I plan on setting up a rack for my female ball pythons and have a few questions. What size sweater boxes do most people use? Where should I punch the air holes? Will the T-rex 6" x 11" heat pads be ok? Thanks!
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BP rack questions
cammyleon
Jan 01, 2006 05:39 PM
Replies (2)
chris_harper2
Jan 01, 2006 08:21 PM
I plan on setting up a rack for my female ball pythons and have a few questions. What size sweater boxes do most people use?
The Iris CB-70's or CB-110's. They are about 33" and 40" long respectively.
Where should I punch the air holes? Will the T-rex 6" x 11" heat pads be ok? Thanks!
Both of those depend on the design of the rack and the conditions of the room where the rack with sit. You can always add or cover ventilation holes so don't stress over it too much.
The heat pads might not be enough if the rack is a fairly open design with a deep box and/or if it sits in a cold room.
John Q
Jan 02, 2006 08:44 AM
I use the sterilite clearview boxes in three different sizes. The 6qt for hatchlings, 15qt for yearlings and some sub-adult males, and the 32qt for adults. These are readily available and affordable. I have enough extras to change out 1 or 2 full racks at a time.
As far as heat pads. Racks don't usually get setup with heat pads. Flexwatt or heat cable is more common. You could setup a small rack, 3-4 shelves using heat pads but the price of the pads would probably end up being more than flexwatt or heat cable.
As far as ventilation holes, how many, etc. That really depends on the rack, the gap between the top of the box and the shelf, etc. You may not need any at all. Worry about this after the rack is setup. Then you can monitor the temps and humidity.
Just a suggestion. You might want to consider buying a rack, even a small one just to get started. The expense seems high at first but if it is a quality rack that is built well and works properly, it's a good investment. If you feel up to the task, use it as a model and build a second rack. This allows you to either copy a good design or improve upon a not so good design. I always recommend the racks from Animal Plastics. I've built racks, purchased a couple, and these are the best in my opinion. Shop around and see what you can find at an affordable price.
