***What are the different thoughts on proper tub sizes for adult Garters, Mountain Kings, and similar colubrids?
Just a typical sweater box rack should be fine, although many Thamnophis enthusiasts feel racks/plastic tubs are not appropriate for these species. By typical sweater box I mean the 28-32 qt. Rubbermaid/Sterilites with floor areas of about 20"x14".
***What about for larger colubrids like Pituophis?
I've seen some absolute monster Bullsnakes & N. Pines that I would not maintain in a 28 qt. sweater box. I suppose some of the smaller Gophers would do okay in those.
The Iris CB-110 and CB-80 would be better for the larger Pituophis.
***Pros and cons between Sterilite, Rubbermaid, and Iris?
I really like the 32 qt. Sterilite, but it is just tall enough that when building a 4' tall rack you can only have six levels - at least when use 3/4" thick material. With the 28 qt. Rubbermaid 7 levels can be fit in a 4' tall rack. Since lumber comes in 4' increments this is an important consideration for me.
Sterilite does make a 28 qt. box but I don't like the feet on the bottom. Just a personal preference.
***I like Iris but they are expensive from what I have heard about the others.
They are expensive. But for the "larger" boxes like the CB-110 and CB-70 their reinforced floors are worth the extra money. Try Reptiletubs.com for cheaper prices.
I use the CB-80 in my semi-arboreal racks and love them.
***Are the cost differences between building and purchasing a rack worth the trouble for a mechanical klutz like myself?
I don't know. Racks are pretty easy to build overall. For a $$ compromise you could have the material cut for you and then just assemble the rack(s). I can supply websites that walk you through it.
***Any favorite designs or manufacturers?
I like sweater box racks where the boxes slide in width-wise. That way you can use two of the half-sized boxes or one of the full sized boxes on any given level.
Of all the plastic racks I've seen in person (about four manufacturers), Jason's Jungle were the best. Not the absolute lightest (but pretty darn light) but built with excellent tolerances for snakes that are good escape artists (such as L. zonata & L. pyromelena), or live bearers that produce very tiny young (Thamnophis spp.). Jason keeps Sand and Rosy Boas so it makes sense he would build such a rack.
I would not keep these species in the other plastic racks I have seen.
I suspect the racks built by Jungle Habitats are probably excellent for the species you mentioned but I have not seen them in person.
