rack system questions

[Clint Bundy]

I have gotten back into snakes because of my love for them and Herping. My two boys really helped get me back into the addiction again also. I have to build a rack system for my sub adults because they are outgrowing the original system I have for them. I do plan on breeding because my boys have said that they want to make certain snakes and I feel this is a great way for them to learn genetics and math without them realizing it. I have a den that I am going to remodel into a snake room that I will keep at the proper temps and humidity levels year round. Has anyone else doen this and if so what trials and errors did you go through? Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated and pics would be a huge plus.

Should I break down and buy a system that will house 50-75 snakes or should I build it myself?
Should I remove the carpet and leave it bare concrete or try laminate floor?

I have thermostats and shat kind of stuff I am just really wanting to know about rack systems.
THANKS in advance fellow reptile addicts!

[youbeyouibei]

Congratulations to you on your decision and wow, I'm more than a little jealous, lol!

As far as the rack system, I'd cost-compare. Figure out what your requirements would/will be and then make a decision based on that. Sometimes the headaches associated with doing it yourself as opposed to buying a complete system just aren't worth the hassle. Ultimately it comes down to what your abilities and skills are with building things and what equipment you'd have available. A table saw, for a decent one, runs $500-$800 and then add onto that the other power tools you'd need, depending on what you're planning on building and your costs could skyrocket.

As to the floor, I'd say laminate, personally. It's affordable, durable, and looks nice without being too pricey. It's easy to clean for any spills that occur and unlike bare concrete, it won't suck the heat from the room as you can place some insulating materials between the bare concrete and the laminate when you install it.

What are your breeding goals? Do you already have multi-gene snakes to build off of or would you need to add additional animals? Depending on what morphs you're wanting to produce, some of the multi-gene animals can run into the high dollars. As far as the setup of your room, what do you have available? Plumbing in the room? If so, a utility sink would be a nice fixture but not a necessity. How well insulated is the room itself? If not well, wallboard heaters might be a thought with an independent thermostat for that room alone, as would maybe framing out the walls to insulate better and then drywall over it. Might think about setting aside part of your budget for cost overruns and vet bills associated with keeping/breeding/raising that number of animals. Just a thought.

All depends on your budget and goals and whether you want to make it a lifestyle-type commitment or keep it more simple along the lines of a hobby. I realize I posted more questions than I did answers but I've been kicking a similar idea around for a while and those are just things that have occurred to me. Hope that helps. Good luck whatever you decide!

[Powerspythons]

Well you saw my setup...I'd say it works pretty good, I dont have a thermostat for individual room climate control I just have two digital thermometers hanging on the walls and just monitor if I need to turn my oil filled radiator up or down, I plan to eventually get a programable outlet thermostat which seems like it would work pretty well for a single room...I always recommend building your own racks just because it's cheaper, but if I had a couple thousand to blow on a nice freedombreeder or ARS rack I would in an instant.

Programable outlet thermostat:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=AP9TLT2LX6QXY

BTW how's that pastel boy I sold you doing?

[Clint Bundy]

The boy is great. I have got him to switch over to rats now and he just came out of shed. He should eat tomorrow.