Sterilite drawers; ready-made rack system?
Hi! I'm a prospective BP owner looking to really do my research before bringing home my first ball. I've had way too many trips to target over the years and have been taking stock of some of the tub styles/brands they carry. I've been toying in my head recently if the Sterilite three-drawer unit had any merit (with modification, obviously) as a mostly pre-fabricated hatchling rack system? Although you can get it elsewhere cheaper (and most targets sell single drawers, also) the online store has it here.
basically, it's a three-drawer unit that can slide both forward and back (although it comes with little plastic 'stops' so it only opens one way) and has pre-fabricated ventilation on the front and back of each drawer. The handles are actually open, so that would require some modification, but the spacing between drawers is more than enough for a few pieces flexiwatt to provide the UTH. because of the open system in the back running a cord along the track would be a snap.
is this a viable idea? a very simple rack would be easier for my room dimensions than stacked tubs. obviously the rack would only be good for baby/hatchling BPs because of the size, but still... does the idea have any merit?
i didn't see this product mentioned in any existing threads here, but please do excuse me if it's already been posted/suggested.
cheers,
Chris
Re: Sterilite drawers; ready-made rack system?
Something similar was discussed recently. The consensus was that these tubs will not work for racks. The reason is that the plastic the company uses for those is particularly flimsy. It's very weak and is bendable. It would break fairly easily. Also, when one drawer slides out, the animal in the drawer below it would be able to get out.
I use similar drawers where I work to keep baby birds in. They work well for us because there is no wiring or anything complicated like that. But we have to constantly move buckets around when we're showing baby birds because as soon as you pull one drawer out, the birds underneath are all over the place.
Also, in the picture you posted, it looks to me like that would be TOO MUCH ventilation. You'd have trouble keeping temps and humidity at the right level.
I don't remember if there were any other reasons why they wouldn't work...
If you want to try it and work on modifications, then go for it. But in my opinion, you're better off buying the shoe-box sized tubs and stacking them. I know how space can be an issue; I have a tiny apartment myself. But that's how I do it, and it works out well. I've also found that under the bed there's a treasure trove of space for snakes when you clean under there! :P
Re: Sterilite drawers; ready-made rack system?
Re: Sterilite drawers; ready-made rack system?
well whaddaya know! I must've missed those discussions completely, thanks so much for your replies!
I really like the look of the container store drawers, but I reckon I'll just go ahead and be oldschool about the tubs in that case.
oh, and Mindibun... don't I know about the under-bed space! In a dorm situation that's exactly where my crew is located. :P
Since it's irrelevant info I'll go ahead and delete the thread, if i can figure out how. Sorry for the re-post, guys.
-Chris