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I'm going to build a rack system using melamine and Sterilite containers. I'll be using heat tape mounted in the back of each shelf, horizontally, not vertically along the back of the rack. My question has to do with air flow and ventilation:

Should I fully enclose the back of the rack by building it out of a solid sheet of something, or leave it more open by installing narrow diagonal supports that provide solid structure and allow maximum front to back air flow?

I'll be keeping rosy boas, which are desert animals and need low humidity. They will seldom have any water in the cage with them, so the only moisture would come from droppings, and the occasional water dish. But if I enclose the back there will be very little airflow. Of course how much airflow is there under ground or deep in a rock pile where these guys usually live?

I could hedge my bets and use peg board on the back which allows some airflow.

The increased airflow will allow heat to escape, which will heat the room, and be inefficient. Any thoughts

what will be your room temps? will they be the same all year? i have a trio of rosy's in my rack.because my temps will fall to 60 degrees or lower i have a closed back and i put 3/4" foam board insulation underneath the bottom opening and the back,i also use belly heat.if your room temp gets below 75 degrees or so i would really think about belly heat,remember heat rises it doesn't naturally go sideways.my rosy's are housed seperately in sweater tubs,i've drilled over 150 holes in each tub.the females are now gravid so i leave water in all the time,instead of the traditional water dish i found (at the dollar store) a piece of 1/2 " thick glass that is 2 inches tall wide and high,i put it in front of the tub and have not noticed any rise in humidity.i believe if you use back heat with a open back you may have a hard time getting the tubs up to correct temps,i guess a lot depends on your room temps.have fun!

::"Should I fully enclose the back of the rack by building it out of a solid sheet of something, or leave it more open by installing narrow diagonal supports that provide solid structure and allow maximum front to back air flow?"

With an open back and heat tape behind the boxes there will be a more significant loss of heating efficiency rather than relative decrease in airflow. But it's not because of heat "rising" necessarily. The heat produced by heat tape is mostly radiant heat which moves similar to light rays. It does not really "rise" like convective heat. For reference, heat travles in three major ways: radiant, convective, and conductive.

But "belly heat" still tends to be more efficient as there is more control of the direction of the radiant heat rays. And there is some convective heat produced and these will rise.

Whether the back is open or not the box will be the limiting factor in air flow. That is unless you drill A LOT of holes that are both high and low on the box. Many of the gases in herp cages are heavier than air and will settle in the bottom of the box. Not a big deal provide they are openended several times per week.

::"Of course how much airflow is there under ground or deep in a rock pile where these guys usually live?"

Quite a bit more as the heavier gases are more likely to escape.

::"I could hedge my bets and use peg board on the back which allows some airflow."

I think a better idea is to have a lot of holes drilled on the front sides of the boxes. This will put most of your ventilation near the front of the rack where you will have the most airflow - even if you have an open back.

On the back attach a 1" piece of that foil-covered, styrene based insulation. The foil blocks most of the radiant heat rays produced by the tape, the styrene slows down the loss of convective heat.

With this design there *might* actually be some advantages to installing the heat tape behind the boxes rather than underneath. To describe the differences or possible advantages is fairly complex and would depend on several factors.