Racks or altered closet?

I'm going to start breeding ball pythons and I thought it would be easier and more cost efficient to change my walk-in closet into a reptile room than to get racks. I would put a room heater and a humidifier in it and use plastic bins either stacked on the floor or in bookcases. Would this work?

*subscribe* I am contemplating a similar set up.

Cost vs racks etc pros and cons would be nice

Well for racks if you run out of room you have to buy or build another one, but for a room you just have to get another bin.
You also don't have to worry about heat tape or expensive thermostats. Do heaters have thermostats in them?

They wont have a temp gradient so that wont work.

You will NEED a heat source, hot spot & cool spot.

How do you have your current ball python setup? I hope she has a heat source lol.

She's in a 30 gallon tank with a heat lamp.

Doesn't BHB (or whichever one that makes Snakebytes) do something similar?

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Originally Posted by reptilesk2

they wont have a temp gradient so that wont work.

You will need a heat source, hot spot & cool spot.

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x2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kittycatpenut

She's in a 30 gallon tank with a heat lamp.

Doesn't BHB (or whichever one that makes Snakebytes) do something similar?

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You might want to switch her to a heat mat or heat tape.

They do heat up their rooms, but they still use a heat source.

Not trying to be mean but if you cant afford heat tape then maybe you shouldn't start breeding ball pythons.

They heat the room to the cool side temp (80ish). Then there is a strip of flexwatt under one side of the tubs. This provides the basking temps (90ish)

I use a heat lamp because it works. The temps stay around 85 on the hot side with a 90 basking spot and don't drop too much at night. Also the humidity is at 50-60% normally and 60-70% while she's shedding.

If there is heat tape at the bottom of BHB's racks than why are the tubs stacked on top of each other without shelves in between them?

The heat tape is probably along the bottom of the shelf. Like so:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a2...6/PC050845.jpg

Heat tape along the bottom of each shelf. In the back. Keeps the back at ~90 and the ambient in the room is ~80.