Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am considering building a rack system for my juvenile ball pythons and I was wondering what size I should buy(tubs). I was also wondering where to buy some good tubs or will rubbermaid's from walmart be sufficient?

I'm also eyeing tubs for a new rack. I noticed that Wal-Mart has $0.88 Sterilite shoebox size and I think I'll use these to build a hatchling rack. Sometimes the babies do better in small boxes. However, I would expect them to outgrow this size pretty quick.

I'll have to check heights but I don't suppose there is a 12 - 14 quart size (the next size for 6 months or so) that would fit in the same slots. If you can find one the same height or use an insert board to make up the difference under the shorter boxes you might be able to build a rack that could hold say either 5 shoebox size or 3 of the next size up across a shelf and then have a good dual purpose rack. In my case I'll have a bunch of hatchlings but only keep about half or so of them so hope to use one rack with two different sizes of boxes. The boxes are inexpensive compared to the material and labor to build the rack, not to mention the heating tape and thermostat.

What size tubs would be right for an adult BP.

For young adults you can get buy with the 28 quart Rubbarmaid but I'm thinking of building a rack with the much longer (apx. 35" Sterilite 1960 (apparently there is also a 1760 about the same size but I haven't seen it). I've seen the 1960 model at Target. I’m still hoping to find something wider and a little taller. I did see some off brand one at K-Mart that was wider but not much taller.

Since it's quite warm here in Los Angeles (sorry, don't know where the rest of you are at), I went to the local Smart & Final store (they carry catering supplies) and purchased dinner boxes like the ones you would find at take-out places. The largest is 10" x 8" x 3". I just punched some holes in them using a hole puncher and I've got an instant rack! I include 2 8-oz short food containers inside. One to hold water and the second is turned upside down with a hole cut out and used as a hide. Quite surprisingly, it holds heat and with the 'waterbowl' inside, there's instant humidity. One package which costs all of $16 contains 20 dinner boxes and they're made by LumiStar.

If hatchlings can be sold at shows or shipped in deli cups, I don't see why they can't be maintained, even briefly in these dinner boxes. I went a bit further and used 3 x 5 labels so that I can write a description of each (male/female, color & markings) as well as the dates that they've fed and what they ate. This worked for me with last year's batch and it's a nice presentation when you're selling off the hatchlings you don't need for your colony.

I'm also looking at the Sterilite boxes, I just have to find the room and figure out how to heat them in winter. My friend and I built 2 melamine cages of our own from scratch. We took a look at what they had on Showcasecages.com and made our own version for half the price. I'm currently designing a plain cabinet to house my computer and peripherals and then have a double cage on top of that (my monitor, speakers and printer will be above that. Pretty much making most of my furniture into useable furniture/cages. My Ikea bookshelves that were converted into cabinets are next. I'm thinking about using only the bottom halves as cabinet space where the top portions will be turned into cages. I know Sterilite boxes are more practical but I want to be able to see all of my snakes in a 'display' situation. My headboard is currently a 60 gal aquarium housing my Discus and plant collection. If I can find someone who'll take good care of them, I may sell it and make a new headboard with stacked cages just to house my snakes (stacking's the only way to go when you live in a small apartment).
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Paul aka "PuppyChulo"

We are getting ready to release a line of cages so I have been through every box possible looking for the most versatile and practical.
My favorite box is the 32-quart Sterilite. It's perfect for almost all adult species of sand boas, colubrids, and even ball pythons. A large female will need something larger but most adult males and all juveniles work great in them.
As far as hatchlings go, don't do the 4 1/2 quart unit. The babies will outgrow it in a matter of probably 6-8 weeks. Go with the 6-quart box instead. They're $1.29 at any Target store (Target is the gettin' place, they stock a ton of both Rubbermaid and Sterilie).
As far as boxes in general go, Rubbermaids are a bit more sturdy but they have a lot of nooks and crannies that make cleaning a nightmare. I've standardized on the Sterilite 6-quart box, the Sterilite 15-quart box, and the Sterilite 32-quart box. All have minimal crevices and all have just one single groove all the way around which makes cleaning easy.
Hope this helps,
Jason @ Jason's Jungle
www.jasons-jungle.com

I love this idea but how do you keep it heated? Now that summer's here, I'm more worried about cooling my snakes but come winter, how do you keep it warm?
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Paul aka "PuppyChulo"

Racks are generally heated with either 3" heat tape under the back end of the tubs or 11" heat tape strait down the back behind the tubs. Check some of the suppliers on KingSnake or do a search on "snake heat tape" or just go to www.beanfarm.com (I think, couldn't find it without turning cookies on) or http://www.bigappleherp.com

You will probably want a thermostat and/or a rheostat to control the temperature.