Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, I'm in the market for a rack system that can hold both juveniles and hatchlings. I've heard great things about the guys at AP and their products. Questions:

1. Do any of you use AP racks? Satisfied?
2. What is the difference between their Iris, Sterilite and Rubbermaid racks?

Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone.

dont know much about AP as I am buying from Boaphile.... but on the plastic bin question, there isnt much difference. I use all 3 brands in my home for various storage, bathroom, kitchen, and garage uses, and they all hold up pretty good. as far as reputable brand and quality, Rubbermaid gets my vote every time
Iris is always discontinueing stuff before I can go back and get another of the same kind, and Sterilite, well I never hear a whole lot about them in general
I think its just what shape and exact size you prefer.... none of them make the exact same style or size, so you like a certain drawer set, but want something an inch longer in one direction or another, you get the other brand of plastic bin. some dont have a little ridge for a pull handle, so knobs have to be installed, and I hate knobs on my racks, so I will always get the ones without (sterilite, in the case of Boaphile)
Anyone else got anything to add about the plastic bins?
Anyway hope this helps explain it. its really a matter of aesthetics.which brand do YOU like the look of!
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1.0 alb. okeetee "Grissom"
1.0 American Pit Bull Terrier "Vanyel"
0.1 Somali "Willow"

are you referring to their line of PVC enclosures? I've heard that PVC is not good for animals. It's cheap and easy to work with, but it emits toxic fumes over time.

Plywood is cheap and easy to worlk with, and your local hardware store (I use hope depot) will cut it to your specs.
You can even upgrade for a little more $$ and get nice cabinet grade wood....
Heat tape is affordable too, and not very complicated to set up.
Don't waste your money on cheap plastic racks.........

What is the thickness of the plywood that you used to build that rack. ps nice rack. thanks david

I use 3/4 inch, but it's called something different, weird thicknes.
I just call it 3/4 inch.
Here's one I just finished this weekend.(the top half)
Still have to get the dividers cut......

Thats a nice rack i wish you could come out to new york and build me one like that your wooden plywood racks that you build looks like it will last forever its the best ive seen yet. Thanks for giving me an idea you have just saved me some money. thank you David.

For a little extra, you can use bettter wood.
I have a few.... And they look nice.
If you have the time and money, you can even add trim to the front which really makes them look presentable.
The top half of that rack cost nothing, except for the heat tape, the bins, and $34 for an extra sheet of plywood, as most of it was extra scrap wood I had from previous racks..........

Yes, it is cheaper, but it is also a fire hazard and retains bacteria, mold, and mildew!

I have both Animal plastic's racks (both those that use heat tape and heat cable) as well as 2 boaphile racks. Both companies make solid products, but I prefer Iris tubs over rubbermaid or sterilite just for their ease of cleaning. You see Iris tubs don't have that groove/well on the inside bottom of the tub, which makes them much easier to clean.

Sterilites do have a slight groove, I use 32 Quart; However, It's good so that if they do take a large crap/piss, it isn't sitting flat, and has somehwere to go.
Not too bad of clean up.
As for fire hazard, I don't smoke and my electrical is solid.
Your house is made of plywood........ you gonna replace that with plastic??

No, but I also don't have heat tape/cable running directly on the wood in my house.

As for the sterilites...getting the urea out of the cracks can be a pain some times...I'm not saying they don't work, but from experience with both I like the Iris's better.

We actually built a few racks ourselves.... You can see one is finished (my friends) and he added some storage on top and a hidden HELIX. Mine is unfinished and did not turn out as nice due to trying a black stain... We also built a hatchling rack that was for my some CH females I got this year.
Personally, I think buying Boaphiles or Animal Plastics is a much better way to go... I think they look nicer, have belly heat and are very affordable. Unless you have the time and knowledge to build furniture quality racks, it just does not look anywhere near as nice to have unfinished or finished amatuer racks like these ones (though my friends did turn out pretty damn nice)... IMO
Let me know what you think...
Tom Baker

Hidden Helix

Hatchling Rack

Hey Tom

- whats in that DO NOT OPEN TUB in the black rack?
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

It is the probe container...... I did not want anyone to accidentally mess with it.....

If I had the time and money, I might spend a llittle extra to make mine look pretty.
But as long as they are functional and hold temps well, I really don't care what they look like.
I do get obsessive on everything being perfect like spacing and wood cuts.

A long time ago I had used a wooden rack similar to that...........and over time the heat tape had burned the wood in spot about 3-4 inches. Not saying that it will happen..........but it certainly can.

Jared

But It won't happen here...
I use two thermostats for safety, an auto shut off surge controll power switch, and there are no breaks in my heat tape.
That and I use a lot of electrical tape for all the exposed areas and cut out of the way of the heating elements in the heat tape.....
Not sure how you would get a burn in your rack from heat tape unless it got too hot , or there was a break in the tape or something?
I have seen 30 racks similar to mine that are several years old with no problems.....
If melamine wasn't so damn heavy, I would use it, but the one nice white rack I made from it is a $#@*! to move.

I'm one of the do-it-yourselfers too. Here is a photo of a couple of racks I made. They are 3/4 inch melamine with oak trim. Make sure to buy/make more racks than you think you need! I need more space almost as soon as a rack is finished. I'll be making a few more by the end of the year.

I did see the Animal Plastics racks at Anaheim NARBC. They are top quality setups! I would not hesitate to buy one. Excellent quality.

Thanks for posting your racks everyone. I always enjoy seeing different setups.

I just received my fourth rack from AP. I can't say enough about their racks and customer service. Great product, lots of attention to detail,Great CUSTOMER SERVICE, etc.
As far as the boxes/bins, I use sterilite because they are readily available. I always buy extra so I can do some quick changes. Also, this way I don't have to worry about a discontinued model, etc.
If you have any questions or want to know about any specific detail or have questions about heating, etc. email me.
John Q

Plastic racks are cute, but they're way overpriced compared to the time and materials put into them.. Buy yourself a table saw, a good drill, and some plywood.. Practice a bit, if the first doesn't look so pretty, move on to the next one, it'll turn out better.. Before you know it, you'll be a professional cage builder with your own innovations.. You should be able to practice and get to the point of mastering with the amount of money you'll spend on 1 rack comparable to the size you're building.. I never touched a power tool in my life and the first cages I built weren't so bad.. If you can use a tape measuer and do a little math, you shouldn't have a problem..

Here's an unfinished picture of the last thing I built, the top is for an adult iguana, the bottom holds a 72x36x18" Vision.. A lot nicer compared to my first attempts.

BTW, I'm building a rack for those bins at this very moment, Freedom Breeder style, you can pull them out on rails.
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Joe Lydon

I've looked into making my own racks but don't really have the time or patience. Not that good at building things and I would hate myself if I made something dangerous for my animals. I'll look into AP and Boaphile and building my own a little more before making a purchase.

Thanks again for the advice and if you have more, keep it coming.

Vision makes racks now and they are really cheap. We got a 10 bin (32 qt. size) for $199. We use 15 qts for our hatchlings, and they fit in perfect (as you can see from the pic..look at the bottom slot). Heating cable and tubs were included!

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*Amy*

Is that the updated version of the rack? I saw it at the Anaheim show but it didn't look stable? Is this one any better? What is it made of? Have you had any issues with heating? Could you give me your feedback on this rack?

Regards,
Mike