Rack system

I am moving into my own house in a few weeks and have the room set away in the new house to start up a pretty sizeable collection and wanted a little advice on the rack systems currently out there. I was thinking about buying 2 premade racks from reptile basics one for the babies that would be in quarantine for 60-90 days and one medium size rack to start that hold roughly 16 that is expandable. They offer a belly heat option and a back heat option which would you go with and why? Also how hard is it to keep humidity in the rack system? Cant possibly be as bad as trying to keep it even in a glass tank but I'm looking at what would be best for the snakes. I would also like to get some opinions on thermostat setups for a rack system. I know that reptile basics has the Helix which is where I would be leaning because in my short research seems like everyone loves it.


Thank you in advance! :gj:

Please use a search on such trivial questions

These are just the VERY few I have found

Heat:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...elly+back+heat
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...elly+back+heat

Thermostat:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=Ranco+helix

Humidity:
I don't feel like searching for this, but there is a reason why people keep snakes in tubs vs tanks. Humidity hold great even in the winter on paper towels in a rack system.

Thought I would be nice seeing it's a Friday. G

Have fun searching! I promise there is alot of info in old threads that are VERY useful. :gj:

Trivial? Like your time is so important that you can't answer a few simple questions for someone? If it bothered you that much feel free to not answer and move on from this trivial post. My questions refer specifically to the rack system and the links you provided with your search came back with information that had nothing to do with rack a rack setup. I did use the search for your information and couldn't find what I was looking for that's why I made a separate thread.

Maybe my questions should of been more specific.

Can using the belly heat option in a rack setup potentially cause the tubs above and below to have radical heat fluctuations? Seeing as how the heat tape is being run across the bottom much closer to the tub above and below than it would be on the back of the unit.

The thermostat question was also not answered in the search I did. I said that reptile basics has the Helix for sale but wanted to get ideas from people who have rack systems on which units they find work best for a bigger set up than one or two tanks.

Well for the one thing you did answer thank you. I have never used a rack system and had no idea how well they hold in humidity.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Please use a search on such trivial questions

Have fun searching! I promise there is alot of info in old threads that are VERY useful. :gj:

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You know i used to think the same way, but then I realized information is always changing as we find out more. ask me this question 2 years ago and I would probably say the say "belly heat since it aids in digestion" like the posts in your link.

Now with a little research done, I know that it all hearsay and no one can point to one study, experiment, or even some breeder just saying he noticed something. In other words, its based of of nothing.

I can tell you my back heated animals digest their food just fine. I can show you their poop if you want. :P

also if your using substrate that's not paper, I find temps are easy to maintain using back heat vs belly heat heating through substrate. If the rack is not enclosed though, it may be harder for back heat to maintain temps, so you have to look at the rack design. also your ambient room temps will play a factor. I mean my reptile room is 75-80 degrees and all my back heated racks are enclosed, so I can heat them no problem, your setup might be different.

also for the thermostat, people like seem to like rancos, their about as cheep as it gets with thermostat people are happy with. helix and herpstat are considered top of the line. I own 2 herpstats and like 6 or so helixs. I like the helix much better, changing stuff on herpstats annoy the crap out of me. others feel changing helixs are more annoying. I think we all agree both of them should just add some more fricking buttons so we can change stuff faster, but yea. it more personal preference between them two.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Please use a search on such trivial questions

These are just the VERY few I have found

Heat:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...elly+back+heat
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...elly+back+heat

Thermostat:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=Ranco+helix

Humidity:
I don't feel like searching for this, but there is a reason why people keep snakes in tubs vs tanks. Humidity hold great even in the winter on paper towels in a rack system.

Thought I would be nice seeing it's a Friday. G

Have fun searching! I promise there is alot of info in old threads that are VERY useful. :gj:

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Mike - no one is making you read nor answer these "trivial" questions. Could you be any more condescending? :mad:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Mike - no one is making you read nor answer these "trivial" questions. Could you be any more condescending? :mad:

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I could have been. I answered the members question. Just thought it would benefit more by searching finding out the info and then asking questions if he had any on the information.
Questions like:
Back vs Belly heat
Humidity in Tubs
Ranco vs Helix

Are all questions that have been asking NUMEROUS time with no changing information. It would be beneficial to the board to not have worthless threads about things that have been already discussed over and over again.
Sorry to hurt feelings but simple searches are EASY to do.

And to the noob, don't get an attitude because you lack the ability to read. I answered your questions the way you asked them, I don't read minds.

I come on here to help. I piss people off too, but that is not b/c I don't help them.

So do answer your heat in the rack question.
YES the heat in the middle of a the rack will be a few degrees warmer vs the top or bottom. But if you have a heat exit to equally get rid of the extra heat you should be fine. Either way it's not that big of a difference to even get worried.
The rephrased questions are much better and I don't mind answering those w/o a search link.

And for people thanking for no reason, it is quite uncalled for, especially form you Robin. I'll leave it at that to stay civil.

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It would be beneficial to the board to not have worthless threads about things that have been already discussed over and over again.

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We might as well put the key under the door than because at some point or another the question was probably asked and answered.

Who are you again to decide if a thread is beneficial for this board or not.

Can you suggest people to search? Of course you can but there is also a way to do it?

You need to remember that some people do need the 1 on 1 attention and again if you don't want to answer "worthless" threads than don't someone else will.

Talking about worthless posts you might want to look at your post history ;)

Hey Mike I'm sure you have been helpful to others on here at one point or another but you couldn't have been any more obnoxious with me. I am not some kid coming on here with nonsense. I am a grown adult and most certainly can read. As I pointed out in my post the searches I pulled up didn't answer my questions to my satisfaction because they did not deal with a rack system. I even thanked you for your answer to the humidity question. Next time I post on here feel free to not respond if your just going to start an argument because when I have a question that I find no answer for I will be posting again.

Thank you to the others who responded with helpful information I appreciate it

I use the Reptile Basics CB70 3-tub rack (which is not, of course, exactly what you're looking at), however, from my experience and other rack users' posts, correct humidity is much easier to maintain in rack tubs. (Tubs in general, but as we're talking about rack tubs...) Add ventilation holes or tape over ventilation holes to control humidity. For increased humidity during sheds you can easily switch out to a bigger water bowl or spritz, and the humidity increases quickly. I use aspen in my tubs or, if it's particulary humid in our area, paper towels.

I've had good success with belly heat for my adult animals. No digestion or regurg problems. Snakes sit on heat after eating and nap. :) Good thermoregulating. I haven't used back heat, so I can't speak to pros and cons there. There is a recent poll on belly heat vs. back heat, I believe.

I've used both Helix DBS1000 and Herpstat proportional t-stats and personally prefer Herpstat as I had more constant, worry-free temps and excellent customer service from Spyder Robotics. Many on forum prefer Helix... just a matter of personal preference. I like that the Herpstat unit is smaller and easier for me to use. I've had more consistent temps in all three tubs using Herpstat.

I've had good experiences for the last three years with Reptile Basics and continue to buy accessories and equipment from Rich. I'm very satisfied with my rack, belly heat, and t-stat.

Best of luck on whatever you decide. :)

I built a rack a few months back for all my adult snakes and I love it over tanks esp. because I do not have a lot of room, esp for 40 tanks. I use a johnson controll and love it and have had no issues, I got mine from retile basics. Humidity I have not had any issuies with either. I use back heat and all my guys and gals are doing great and growing like weeds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

We might as well put the key under the door than because at some point or another the question was probably asked and answered.

Who are you again to decide if a thread is beneficial for this board or not.

Can you suggest people to search? Of course you can but there is also a way to do it?

You need to remember that some people do need the 1 on 1 attention and again if you don't want to answer "worthless" threads than don't someone else will.

Talking about worthless posts you might want to look at your post history ;)

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Something that should have been PM'd, but your a mod so I guess it's ok to break the rules with personal slurs.
PM'd

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Talking about worthless posts you might want to look at your post history ;)

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oOoOooOo BURN! :explosion

we need an emoticon that shows the little smiley face guy throwing fuel onto a fire...
:banana:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

I could have been. I answered the members question. Just thought it would benefit more by searching finding out the info and then asking questions if he had any on the information.
Questions like:
Back vs Belly heat
Humidity in Tubs
Ranco vs Helix

Are all questions that have been asking NUMEROUS time with no changing information. It would be beneficial to the board to not have worthless threads about things that have been already discussed over and over again.
Sorry to hurt feelings but simple searches are EASY to do.

And to the noob, don't get an attitude because you lack the ability to read. I answered your questions the way you asked them, I don't read minds.

I come on here to help. I piss people off too, but that is not b/c I don't help them.

So do answer your heat in the rack question.
YES the heat in the middle of a the rack will be a few degrees warmer vs the top or bottom. But if you have a heat exit to equally get rid of the extra heat you should be fine. Either way it's not that big of a difference to even get worried.
The rephrased questions are much better and I don't mind answering those w/o a search link.

And for people thanking for no reason, it is quite uncalled for, especially form you Robin. I'll leave it at that to stay civil.

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Thanks for being here to "help". Also, thanks for deciding what threads are worthless. Oh, and again thanks for letting us know who we can "thank". Keep up the good work:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HerpIsAhobby

I am moving into my own house in a few weeks and have the room set away in the new house to start up a pretty sizeable collection and wanted a little advice on the rack systems currently out there. I was thinking about buying 2 premade racks from reptile basics one for the babies that would be in quarantine for 60-90 days and one medium size rack to start that hold roughly 16 that is expandable. They offer a belly heat option and a back heat option which would you go with and why? Also how hard is it to keep humidity in the rack system? Cant possibly be as bad as trying to keep it even in a glass tank but I'm looking at what would be best for the snakes. I would also like to get some opinions on thermostat setups for a rack system. I know that reptile basics has the Helix which is where I would be leaning because in my short research seems like everyone loves it.


Thank you in advance! :gj:

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I've had great luck with RBI racks, personally. The sweaterbox racks with dividers is especially nice. Mine are back heat, but I have nothing against belly heat. Humidity stays really steady for me year round in mine and I just use newspaper. Also, I use Helix thermostats with them and have never had any issues.

Hi,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

We might as well put the key under the door than because at some point or another the question was probably asked and answered.

Who are you again to decide if a thread is beneficial for this board or not.

Can you suggest people to search? Of course you can but there is also a way to do it?

You need to remember that some people do need the 1 on 1 attention and again if you don't want to answer "worthless" threads than don't someone else will.

Talking about worthless posts you might want to look at your post history ;)

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Something that should have been PM'd, but your a mod so I guess it's ok to break the rules with personal slurs.
PM'd

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There were no personal slurs in her message.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Infraction definitions

Personal Slurs -- 5 pts
Referring to someone's gender, intelligence, race, religion, etc in a derogatory manner. Mocking someone's ability to type or spell will fall under this one as well.

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And, to be blunt, your post that read so rudely was in public so why should anyone wishing to comment on it do so in private?

I would also draw your attention to these infractions and suggest you stop the subtle (and far from subtle ) jibes at the staff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Infraction list

Disrespect Toward Staff -- 50 pts
Open disrespect toward any staff member, especially with the intent to undermine their authority or damage their credibility.

Disrespect Toward Site -- 50 pts
Being aggressively critical about the site and/or its community, especially with the intent to discredit or undermine our purpose here.

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If you wish more information the list is here.


dr del

I also use the RBI racks and I love them! I have the 3 tub rack as well as two of the sweaterbox racks. I use belly heat but in the future I will probably opt for back heat as I think it works just as well. Temps hold well and humidity is perfect. I also use a Helix and have no complaints. I have been using these racks for over 3 years now.

One thing I might mention about these racks. Do not put them on carpet. Putting them on carpet makes the material warp. I have trouble opening and closing the bottom tubs on each sweaterbox rack because of this. Other than this (which I'm pretty sure it tells you somewhere not to put it on carpet but I did anyway) I love the racks and highly recommend them!:D

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Jay Bunny wrote:
One thing I might mention about these racks. Do not put them on carpet. Putting them on carpet makes the material warp. I have trouble opening and closing the bottom tubs on each sweaterbox rack because of this. Other than this (which I'm pretty sure it tells you somewhere not to put it on carpet but I did anyway) I love the racks and highly recommend them!:D

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I confess that I use an old, solid wood Cargo coffee table as a pedestal... for the carpet reason and because I don't have to bend down so far to check the bottom tub! ;)

I use Animal Plastics, the economy line works great if you have an herp room that is heated, since mine goes from 78 during the winter with an oil filled heater to 85 during the summer (without anything) it works great for my needs.

If your snake room is not heated I would recommend the regular line.

I prefer belly heat, much more efficient in my opinion and less heat loss.

As far as thermostat I am a big fan of herpstat I have the regular one for hatchlings and the ND for my breeders

Hope this give you another perspective on other choice out there though you cannot go wrong with reptile basics either. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

One thing I might mention about these racks. Do not put them on carpet. Putting them on carpet makes the material warp. I have trouble opening and closing the bottom tubs on each sweaterbox rack because of this.

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Huh! The bottom tub of my little rack is a pain in the butt...never thought the carpet might be at fault. You can get individual 12"x12" tiles at the hardware store really cheap...I wonder if it would help to make a little 2x3 or 3x4 (or whatever) grid of tiles on top of the carpet and then set the rack on top of those? Does the warp lessen once the rack has been moved off the carpet? Definitely something to ponder!

I have a AP rack as well (animal plastics) my experience is fairly good, although I think a rack of more mass would be better. The rack I have is quite light and it cools off quite quickly, my room actually varies quite a bit so it is a concern in my case.

I like the herpstat but personally I don't think it make much difference helix or herpstat pick one.

I use belly heat, again I see no clear choice belly is a direct heat back is more indirect. A friend believes that in the event of a T-stat failure, back heat will take longer to cause terminal heat. Likely true, I use a back up T-stat to my herpstats in case. So again it isn't a clear decision to my mind anyway I am sure there is lots of opinions but it seems to be to be 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other. It isn't an exact science and every set up is different so every solution is different.

I have low humidity in my place but a bit of a large water bowl and the rack is fine.

Hey Mike, again? You have really good information and advice, but your delivery is a 'bit' abrasive, that is the 'style' you have, fine, but you really counter your good information with bad taste in many mouths.