Buying my first tub rack system

Hi everyone! I am currently looking into buying my first tub rack system. I would appreciate any suggestions or websites to buy from, and what supplies I would need?

Animal Plastics:

http://www.animalplastics.com/

Reptile Basics:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile-rack-systems

Both are great

I would try to get one that uses IRIS tubs. IRIS very rarely changes the sizes of their tubs. The other big tub brands like to change their tub sizes every few years making replacement tubs hard to come by.

You will also need a good thermostat to control the flexwatt in the rack.

here are 2 good thermostats

The hydrofarm. this is the baseline, cheapest thermostat that is generally accepted as safe to use with BP's. They aren't very accurate and lack safety features so they should be replaced with a better thermostat when possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

A much better thermostat is the herpstat. these cost more but are much better. They are very accurate and have multiple safety features built in.

http://spyderrobotics.com/

a temperature gun would also be a good thing to get. this way you can easily tell the surface temperatures ion your tubs.

any of these are fine:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermometers

You will of course need some sort of substrate. i suggest a paper based substrate such as newspaper or paper towels.

1 hide on the hot end will be sufficient, but having 2 is good (one on hot end, one on cool end)

I like these hides:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

And finally a water dish. you want it to be heavy enough that it won't tip over.

I prefer ceramic dog bowels like this one:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0343.jpg

Okay I was just looking at the tubs from reptile basics, and you are given the option to add belly heat which I want to do. Does this mean that I don't need to purchase flexwatt? The tubs are a whole new expierence for me, and I want to to make sure I buy everything correctly the first time! Also my room can get fairly cold from the AC. The coldest my room can get is probably 70 degrees.

The rack will come with the flexwatt in it if you add belly heat.

Racks work best in rooms that are kept at least 75 degrees. an oil filled heater or any small heater can be used to raise the temperature in one part of a room to keep the ambient temperatures above 75 for a rack. this is why many people have reptile rooms.... so they can heat the room to a point that the rack works well.

Is this tub size alright for adult ball pythons 33.5L x 17.75W x 6H?

That size tub will hold even the biggest females. some people prefer a size smaller for males, but as long as you have good hides then that size tub will be perfect

Thank you so much for helping me out!
I am looking forward to finally getting my snake in a better cage!

No problem, I hope it all works out for you.

I was about to purchase my first rack system as well, but I was getting frustrated with how expensive they all are. I decided to put together my own using plastic storage racks and couldn't be happier. I can post pics if you want. I suck at fabricating anything but this was really easy, not very time consuming, and best of all I have a solid rack that holds eight 28 quart tubs that altogether was under $200, including the tubs and flexwatt. I got the idea from a youtube video I came across. It turned out so good I'm about to make up another one that will hold at least twelve 12-15 quart tubs, and another that will hold like sixteen to twenty 6 quart tubs. I'm telling you if you want to save a couple hundred bucks this is the way to go. Let me know if you want me to post pics.

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Druzy

Okay I was just looking at the tubs from reptile basics, and you are given the option to add belly heat which I want to do. Does this mean that I don't need to purchase flexwatt? The tubs are a whole new expierence for me, and I want to to make sure I buy everything correctly the first time! Also my room can get fairly cold from the AC. The coldest my room can get is probably 70 degrees.

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RBI really is way to go. I currently have 8 of their sweaterbox racks and loves them. If you have any questions about the racks themselves I recommend contacting Rich (owner of ReptileBasics). He is extremely helpful and knowledgeable (he designed all the racks himself) and is always happy to answer questions about RBI products. You can reach him at sales@reptilebasics.com.