Best complete rack system

I have decided that a rack system is the way to go for our future collection. I’ve been looking around for a complete rack system (heat and all) already installed. Something big enough for full grown balls maybe 3 to 6 racks. Anyone got a good starting place or use something similar

I'm not sure if I completly understand what you are looking for but Animal Plastics is one of the best and has great prices. :D They come with/without heat tape

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Originally Posted by BallPythonWannaBe

I'm not sure if I completly understand what you are looking for but Animal Plastics is one of the best and has great prices. :D They come with/without heat tape

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Sorry if I rambled... basically I’d like to order a complete rack system. Just plug it in and run it.

If you want the best of the best of the best you can get an ARS-7010 rack. It's about $100 per level with heat panels installed, you would just need a temperature controller like a VE-100 (for less than $100). If you plan on expanding you can get a few levels of an ARS-7030 hybrid rack, they sell for about $200 per level and have three tubs per level, so about $66 per tub. That's actually how I started out and eventually stacked on more levels.

http://arscaging.com/ars7030.html

If you want the cheapest of the cheap you can buy a wire rack shelving system and use plastic totes with holes drilled in the sides. You would still need to buy heat tape for a hotspot and a thermostat to control the heat.

You can also build it out of melamine but don't get it wet or it will swell up and get ruined.

Beware of cheap racks that are totally made of plastic and can be tipped over by a dog or child.

Freedom Breeder is a close second to ARS but some say the build quality isn't what it should be for the price. Personally I haven't compared it side by side to ARS so I'm not too sure about this comment. I have ARS rodent racks and the Freedom Breeder rodent racks seem to have more options like screened covers on tubs, recessed water nozzles, etc... Personally I'm totally sold on all ARS racks and am building a professional outfit as my business grows. I want something that I can hand down to my grandkids and will last for generations.

Honestly I think the best thing to do would be to go to a big retile show like NARBC and look at all the racks on display. Give them a shake to see how stable they are, pull out the tubs to see how they slide. A personal inspection will give you more than we can ever say on this forum.

I too am looking to move to a rack system.. I have been looking at C Serpents as well at TGR racks.. both look pretty nice but would be great to hear some opinions here... I only have 1 ball now but of course if I bought a 3 or 5 rack I would have to fill it with more snakes. :)

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

If you want the best of the best of the best you can get an ARS-7010 rack. It's about $100 per level with heat panels installed, you would just need a temperature controller like a VE-100 (for less than $100). If you plan on expanding you can get a few levels of an ARS-7030 hybrid rack, they sell for about $200 per level and have three tubs per level, so about $66 per tub. That's actually how I started out and eventually stacked on more levels.

If you want the cheapest of the cheap you can buy a wire rack shelving system and use plastic totes with holes drilled in the sides. You would still need to buy heat tape for a hotspot and a thermostat to control the heat.

You can also build it out of melamine but don't get it wet or it will swell up and get ruined.

Beware of cheap racks that are totally made of plastic and can be tipped over by a dog or child.

Freedom Breeder is a close second to ARS but some say the build quality isn't what it should be for the price. Personally I haven't compared it side by side to ARS so I'm not too sure about this comment. I have ARS rodent racks and the Freedom Breeder rodent racks seem to have more options like screened covers on tubs, recessed water nozzles, etc... Personally I'm totally sold on all ARS racks and am building a professional outfit as my business grows. I want something that I can hand down to my grandkids and will last for generations.

Honestly I think the best thing to do would be to go to a big retile show like NARBC and look at all the racks on display. Give them a shake to see how stable they are, pull out the tubs to see how they slide. A personal inspection will give you more than we can ever say on this forum.

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the ars look nice but it doesn’t appear they make smaller size racks like say 6 tops preferably three

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Originally Posted by JerseyChris

I too am looking to move to a rack system.. I have been looking at C Serpents as well at TGR racks.. both look pretty nice but would be great to hear some opinions here... I only have 1 ball now but of course if I bought a 3 or 5 rack I would have to fill it with more snakes. :)

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I was looking at TGR but was told they have wiring issues by a member on here

The thing I really like about ARS is that they sell individual levels for all of their racks and a lot of their different racks can be stacked together. I was thinking of this ARS-7010, you can buy it one level at a time, you can even just buy one level with one tub. You can have a small stack or stack them as high as you can imagine, it all just slides together and it's stable enough to probably go 20 levels high!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...vlg_hybrid.jpg

Depends which route you want to go, having been doing this for over a decade I can tell you that PVC racks are not cheap nor do they get easily knocked over like mentioned by some :rolleyes:, it depends on where you get your rack and the type of rack you get, I can stand on mine and lean on mine very easily.

What will and should motivate your decision is

Ambient temp and whether you need or want something open or enclosed, in a cooler room enclosed racks are a must.

Top manufacturer when it comes to metal racks

ARS and Freedom breeder, the advantage of Freedom breeder they are stainless steel and will never rust, I ihave seen the effect of 15 to 20 years of wear on powder coated racks (like ARS and the old freedom breeder racks), and it's not pretty they will rust.

Top PVC racks

C-Cerpents , Reptile Basics, Animal Plastics

They have solid product, the only downside is AP has a slow lead time, however if in a hurry C-Serpent and Reptile Basics have a pretty fast lead time.

Ultimately you have to find what works for you, if you can and there is a show nearby where those racks manufacturers are check their rack in person, I know in my case it sealed the deal after deciding which would be more appropriate based on my setup.

I have 2 racks by C-serpents. Both came assembled. They go to shows and sell there, but will also ship their smaller racks. For adult BPs, you'd want a CB70 rack. They make a 3 tub version that they will ship. They make larger stacks for pickup at shows. I thought their prices were on par with AP once you consider that the Cserpents racks come with tubs and you have to buy the AP tubs separately. My 3 tub adult rack from them came with vision tubs which I love compared to the iris tubs.