32qt or 41qt rack...

[BHReptiles]

I'm getting a new rack in January and I'm torn between what rack to get. Which do you think would be best for ball pythons? Right now, I have a 200g and a 300g female and a 400g male. I'll hopefully be picking up a 2500g normal girl around that time as well.

Right now, the three ball pythons I have are in 28qt tubs (yes...I realize they are a little big for them...but I've had no problems yet)

[RoseyReps]

Considering that you have 2 females, and a possible adult female coming, I would go with a 41qt. As the boy should be ok to stay in a 28/32qt rack / set up for a lot longer / life (depending on his size)

[BHReptiles]

Considering that you have 2 females, and a possible adult female coming, I would go with a 41qt. As the boy should be ok to stay in a 28/32qt rack / set up for a lot longer / life (depending on his size)

That's what I was leaning towards. I want to have it where I have 41qt racks for my girls, 32qts for my boys, 28qts for my corns/juvies, 12 qts for my BP babies, and 6 qts for my baby corns.

Speaking money, I think DIY racks are much cheaper. I have a buddy who's offered to help me build an 8 tub 41qt rack for about $150. As much as I want a PVC rack, I'm not sure if I have $400 to spend just yet...especially when I need to build a baby rack because the big female is possibly gravid...she's been seen locking multiple times.

[RoseyReps]

That sounds good to me I toyed with the idea of homemade (I currently have a 5/32qt homemade) But although he enjoys the work, I hate making my hubby do all the work for the homemade. I got him into this snakey mess, and now he's got stuck with building a bunch of racks lol. Spending the money on a professional one sounds pretty nice right about now...well, soon.

I really like how light the xpvc is, and how clean it looks / stacks. I think I'm going to get my 41qt from C-Serpents and see how the two compare. See if it's worth the extra money / less work.

[1nstinct]

I say 41 qt, I would not put a 2500+ gram animal in a 32 I feel she would just be to cramped.

[BHReptiles]

I can build my own racks. I designed/built my 8 tub 28qt rack that I have now. It was my first rack build and there is definitely some things I would like to change about it. It's made from a plastic shelving system and the tubs are REALLY tight...so tight that I literally have to tug them to get them out. I have been wanting to get an XPVC rack from some guys called Infinite Pythons. However, I'm wondering if I should just build me the 8 tub 41 qt rack for now and let my collection grow a bit and then save so I can spend about $2,000 to update all my homemade racks once I'm out of school. Ultimately I want a freedom breeder rack (-drools-) but those are so expensive! One day!

Now...my buddy asked me the other day what I would use on a homemade rack. I can't decide if I want to use melamine or plywood. I like melamine because it comes pre-sealed, but I would rather use plywood and seal it then paint it or stain it. Opinions on what kind of plywood to use?

[Ryan Chin]

I built a DIY XPVC 8 tub 41qt rack for my balls, total cost ~$230 with heat. I know lots of people would recommend smaller sizes for males and smaller snakes but in my experience the size of the tub doesn't take away from the snake's health or livelihood so long as adequate husbandry is met. I have 1-3 hides per tub of that size with juveniles, less for bigger snakes, weighted water bowls(deli cups) and newspaper bedding. so far my 8 snakes have not missed a feeding with the exception of 2 hets that would not eat for the first 2 weeks after being shipped, I have a feeling that had more to do with packaging and previous owner care. All eat fine since and are right on schedule. with the tubs it was a little more than $300, then a herpstat 4 was $350. I know people say it can stress out the snake if the enclosure is to large but the my take on it is that it's smaller and in a closed system for the most part, than any baby ball in the wild would encounter. Keep in mind it is slightly more difficult to maintain ambient temps for a thermal gradient given a larger enclosure.

[RoseyReps]

I built a DIY XPVC 8 tub 41qt rack for my balls, total cost ~$230 with heat. I know lots of people would recommend smaller sizes for males and smaller snakes but in my experience the size of the tub doesn't take away from the snake's health or livelihood so long as adequate husbandry is met. I have 1-3 hides per tub of that size with juveniles, less for bigger snakes, weighted water bowls(deli cups) and newspaper bedding. so far my 8 snakes have not missed a feeding with the exception of 2 hets that would not eat for the first 2 weeks after being shipped, I have a feeling that had more to do with packaging and previous owner care. All eat fine since and are right on schedule. with the tubs it was a little more than $300, then a herpstat 4 was $350. I know people say it can stress out the snake if the enclosure is to large but the my take on it is that it's smaller and in a closed system for the most part, than any baby ball in the wild would encounter. Keep in mind it is slightly more difficult to maintain ambient temps for a thermal gradient given a larger enclosure.

Is yours open sided or enclosed?

Wish I could find xpvc around here

[barbie.dragon]

That sounds good to me I toyed with the idea of homemade (I currently have a 5/32qt homemade) But although he enjoys the work, I hate making my hubby do all the work for the homemade. I got him into this snakey mess, and now he's got stuck with building a bunch of racks lol. Spending the money on a professional one sounds pretty nice right about now...well, soon.

I really like how light the xpvc is, and how clean it looks / stacks. I think I'm going to get my 41qt from C-Serpents and see how the two compare. See if it's worth the extra money / less work.

If he enjoys making racks then... LUCKY YOU! You can always help him build the rack and learn while you're at it I want to build my own but I lack power tools... And I've never really built anything like that :<

Is your hubby into snakes or is he just kind of on the sideline? Either way he would probably want to feel "useful" and help his lady out

[Ryan Chin]

Is yours open sided or enclosed?

Wish I could find xpvc around here

Open sided and back, I do have a stopper on the back though it is mostly open air. I got mine from interstate plastics which has a location here in Sacramento. they run ~70 per 4'x8' board + 20-30 whatever cuts you need.