Just bought a rack system and need help. getting my first BP

So I bought an apcages rack with heat and i was wondering what else I need. This is my first rack and 2nd snake. it's been a while since I had a snake and I think i need something to control the heat tapes temp. I can't recall what that is. I'd like to start out with a sorta cheap one as I'm only going to have one snake for a while. anything else you can think of please chime in.





http://www.apcages.com/home/Sterilite/EP_1.jpg

Thermostat. You can get a xheaper one until you save up for a better one. But you HAVE to have a thermostat

need a couple hides, need a thermometer/hygrometer for heat and humidity (can be separate if you want), need some paper towels or substrate, and lastly you need a snake :P I recommend going away from normals since you have a rack so you obviously want to breed or own multiple snakes. I think the snake doesnt matter that much. Go with one you like the look of. You can browse the newest on morph market (http://www.morphmarket.com/snakes/ba...t=nfs&has_id=1) and research the breeder for if they are good or not

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Originally Posted by stickyalvinroll

Thermostat. You can get a xheaper one until you save up for a better one. But you HAVE to have a thermostat

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I agree, a thermostat is a must when it comes to any sort of heating. Any unregulated heating unit can overheat and melt the plastic tubs. I've never worked with expensive thermostats, but I usually use a reptile/seedling heat mat thermostat (one of course recommended for reptiles). Make sure it has a probe and attach it to the heating until with heat tape, and set the temperature you want. I would do around 98 or so because the plastic absorbs the heat and depending what substrate you use it will not transfer the heat as well. Make sure the setup and temps are right before you get your snake and it should be all good to go :gj:

You will need a RELIABLE thermostat which is the single most important piece of equipment you will need, don't settle for cheap especially considering how long your animals will live. Yes there are cheap ones out there but they often fail some even fail wide open which can lead to serious problems and in the end if you have to replace a cheap t-stat by another cheap one you would be better of investing in a reliable one to start with. http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....dsjahhfre7plj1

I will also recommend a temp gun, you MUST know your temperatures.

I agree with Deborah you want a reliable thermostat. I've had dimmers and cheap thermostats and its exactly that CHEAP. I've had them fail and wide open and luckily I was home. Herpstat is best for price per features but if you don't need the features and want to save 10-15$ on shipping get a vivarium electronics from reptile basics. If you go with ve don't get the ve-100 bc its on off like the cheap thermostats, get at least the ve-200 or ve-200d. The only difference is the ve-200d is dimming proportional which you only need if your ever going to use heat lamps. I have a Herpstat 6 which I love and 4 ve thermostats that are just as accurate.

I bought the The VE-300 and 1 hide. I think I'll get my other hide locally . If paper towels are fine to use as substrate i'll most likely use that. If not what should I use? I used aspen before!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...rstpics005.jpg

I only use paper towels, and they work great for me.

You should use 2 of the same hides so your snake can't play favorites. The reptile basics hides are really nice, my bps love them, they would never regulate body temp properly until I got them.

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I agree with Deborah 100%. Get a good thermostat. With a rack like this one, you could actually get by with a Herpstat 1. Research and talk to people with snake racks about how they have their heat tape and probe's set up. With one snake it's very simple. With more than one, it's still fairly simple, but you will want some more thermometers and a good heat gun is a good investment. This will likely be your single most important and most valuable purchase, so considering investing some time AND money into it. It will pay for itself 100x over in the long run.

If you bought an economy style rack like the one above, I would consider dark paper/cardboard/insulation board/etc... or something to cover the sides and back. This will serve to contain warmth, and offer your snake some more security. If you do this, one hide per tub is plenty. You can get nice hides and crock-style water bowls from Reptile basics, or you can make your own hides and get some crock-style water bowls at the dollar store or Walmart in the pet sections. Substrate, I'd use paper towels for the 6 and 15qt size tubs, and look at kraft paper for the larger tubs. You can buy it precut or by the roll. These are both cheap, easy, and let you easily see what's going on with your snake (pee, poop, urates, mites, etc...).

The last thing you MIGHT need is a space heater for the room where the rack is going. When I built my first rack, I didn't think about ambient temperatures. Even with heat tape, your rack will stay at your ambient room temps. maybe a degree higher. If that isn't warm enough, something like an oil filled radiator style heater is great.