Thoughts?

I wouldn't turn down the shelves, lol...but they'd just be shelves in my garage. ;)

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

I wrecked one of those plastic racks ages ago trying to modify it for a rat breeding setup: when you screw into the 'supports' you create small cracks...as you add weight the cracks slowly start to spread-I tried to reinforce mine with duct tape only to have the hollow tubes collapse inwards...fail...

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Thank you!! Now I know that my plan won't work. I'm so glad I asked before I invested time and money into a failed project.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I wouldn't turn down the shelves, lol...but they'd just be shelves in my garage. ;)

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Hahahahaha, nope, already have them, hahaha.

He's got two other sets that are going into my shed. I'm getting all kinds of useful homeowner stuff!

Those racks are CRAPTACULAR! I have used them and the shelves sag over just a bit of time with only moderate weight.

That 1000 pound rating is very misleading. They do this by placing equal force on all four corners and across the whole surface area of the shelf, not just in the middle of the shelves.

Don’t waste your your time or money.

I think you would be able to custom build some display cages if you started with a better shelving unit. You can get some quality industrial metal shelves from home improvement stores in varying sizes for fairly cheap. Ours was I think $90-100 from Lowes? We are using it just to house tanks because I am nowhere near DIY savvy enough to make it into a display rack. But I can see you framing out something similar to work for displays.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8a36e19692.jpg

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You state that you have tools and carpentry skills. It would be so much easier to just build some enclosures that you can stack. Your dimensions mentioned are 1" shy of the ones I just built and realistically it could have been completed in a solid weekend. I built 2 for aprox. $300 ea. Complete with RHP, thermostat, thermometers, hygrometers, substrate... All but hides and clutter.They are stacked with an 1.5" air gap (2 pieces of scrap from build, now I know it works I can make something nicer looking) between that I learned through trial and error was needed since I mounted the RHP on the ceiling of the lower one and the heat bleed through to overheat the floor of the top one. My cost could have been a bit lower if I went with thinner and less expensive plywood like you mentioned. It was only $53 in wood per cage using 3/4" pre-sanded hardwood ply. 1 package of Pond Shield covered the inside of both cages and now they are nice and sealed against the humidity.

there have been plenty of peeps who have converted similar shelving units into a rack system that has worked out pretty good. however the conversations i have seen have not required any real drilling into but chopping the round legs to fit the height of tubs and most would just lay melamine or other wood materials on each shelf as a seal for the no lid racks. i thought maybe using rivets to fasten the walls to the frame instead of screws but i guess i have the same concerns as others about the long term conditions and reliability of it cracking and warping later on.

but hey u could always sell your car to buy some PVC cages. oh wait...

;) :)


back to the drawing board.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

but hey u could always sell your car to buy some PVC cages. oh wait...

;) :)


back to the drawing board.

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Hahahahaha, ssssshhhhhh

I've used similar shelving I purchased at Home Depot without issues for years. Just cut the legs down to fit better over the tubs.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3d9a1bf82c.jpg

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I'm going to agree with others in this thread and also give you the advice of saving up your money and just getting the right product. You and your snakes will be much happier in the long run, and my experience has always been that I became dissatisfied with home made enclosures and eventually spent the money on good quality professional enclosures, thereby spending much more over time.

I have a room full of vision enclosures, which I really like. A friend of mine has a room full of AP cages, and they are fantastic enclosures with a price point advantage, so for your situation I would take a hard look at them.

I also make a very meager living, but I've found that by abstaining from other potential drains on my resources I have always been able to tuck away enough money to provide my animals with a standard of living that is arguably better than my own.

Good luck!