Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After all the planning and waiting, my friend came over today with his circular saw and drill/screwdriver, and it's up!!

Here's a couple quick pics:

A closer shot with some boxes in it:

And one with a clamp light shining on them:

It still needs the pegboard back and a strip of heat tape, but the lights will work for a couple weeks. But what a relief to finaly have it done, or at least done enough to use
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

>>After all the planning and waiting, my friend came over today with his circular saw and drill/screwdriver, and it's up!!
>>
>>Here's a couple quick pics:
>>
>>A closer shot with some boxes in it:
>>
>>And one with a clamp light shining on them:
>>
>>
>>It still needs the pegboard back and a strip of heat tape, but the lights will work for a couple weeks. But what a relief to finaly have it done, or at least done enough to use
>>-----
>>Dianne
>>AKA IcedGoddess
>>6.7 Cornsnakes
>>1.3 Cats
>>0.1 Child
>> IcedGoddess Creations
>> Castle Serpents
-----

1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

The melamine was great to work with!! It came in 2x6' sheets, so we made the shelves 2x3 and used the 1-1/2 x 6' sheets for the sides. This way I had the deeper shelves and still good air circulation, plus I just liked the look of the shelves sticking out farther. It was really easy to put together (with two people, that stuff is heavy!) and it's extremely sturdy. Now on to the heat tape wiring!!
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

3/4" plywood, and the base is made out of treated 2X4. Its roughly 4.5" tall and can house 12 32qt containers, with room left over!!

I was looking at the same containers you bought, and am figuring up a new plan for a rack using those for my adults. This will be fun. Found some really good stuff at Lowes.
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1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

If you use a lidless rack the covers on these "clever-latch" rubbermaids won't matter, but if you use the lids, there's an escape route above the latch for small (under a year or younger) snakes, so I followed the advice on here and put a bead of silicone (aquarium sealant) in the small gap and now the lids are escape proof. (provided the cats don't figure out how to unlatch the boxes) But the size if perfect! 17x34...more floor space than a 20-long tank, and that's just what I was looking for. They are clear, but not transparent. the view through them isn't as clear as I would have liked, but I think the snakes are actually happy about that.

3/4" plywood probably weighs about the same as 3/4" melamine does(?), but a floor made of 2x4, how many did you use?! WOW, that's gotta be heavy! I'm pretty useless when it comes to moving heavy objects, I'm lucky this rack isn't any heavier, or I couldn't even slide it across the floor. (which is all I can do to it now, and even then I need help LOL)
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

I will build it lidless. It is so much easier that way.

Melamine just looks so much nicer than plain plywood. The floor of mine is plywood, but the frame of the floor is 2X4's and I put heavy duty casters on it so I can just roll mine where I need it to go. That is why I framed up the base with 2X4's, to mount casters on it to move it with ease!!

I have hardwood floors, so sliding a rack system is a no-no here!! LOL

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1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

And who knows, maybe the casters can be mounted right into the Melamine...it's strong stuff. I may end up putting them on this rack in the future, but for now I have it in a room with berber-style carpet, so it slides just fine

The friend who cut my shelves did say to warn anyone who's ganna be cutting it to use a sharp blade, the finished ends will fray with a dull one. (he knows this because he used a dull blade on my shelves lol, but they look great)
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

Your rack looks pretty nice!! LOL (snake rack that is!)

Sorry couldnt help the pun!!

I know what you mean about fraying the ends of the melamine, and Lowes has the stripping that goes over the cut ends to give it a really nice finished look once done.

Another thing about plywood, is that your not going to get a piece that is nice and flat like melamine. It seems that every piece of plywood I looked at in Lowes was a little warped. But that is how plywood is. When used as sheeting or flooring, it is nailed down every 16", so being alittle warped doesnt matter.

-----

1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Cuz I haven't posted mine! haha

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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

Do u have covers for the rack system, cuz they look pretty far apart, and without a cover, isnt it really easy for your corns to escape?

yeah i do use the lids. I had made a small lidless one before, and while it worked great, my cats would grab the lip of the tubs and pull them out just enough for the corns to escape. So I decided to keep the lids on this time. I guess it's almost more of a shelf than a rack, but whatever you call it, it's a nice place for my snakes to hang out
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
6.7 Cornsnakes
1.3 Cats
0.1 Child
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents