Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There was some interest so I snapped some pictures:

This picture is what the finished product looks like... right now only the top too drawes have leos, but they are gonna be full after tomorrow.

Here are what the air holes look like I made. I just used a soldering iron to melt the holes. Way more effective then drilling and leaves awesome rounded edges... you would think the drawers came this way.

Here is what the wiring looks like in the back. I use the smallest sized heat tape... i guess 3"? You can see its to one side of the enclosure. All the cords connect to a power strip, which is plugged into a thermostat.

This is a view of the setup in each drawer. The heat tape is under the right side... so they have a dry hide there and a humid hide on a cooler side (so it doesnt evaporate as quickly. They've got a water dish... i put in vit/cal supplements when needed... you can see all my supplies in the first pick on top of the rack. I feed crickets so no feed dish.

Any more questions just ask! I can wait to get my patternless albino male and female hets!

Is my browser broken or is there no images?

No i dont think that you browser is broken. I just think that he may have forgotten to post the pictures.

I thought this used html... my bad. Here are the pics:

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#4

I forgot to mention. The 4th pic, inside the drawer shows the TOP drawer. You can see the heat sensor thing in the back right, which is above the heat tape. I have this in the top drawer because heat rises and the top drawer is always the warmest. You just need to monitor the lower drawers to make sure they arent to cold... I actually dont use that room for anything but my reptiles and keeping my clothes so I keep it about 78 degrees year round. I had everything unplugged in the pics cause I have been setting things up for new arrivals and general cleaning... the thermometer in that cage is reading room temp.

Any q's just ask.

I actually had an adult bell albino escape two years ago from this type of setup....
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Yes, I have heard of people having that problem. I think it usually a case of human error... simply pushing the drawer closed doesnt always do the trick and leaves a little gap. I always push the drawer in very tight from both sides and there is no gap at all for them to even wiggle open. Valid concern though and thanks for bringing it up.

No problems with melting the plastic? Or does the thermostat stop this?

How do you set thermostat up?

Where do you buy heat tape?

How much did the rack cost?

No problems with melting the plastic? Or does the thermostat stop this?
Yes this is why the thermostat is so important. It turns off power to the heat tape when it hits a certain temp, and turns it on and off to keep it at that temp.

How do you set thermostat up?
Simple... all the plugs are plugged into a power strip, and the power strip plugs into the thermostat. The thermostat plugs into the wall. You just put the sensor where you want, and set the temp on the thermostat. It will keep the air where the sensor is at that temp by providing power to the heat tape.

Where do you buy heat tape?
I think i bought it at lll reptile.

How much did the rack cost?
What you see is actually two racks stacked... doesnt it look seemless? I think they are $15-$20 each. I got them last year and my memory on it is cloudy.

I was thinking about either doing what you did or building a melamine rack and using the sterilite containers. I was just about set to make the melamine rack when I saw your post. Now I may think twice about it. How big is your heat tape and what lenths did you cut it at? Is there danger that a leo from the unit below can touch the heat tape on the unit above? Thanks.
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-Sal

1.5 Leopard Gecko Colony

Okay, I jumped on the bandwagon of this last year and let me tell you my experience. No disrespect to the person posting this, but I had problems with this setup.
1. they were a pain in the (insert whatever you would like here) to open and shut. The heat tape stuck on the bottom was constantly keeping it from closing conveniently to where you didn't ever want to open it once you got it shut. I guess that I may have been able to toy with them to get them to shut better, but I have absolutely no patience.
2. These containers are not secure. They don't hold the geckos in. They would work for hatchlings, but not for full grown adults.
3. Cleaning- Another pain. You have to take the drawers out sometime to wash then. Having the heat tape attached to the drawers themselves make this more inconvenient.

If you want a rack system it is better to make one out of a book shelf. I found one at my home improvement stort that was absolutely perfect. I have easy access to my drawers. and can pull them out with ease. Makes it easier to feed and clean.
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You can never have just one gecko. Actually it is almost impossible to have two
www.crgeckos.com
marty@crgeckos.com

Oh well, sorry about your experience. I have never had any of those problems. My heat tape in no way interferes with the action of the drawer... it does make it snugger but that is a very good thing in my opinion. No problems opening or closing. Cleaning up for me is simple. I usually just take out the dirty paper towels and replace with new. When stuff gets underneath I just take everything out spray with water and wipe clean. Taking the drawers completely out is as simple as unplugging it from the power strip and sliding it out.

To each their own. These racks are a very convenient, cheap, and effective solution for me. I keep adults in them no problem for a year now.

Good luck with any methods you guys plan on going.

Justin Nolan
Skitals

Hi Justin,

I like your setup! I am working on a similar plastic based rack. It’s a Rubbermaid w/ clear plastic containers.

I’d suggest buying a few 4x4 pieces of slate or tile from your local hardware store. Put one or two tiles on top of the heat tape in each bin, and see if your leos ‘bask’ on them. I’ve found the slate/tile holds in heat well and often see my geckos laying on it at night. I suggest this because otherwise it’s hard to maintain a constant temperate throughout the day using heat tape with plastic enclosures.

Are you hooked up to a thermostat or a rheostat, just wondering?

DaveCable

Here is the original thread on this rack in progress:
forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=323803,323886

Hi, I use this kind of racking system and it works perfectly, the drawers slide in and out very well, and I have never had an adult leopard gecko escape from them. I guess you had a bad experience but it doesn't necessarily need to be that way. I can understand the annoyance that cleaning the drawers must give you if the heat tape is stuck to the drawers themselves, but if you stick the heat tape to the outside frame of the sterlite container them there should not be any problems with taking out the drawers for washing.

Just giving a second opinion (or third I guess) different setups work for different people.

The only thing that I didn't like about this setup is that all the initial wiring of the heat tape, and placing it correctly to allow free movement of the drawers was a beeyatch!
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~Andrea

2.8.1 Leopard geckos
0.0.1 Bearded dragon
0.0.2 Viper geckos
0.1.0 Rescued anole
2 dogs
hamsters

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