I'm trying to design a rack for breeder balls and can't seem to find much on what size of tubs to use. Am I correct in believing a 28 qt. rubbermaid is too small to breed in?
Josh
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What size of tubs should I use?
joshj16
Nov 12, 2003 12:09 PM
Replies (1)
chris_harper2
Nov 12, 2003 12:27 PM
Hi Josh,
I believe the standard 28 qt. rubbermaid is too small except for some smaller than average male ball pythons. I know BP's do well in "tight" enclosures but I would certainly prefer to give them more space.
I'm not a BP expert by any means, though, so take this for what it is worth.
Two boxes I like for BP's are the Sterilite Wreath box (floor area of about 26" x 26"
and the Iris CB-110 (floor area of about 36" x 17". Note that I'm listing floor areas and not actual dimensions. Most floor areas are smaller due to the slope of the sides.
There is another rectangular Sterilite that is popular as well. The dimensions are listed in another more recent thread. It is a bit smaller than the Iris box.
The wreath box has a few disadvantages. First it is big enough that a rack built around them might not fit through many doors (brought up for the first time just today by Chrish). Second, due to it's dimensions and greater height (8" it takes almost twice as much material to build a typical rack for them.
But it is a great box for BP's and worth those downfalls if they're not a big deal to you.
The other sterilite seems to be readily available and durable. It also does not have those annoying "feet" on the bottom which plagues other Sterilite boxes when used in lidless rack systems.
The Iris CB-110 is probably the "perfect" BP box. It's fairly shallow which allows BP's to curl up with their coils touching the above shelf. They seem to like this from what I understand and have experienced. The shallow height also allows 7 boxes to be used in a 48" tall rack (I think this is what my measurments suggested, you should double check).
The shallow height and long dimensions also make your lumber go a lot further.
Lastly, the Iris box is extremely durable and worth the extra trouble and expense of finding it. I believe Reptiletubs.com has them for about $15.
I would worry slightly that the "other" Sterilite will be out of production (Sterilite has an annoying habit of doing that) and not quite as durable as the Iris. But I've not used it in a rack like I have other long boxes (which flexed too much).
