additionally, Sterilite makes (the next size up) "sweater size" latch box that is the same height as the shoe box. Its width is exactly the same length as the shoebox's, so they'll slide in sideways perfectly, as you can see in the photo (in the lower level of the rack).

Yeah, I have some of those very same locking containers too. They do work great for hatchlings for sure!

I take a piece of course grit sand paper and rough up the inside of them just enough to keep the substrate and tiny water bowls from being able to slide around on the slick plastic surface as the snakes push and crawl around, and this makes them even that much better in my opinion.

Those slick plastic surfaces are pretty much like lubricated glass, so the slightly rougher surface with the sand paper works out perfectly keeping things in place much better!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I really like those boxes but they are a bit expensive in the store. I use the large ones for incubating eggs! How much do the smaller ones cost by the case from the web site? Also, how do you attach the Melamime shelves to the sides?
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Well yeah you're right, they are a little pricey, especially when you're trying to slowly buy about a 100 of them to have enough, with a few spares to fill a 90 unit rack! LOL!!! Oh well, the "things we do" to get it done.

In the stores I've seen them for around $3.00 ea. I buy them online, by the case or two at a time (6 per case) for $15 per case. The price actuallu just went up recently from $13 per case WTF!!! I don't know. So less of a savings than before, but nevertheless still a savings, that when added up to 100 individual boxes, will make a difference. But not much of one unless you're buying a lot.

Now as far as fitting the shelves to the sides...I dato'd (notched) the sides about 1/4", so the shelves actually slide tightly into the sides, with a litle bit of carpenter's glue and clamps till dry. You could also shoot some small nails through the sides, into the shelves, for additional reinforcement. By "datoing" the sides, it keeps the weight of the shelves off of the glue and nails...works GRRRRRRRREAT.

Thanks for the info. You did a great job! They look really good. I don't know if I have the capability to notch the sides like that. That's why I work with wood. Melamime is also very heavy you are right, but it looks very professionally done!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Thanks. You know the saying: "The pic don't do it justice", well, these pics DO it a lot of justice! HAHAHAHAHA!!!! What the pics don't show are the many little burn marks all over the front of the melamine tape, caused by the iron, while applying it. Oh well. It does the job.

Anyway, if you can use a router, you can dato the sides. It is just very time consuming though. So allow a solid weekend for everything...and then about 4-5 months....to buy all of those dang boxes, 1-2 cases at a time, every 2 weeks or so. LOL!!!!!!!!!

BTW, you cannot tell the sides have been "dato'd" because I finished off the rack's front with the "iron-on" melamine finishing tape. It's a pain to put on but once you're done, you'll be glad you did it cuz it looks "finished" and hides the some of the "work" that went into it.

And believe it or not, there are 4" casters under that "skirted" dolly. You GOTTA have good, and BIG casters for melamine racks in a carpeted room. My only complaint is how heavy the thing is. It's actually 2 levels. The bottom level is 8 rows, and the top level is 7. I had to split up the weight for possibility of that future move.

And last but not least, 3 inch flex watt, spray adhesive - NOT staples, and foil tape across the rear of each shelf, by using 4" wide, 1/32" notches, cut in the ends of each shelf, alternating sides with each shelf. One Johnson Controls therostat, and everything seems to be working good.

Melamine tends to sag some on long spans as you might already know, so depending on how it does over a bit of time, you might want to slpin in some light fitting slot pices to keep the shelves absolutely straight. But the boxes themselves also act as shelf supports for each other, and unless some of the shelves are left empty, you will probably be just fine. Yes, melamine is heavy as all HECK!!..LOL!

Oh, BTW, the term is "DADO", not dato" just for the record.

anyway, nice job!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

geeez, sorry for the ridiculous misspellings there!..LOL!

Hate when that happens!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks for the spelling correction. LOL!!! Anyway, you're right. What I did was cut up some 1/4" wide strips of vinyl sided particle board, to the depth and height of the shelves, and then slipped them into each shelf, down the center of the unit, bracing each shelf.

So far so good. I guess time will tell.

you did the right thing by slipping in some precisely-fitted center partitions down the middle!

That will make things much better for sure!

I need to make some racks one of these days myself..LOL!

Just don't want the townhome landlord walking by and going..."hey Doug!, whatcha building??"..LOL!

I was lucky enough with building a big boa constrictor cage a while back, and when he asked, I said .."yeah, I am building a cage for a friend of mine that has big pet rabbits..LOL! He even asked me if I wanted to borrow his table saw!..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Those are the boxes I use, too.....but of course, I don't have nearly that many snakes!
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1.2 Peruvian rainbow boas (Amaru, Asiru, Kulipsa)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Chakar, Hari, Saksak)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.4.4 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

>>for sub-adults1 These are just temporary holding places till they either get sold or they go into a larger tub.

Looks good, but why not lidless??
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

I don't like lidless for smaller snakes. They have ti fit perfectly and they would have had to go sideways which means I would only get maybe 2 tubs on each shelf.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>I don't like lidless for smaller snakes. They have ti fit perfectly and they would have had to go sideways which means I would only get maybe 2 tubs on each shelf.
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>>King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
>> J Sierra

OIC.....

But with allthread and Melamine shelves they always fit perfectly.....Because it is adjustable for any sized tub..........Just a suggestion.....

I understand the space issue.....
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

That is the 1st thing I noticed - read your reason after. Too funny. (I'm laughing with you, 'cause I've measured twice, cut once and was still wrong..)

Are you heating those shelves? Are they plywood or solid pine? Hard to tell from here.
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Mark

Yeah I'm definately not a Jouneyman Carpenter, lol. But it works pretty good. I'm not heating them as of yet, and it is solid pine. The wood was left over from some shelves I built in the stotage shed, so I had to work with what I had. I cut each plank exactly in half and made it fit.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Solid pine can warp when heated - depends alot on the dry-ness of the wood and the ambient room temps. Probably OK to heat gently in that setup, since the wood is not new and the boxes have lids so minor warpage if it did occur will not hurt anything.
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Mark

Yeah, being a carpenter all my adult life, I can tell you that you loose an 1/8th of an inch on every cut..LOL!

You can also use one of the plastic tub with a thin washer of coin taped on every corner as a "template", and just keep putting it on every shelf you screw down, then simply pull the box out and lay it on the next shelf above to properly space the next one up....and so on. This leaves no measuring ot guess-work as to the exact uniform spacing, providing that there are no bowed or slightly warped shelves. And it there are, just gently press them dom until snug, the screw the side in to keep it perfectly uniform.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

.
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

That's cheating, lol! Actually I tried that once and I still screwed it up.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

LOL!!, truth be known, pros are ALWAYS using templates of some sort to consistently lay-out super accurate, very repetative things like that. Little blocks of wood work well placed in all corners once they are tweaked to the exact desired height, but the tubs themselves have to be exactly the same too, or things will screw up just the same..LOL!

The most important thing to remember is....you MUST alway start things off nice and square with perfect 90 degree cuts and angles, then when you base everything off of THAT first one, there cannot be any error with the repeating process.

Of course most people off the street do not have the right tools to do certain things either, or even know how to use them properly, like framing/speed squares, miter saws, table saws, countersink bits, nail guns and compressors to tack things perfectly in place with zero movement, THEN screw in, use "pilot" holes first before screwing, and so on.... You can do some of these things with other tools too, but you need to have good strait edges to make perfect, flawless cuts with a circular saw and know when things have to be right on the money, and where it isn't quite as important.

All this combined is what makes perfect professional results.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Yeah, that's what I was thinking!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Doug, you obviously need to come to my place and build a whole lotta stuff for me. My idea of high tech is cutting 2 x 4s with a sawzall instead of a hand saw!
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1.2 Peruvian rainbow boas (Amaru, Asiru, Kulipsa)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Chakar, Hari, Saksak)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.4.4 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

I hear ya!..HAHA!

Many people have talked me into building things for them in the past. When I used to do it all day long every single day, the very LAST thing you want to do is build something nice for youself on your free days..LOL!

Like the shoe cobbler's kids going around bare foot!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Yeah man, I hate driving! When I get a day off I don't want to leave the house, lol.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

EXACTLY!!

Days off were usually very precious to me, and the last thing I wanted to do was strap on a tool belt and get working on a project. But every now and then, a guy has to do what a guy has to do..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

By the way it was well worth driving all the way to your house to meet you and see your beautiful snakes! those Brooks and your Hondurans are better in person, then even the pictures.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Thanks alot Jorge, I am glad we were finally able to meet up and BS a little bit as well. Next time it will have to be a little while longer though...LOL!

One day in the cooler late winter, early spring months maybe a road cruise for some serpents.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Jorge, Maybe I'll build one of those. It looks really functional. Here is my ball python 'tower' I completed this weekend. It is really hard to get the shelves perfect so you don't need lids. For me anyway, I kinda just build as I go...

This would work great for adult corns or kings. But this about whooped me the last two weekends. So I need a few weeks break! LOL!

It has grooves cut on the shelves near the back with heat cable sunk in them. I put aluminum tape under and over it. It even has a thermostat! It took a while, but the temps finally got up to 90 degrees.

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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

I will need more soon though....LOL

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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

That's a good Ideah with the allthread! I've seen people use them before. It probably helps to make just the right adjustments for a better fit? Is it wabbly at all? It doesn't look like it would be very stable.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>That's a good Ideah with the allthread! I've seen people use them before. It probably helps to make just the right adjustments for a better fit? Is it wabbly at all? It doesn't look like it would be very stable.
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>>King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
>> J Sierra

That is 5/8" Allthread with a 5/8" tightened nut and washer above and below each shelf.....not wobbly at all.....It is on casters and I roll it around all the time.......

It will hold 4 shoebox tubs or 3 sweater box tubs or one 32 quart tub per shelf....perfectly with adjusting.....
I am thinking of building some more actually......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

I love that idea with the threaded rods. It allows adjustment to height of the shelves. I may go that way with my next 'creation' so I can go lidless.

How is it heated? Did you grove the shelves? I'm wondering how those boards are to work with.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

>>I love that idea with the threaded rods. It allows adjustment to height of the shelves. I may go that way with my next 'creation' so I can go lidless.
>>
>>How is it heated? Did you grove the shelves? I'm wondering how those boards are to work with.

I have cup hooks screwed into the shelves on the back and heat cable is zig zagged through them.........The tubs slide right up against the heat cable......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Oh, yeah. I think I remember seeing pics when you built it.

My rack was a heck of a lot of work and I didn't really plan well for casters. Don't think it'll take them.

Yours looks very simple and quick to build.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

>>Oh, yeah. I think I remember seeing pics when you built it.
>>
>>My rack was a heck of a lot of work and I didn't really plan well for casters. Don't think it'll take them.
>>
>>Yours looks very simple and quick to build.

The only thing time consuming is threading the nuts down the length of the all thread......But in about 3 hours one can be built with ten shelves........
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

HAHAHA!!! BRILLIANT, Yet so simple. I love it. My not-so brilliant (yet simple) solution, for those ever so slight, non precision, imperfections was to buy some 16th inch, white vinyl sheets and cut them to shelf-size dimensions. I then slide them in, beneath the boxes where they closed the gaps enough to prevent escapes. My hogs are never a problem, JUST THOSE PESKY KINGS!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!

Yeah they have to be pretty exact for lidless racks! Not so much for adult snakes but definately for hatchlings. I've seen so many people loose snakes because there was a little too much space and the baby snakes squeezed out. Those look good though. I think I have some of those tubs. They are a good size for Corns and sm -med kings. Here are some older ones I have. I basically use a Utility room for my snakes and so I take advantage of every inch in that room, lol. But I am planning to get something bigger maybe an outside shed or Trailer.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Wow, you've really got them packed in there! How do the snakes like being in the same room with the rodents?
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

Not sure but they alway seem hungry, lol! My wife's not too happy about the mice in the house though. I had to seal the door all the way around and I clean the mice every week to keep it smelling fresh.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>Yeah they have to be pretty exact for lidless racks! Not so much for adult snakes but definately for hatchlings. I've seen so many people loose snakes because there was a little too much space and the baby snakes squeezed out. Those look good though. I think I have some of those tubs. They are a good size for Corns and sm -med kings. Here are some older ones I have. I basically use a Utility room for my snakes and so I take advantage of every inch in that room, lol. But I am planning to get something bigger maybe an outside shed or Trailer.

I have a friend who does the babies with a shoebox rack and snugs them in with a shim...the ones you buy by the 100s and are maybe 7inches or so. Then he writes basics on the shim of sex, age, hets and eating. Uses that for babies prior to sale.

I have a tower too....a friend built and then when he moved herps down to the cellar found it was too tall for his old basement. It is SNUG, as it was his prototype. So I always slosh water and fight with the snakes heads when eeeking the tubs in and out.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Yeah I find the boxes with lids so much easier to work with and I have never had one escape!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>Yeah I find the boxes with lids so much easier to work with and I have never had one escape!

Lids are a PAIN to work with....You have to pull the entire box off the shelf, find a spot to set it on, open it up, clean and feed, then put the lid back on, make sure it is secure then place it back on the shelf.......

When you have 130 snakes that could take a long time to do....

With lidless racks you slide them open, clean and feed and slide them back....Easy as pie......

BTW...I have never had a snake escape from a lidless rack system.....Now I better knock on some wood......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Yeah I agree! I've gotten good at working quickly with the small shoe boxes but for the larger sweater boxes it is a pain. I have some extra large tubs that I will be making some lidless racks for.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra