Pros vs Cons of having a rack system

So I'm considering a rack system for the snakes. I would not need a big one. I'm thinking about one with 4-6 tubs.
I can see some of the pros. I have two tubs in the room now so it would be nice to have both in the same location but the reason I don't stack it because of the UTH. I'm worried that it would effect the temp in the tub it's on top of even with a thermostat.

Does tape for belly heat effect the tubs underneath them at all?
it looks like the tubs slide in without lids? Has anyone had any escapee's? My husbands greatest fear lol.
It would seem like a rack system keeps the tubs pretty dark ? The room has a natural day/dark cycle. The tubs we use now have clear tops so it really is pretty close to a light cycles during the day.
The one I looked at held 32 quart tubs but sold a divider would that work for juvenile snakes?

Are there any cons to a rack system? The price I saw for what I might be interested in was right around $300 which I thought was reasonable and I know there is a wait time from when you order.

Thanks in advance for opinions.

You can get some racks with open sides if you are worried about day/night cycle. There is a shelf between the heat tape and the tub below it, so it doesn't really effect the bottom tub. Escapee's depends on how big the gap is and how small the snake is. I haven't had any with my diy rack. I'm a corn guy, but I do believe 32 quart is more than enough for a juvie ball. In fact, I think people house adult males in 32 quart. I'd buy a 41 quart rack either way though. Just my $0.02.

I've got two racks. One from dragons4you and one from reptile basics. The reptile basics one is the iris sweater box model with 4 tubs. I have nothing but good things to say about my racks! They save space, it's easier to check on my animals, I use less substrate then when I use tanks, you don't necessarily have to provide hides ( I do provide hides for some of my more picky snakes though), keeps humidity better, feeding takes less time because all of my snakes are in one location, etc.

The only bad thing for me is the initial cost of purchasing the rack and the thermostat. I'm a college student so having to spend almost $500 at one time is kind of hard to make myself do but I am saving money in the long run :)


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A rack system is nice because you can keep numerous animals in a small amount of space. Some rack system are designed to have lids while others do not. Without having lids on the tubs you are able to pull the tubs out a little to feed or change water, with lids, you would have to slide the entire tub out in order to remove the lid. Another benefit I like about rack systems is that the snakes have a nice dark spot in the back that provides them with a sense of safety and security while at the same time provides light in the front so you can still have the day night cycle.
I've never had a single escape using a rack system, that doesn't mean escapes can't happen but i've never had one.
The tubs slide over the heat tape, most rack systems have the heat tape machined into the rack so the tubs do not actually touch the tape. I do not see a problem with the heat tape effecting the tubs below.

Which rack were you looking at?

Hope that helps you out.

I cant think of any cons for racks lol.

Bps dont really need a light cycle.

There are no cons to a rack IMO. It is hands down the best. Takes up less space, easy access to animals, easy to clean tubs, tubs hold temps and humidity great. No escapees. Racks and tubs are the way to go.

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I love racks too. Economical, easy to maintain temps and heat, and for ball pythons, it's the perfect environment to suit their shy personalities.

I made the mistake of drilling vent holes in 2 of my medium tubs and I'm regretting it now though. Unless you live in a naturally humid area, like along the coast or deep south, don't put lots of holes in them.

Thanks everyone for your input and advice! Now I just need to decide about buying one or trying to convince my husband to build one.

I was looking at this one

http://www.reptilebasics.com/iris-cb-70-rack

But after reading Andrew's response and more searching it looks like 41 quart is the way to go. So now I'm looking at Animal Plastics 1860/1960 4 tub rack but I have a almost 500 gram female and 70 gram male. I think Kasi would do well in larger size but what would I do about the male? I'm guessing in his 16 quart tub he would slide right in till he is ready for a larger size and just keep the lid on? What about the heat tape? Can we just put it on the 16 quart and redo the tape when we need to size up? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question:oops: but this is new territory for me.

What racks do you have/recommend?

Reptile Basics are great. Rich is awesome and has top notch customer service. The rack wont take longer than a week to get to you.

They have the sweater box one and the bigger one. I think the one you poste is the bigger cb-70 one. I have the sweaterbox one which is the equilvalent of a 32qt tub. Once i have females that are bigger than 2000-2500grams i plan to get one of the bigger model racks for them. Theyre big enough for a full grown female.

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Originally Posted by Michelle Tonkinson

Thanks everyone for your input and advice! Now I just need to decide about buying one or trying to convince my husband to build one.

I was looking at this one

http://www.reptilebasics.com/iris-cb-70-rack

But after reading Andrew's response and more searching it looks like 41 quart is the way to go. So now I'm looking at Animal Plastics 1860/1960 4 tub rack but I have a almost 500 gram female and 70 gram male. I think Kasi would do well in larger size but what would I do about the male? I'm guessing in his 16 quart tub he would slide right in till he is ready for a larger size and just keep the lid on? What about the heat tape? Can we just put it on the 16 quart and redo the tape when we need to size up? Sorry if it seems like a dumb question:oops: but this is new territory for me.

What racks do you have/recommend?

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Animal plastics is awesome, I have 3 of their CB-70 racks. My advice is buy what you really want the first time :)

I have two Animal Plastic racks currently (hatchling and a 1753 model (I think, anyway) for my males, juvenile females) and a third being built for my breeder females. Rich (at RBI) has great customer service but I haven't purchased any of his racks so I can't say on that aspect of things. The only draw back I really see to the racks are that they don't allow you to really see the animals very much...but with a ball python, that kind of goes with the territory, lol! I keep mine in a temperature controlled room that's heated and cooled and they hold the temps extremely well. As has been said, I'd say buy what you like and want the first time rather than settle. Animal Plastics has incredible customer service and their lead times for construction aren't too bad at all (6-8 weeks on the 12-slot CB-70 rack I have coming), plus their products are built like tanks. The only drawback to their racks is that they don't come with tubs, so figure that cost into your total price if you look at them versus RBI.

The cons no one comments on...

The temps are not as accurate heat rises there is often a difference from the bottom and top hot spots as apposed to the middle where the probe is usually located.

Difficulty in cleaning and disinfecting, A tank tub or enclosures can easily be reached into a rack slot is not so easy. I take as much time cleaning and disinfecting each rack slot as I do for a fully decorated enclosure.

Ambient and cool end temps have few heating options. Most rack users heat the room rather than the rack. I have never found a rack to hold more than 8º over the ambient room temps so if your room where the rack is located gets below 70º there is a huge issue to keep the cool end temps correct. It can be done (I do) but the simple solution is just to heat the room.

Humidity, correctly ventilated IMO any and all enclosures should with out a water bowl and snake with dry substrate the enclosure should be the same as the room in one hour or less (one air change per hour). So well ventilated a rack is about the same as anything else that way.

Racks are pro tools they save space in a serious way. They save money if there is a large collection of animals. I am not sure if I had a a room that average temp was in the 60s and only a few snakes if I would look at a rack. I currently own 2 tanks (side converted) two commercial enclosures (sly and vision) two tubs , and one 5 slot (animal plastics) rack. If I had room the rack would be gone it takes too long to clean (too many bruises and sore knees) and it way too complex to heat in my cool snake room (ave 63º winter and 77º summer)

I have seen many rack systems, (like at the Daytona Expo a couple of days ago), but I have never seen one that is as transparent as a tank. I like the tank because I can peek in and see my animal without moving its entire sense of the world. This is more true for my corns, as my BP is rather lazy, but either way....that is one con I can think of for a rack system, they're hard to see through. They look very industrial and I wouldn't enjoy that in my apartment. The tank has a better ambiance, with the hides and the fake leaves and substrate. I don't like the idea of keeping my pet in an opaque enclosure.

There are many pros to rack systems, such as conservation of space, but for somebody like me with 1 ball python, I don't see a need for a rack system.

every since switching to a rack system, my snakes eat so much better, all sheds come off in full, humidity is easy to maintain. cleaning everyone's tub/water dish is all in the one area, so I'm not running around. heat is consistent with all racks. I was lucky and found two of the exact same racks off kijiji, and I think I must have saved $450 buying them used.

Very happy with the racks. Can't wait to find more. :gj:

There are no cons to a rack systems for ball pythons. They aren't a display animal. If I want to enjoy the beauty of one I take it out of it's tub. I believe people use display tanks with ball pythons for their own enjoyment not for the benifit of the animal, not that there is anything wrong with that if all the specifications are being met.

Love my snake racks, it makes taking care of them so much easier, my husband just made me another one for my babies, i just needed a rack that will hold 8 tubs but came home and he made me one that will hold 36 :D.

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I believe people use display tanks with ball pythons for their own enjoyment not for the benifit of the animal

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Isn't that the definition of a pet, keeping an animal for the benefit of the human? If we didn't benefit (or think that we benefit)from having the animal, why would anybody keep it? There are a few rescue centers that might, but then those aren't exactly pets...yet.

Anything is a display animal if you put on display. That doesn't mean you should though.

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not that there is anything wrong with that if all the specifications are being met

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Thank you for this qualifier.

Back on topic....

One con for a tank, which equals a pro for rack system, is humidity issues. Tanks can be problematic at keeping humidity levels where they should be. Tanks also weigh a lot more than racks, which can be an issue for moving them around.

Humidity is a minor concern at the best of times. Personally I have never had a bad shed and no humidity problems with rack tank enclosure. Even when the room is 30%rh. It only takes understanding of what you are dealing with. There are so much false information about humidity out there it is ridiculous!! Light bulbs suck the water from the air for example... Glass is as close to 100% water proof as you can get.

Racks ate great tools but the cost of heating a whole room can be exceptionally hight depending. Too high in many cases. If you are unwilling unable to do so it may not be the best tool.


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[QUOTE=captainjack0000;1899549]Isn't that the definition of a pet, keeping an animal for the benefit of the human? If we didn't benefit (or think that we benefit)from having the animal, why would anybody keep it? There are a few rescue centers that might, but then those aren't exactly pets...yet.

Anything is a display animal if you put on display. That doesn't mean you should though. QUOTE]

Most of the things you said I can agree with, I keep animals because they are benificial to me. What I was stating is that using tanks is only benificial to the human not to the ball python. Even though I know it can be done properly I firmly believe using a proper rack system is much better for them. I've taken peoples ball pythons with all the proper setups with all the fancy decor one could imagine because they couldn't get it to eat or other issues. After being put into a rack every single one of them thrived never showing the "issues" they had previously.

Sure you can say a ball python is a display animal because you put it in a tank, but ball pythons are not display animals. They spend 80+% of their lives hiding in tight burrows they can barely fit it not displaying themselves.

So back on topic, all pros with racks and plenty of cons with display enclosures.

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Light bulbs suck the water from the air for example

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Whatever the reason, I had lower humidity when I (used) heat lamps in the past.

Either way, I can't imagine people using heat lamps on a rack system, so that is another pro for racks.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Humidity is a minor concern at the best of times. Personally I have never had a bad shed and no humidity problems with rack tank enclosure. Even when the room is 30%rh. It only takes understanding of what you are dealing with. There are so much false information about humidity out there it is ridiculous!! Light bulbs suck the water from the air for example... Glass is as close to 100% water proof as you can get.

Racks ate great tools but the cost of heating a whole room can be exceptionally hight depending. Too high in many cases. If you are unwilling unable to do so it may not be the best tool.


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I'm one who uses racks and I don't heat my snake room. It is my own personal opinion that we have been keeping ball pythons too warm.

I give mine a warm spot between 86 and 88 and the ambient temp in the room is about 74 degrees.

In seven years of keeping my critters this way, I've never (knock wood) had an RI in my collection.

To the original question, for me and mine, there are no cons to racks.


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Originally Posted by rabernet

I'm one who uses racks and I don't heat my snake room. It is my own personal opinion that we have been keeping ball pythons too warm.

I give mine a warm spot between 86 and 88 and the ambient temp in the room is about 74 degrees.

In seven years of keeping my critters this way, I've never (knock wood) had an RI in my collection.

To the original question, for me and mine, there are no cons to racks.


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I have never had a heated room and all of my temps are perfect as well.

The only con to rack systems IMO is not having the money to fill every available slot at the moment... I have empty rack slots mocking me every day... :rolleye2:

With out secondary heat my rack sits at 66/88 too cool by far. I must have secondary heat to hold 78-80 ambient and cool side of 77-80. I agree that many keep them too warm but in a cool room racks simply cannot hold enough heat to work properly. I call 68º normal and below this cool. I have never seen a rack with only hot spots hold correct temps in a cool room. The breeders whom use racks in my area all heat the room none I know has a rack in an unregulated room. It is a huge down side, enclosures and tanks both hold heat better and have many more heating options.

Even when I lived in Wisconsin I didn't have a heated room. I just used belly heat for the hot spot and back heat to get the ambient temps. It worked perfectly I never had problems with it, but I can see that type of setup getting expensive if you have a decent number of snakes.

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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

The only con to rack systems IMO is not having the money to fill every available slot at the moment... I have empty rack slots mocking me every day... :rolleye2:

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I know what you mean, my new rack will have 29 slots with no snakes :(

Cons to rack systems:

I think it's so amazing that we are able to keep these amazing and gorgeous animals in our homes... Why anyone would want to put them in something that you can't easily look into doesn't make sense for me. On the same subject, I like keeping an eye on the snakes when they're in their enclosures so I know when they're active / looking for food, when they're going into shed, and when I need to clean up. Just in general, I don't like keeping my snakes in boxes. But that's just me.

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Originally Posted by eel588

Even when I lived in Wisconsin I didn't have a heated room. I just used belly heat for the hot spot and back heat to get the ambient temps. It worked perfectly I never had problems with it, but I can see that type of setup getting expensive if you have a decent number of snakes.

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Back heat is secondary heat. What would happen with out it? It is easier to heat the room as most breeders do, but there are other methods available for secondary heating. Heating the room is often the simplest method I would guess 90% of racks exist in regulated rooms and half the remaining run some sort of secondary heat as you did (and I do).

I feel that the, "racks are better than any other option answer" is unfair. They are NOT perfect it is hard to hold exact temps top to bottom. Secondary heating options are very limited (carbon resister/cable, and room heating, perhaps goldenrods. If there are any other ways to heat a rack I am all ears.) proper cleaning/disinfecting of an open tub design is difficult at best. (disinfectants used according to the manufacturers instructions, not the "I made this way up and it works for me" method, I am speaking of the TESTED PROVEN methods, correct dilutions, contact times, used on clean surfaces)

The OP asked an intelligent question and deserves an honest evaluation of racks. How many have posted with issues of cool sides too cool? Quite a number, and often they race forward to buy a rack thinking it will solve all their problems, only to discover they just exchanged one set of issues for another.

Many people posting here run racks with flexwatt over powered, according to the manufacturer, (at least the older flexwatt) it is only rated to sustained 100ºF no higher. Setting a t-stat to 106 to get 90 to my mind there is too much heat loss to the ambient air temps. The whole rack and room temps need to be rethought. But yet it is so common.

Racks don't do well in rooms at or below 68º, simple truth, I have never seen a rack with only primary heat hold more than 4-6º over the room temp.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Back heat is secondary heat. What would happen with out it? It is easier to heat the room as most breeders do, but there are other methods available for secondary heating. Heating the room is often the simplest method I would guess 90% of racks exist in regulated rooms and half the remaining run some sort of secondary heat as you did (and I do).

I feel that the, "racks are better than any other option answer" is unfair. They are NOT perfect it is hard to hold exact temps top to bottom. Secondary heating options are very limited (carbon resister/cable, and room heating, perhaps goldenrods. If there are any other ways to heat a rack I am all ears.) proper cleaning/disinfecting of an open tub design is difficult at best. (disinfectants used according to the manufacturers instructions, not the "I made this way up and it works for me" method, I am speaking of the TESTED PROVEN methods, correct dilutions, contact times, used on clean surfaces)

The OP asked an intelligent question and deserves an honest evaluation of racks. How many have posted with issues of cool sides too cool? Quite a number, and often they race forward to buy a rack thinking it will solve all their problems, only to discover they just exchanged one set of issues for another.

Many people posting here run racks with flexwatt over powered, according to the manufacturer, (at least the older flexwatt) it is only rated to sustained 100ºF no higher. Setting a t-stat to 106 to get 90 to my mind there is too much heat loss to the ambient air temps. The whole rack and room temps need to be rethought. But yet it is so common.

Racks don't do well in rooms at or below 68º, simple truth, I have never seen a rack with only primary heat hold more than 4-6º over the room temp.

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This winter I will actually be giving the heated dedicated room a try with hot spots of course now that I'm a home owner. I agree that if you have a room to provide it's probably in your best interest to do so. At the same time I don't believe that it is impossible to create optimal environments without it. I'm a huge believer that there are many ways to properly care for any number of species. Ball Pythons are hardy animals and numerous techniques work and work very well. I have yet to find any cons of a rack like the ones you are mentioning. I've never had a cool/hot spot issue, shedding issues, illness, and I've lived in 4 different places and 2 different states one of which the housing temps were below 70F all winter in Wisconsin. I build my own racks and they have all worked as perfect as I'm going to get at this point but I've always used closed designs. Another thing I should mention is that a lot of racks that are pre-built have an open design or only offer belly or back heat. With that type of setup I can see why people would have problems keeping proper temps without a heated room. Those issues are simply avoided by purchasing or making racks that will work well in your situation.

As I stated above and earlier in the thread you can house your animal anyway you want as long as you provide all the necessities. I gave an honest answer in the fact that in my opinion nothing works better than a rack system and I see zero cons. I don't see how anyone could argue that there is a better option of keeping a sterile environment when using tubs over other options. If you only have one to two ball pythons use single tub setups, it's the same thing. I've done those as well when I first started out they also held perfect temps. It takes a day or so of messing around with your thermostat and heat placement. It's why you should never purchase an animal without having a proper enclosure ready to go.

Thank you again for everyone's replies! I'm so glad I asked.

I had not given thought to room temp. I keep the snakes in my room because it's the quietest and the girls friends are not allowed in there. Upstairs tends to run warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. Right now it works out fine but now I'm wondering about winter temps. I had no idea that you could do belly heat and back heat and I actually may need that if upstairs is too cool.

I am no longer considering building one. I want to make sure the heat tape is done properly especially if we need two kinds of heat. Also rethinking size. I know 41quart for adults but I have a female that is not quite 500 grams and a new baby bee that is 70 grams. I'm guessing I won't need adult tubs for awhile and I want them to feel secure. We have had Kasi the female for almost two months so I am ways away from even giving a thought into someday breeding.

Tank vs Tub. I loved seeing this dicussed! . I'll admit having them in a rack with the sides covered did give me pause but I did not think about them living in a burrow and honestly they are in hides most of the time anyway or I could not have sides on the rack.
I think what is suitable for some snakes would not be good for others. I know Kasi would not be happy in a tank.

Talked to my husband a little this evening. Can anyone chime in about using a heat cable? Does the flexiwatt get damaged over time with it being on the bottom of tub and getting rubbed by sliding the tub? Where do you have your tape for belly heat and if you also use back heat for your tubs?

Belly heat, taped to shelf itself, under tub, not on the tub itself. So tub slides over it. That way you can remove tub for cleaning if needed.

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Once you go rack, you never go back;)

Cons: when you have an empty slot you have to fill it and than you have to buy another rack because you're out of room.......it's a never ending story :rolleye2:

But like Raul said

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Once you go rack, you never go back

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I would check out animal plastics. The racks come with heat tape i think i paid 440 for mine shipped i have the 1753(10) holds 10 32q tubs or 20 15q tubs

http://www.apcages.com/

hope this helps

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Cons: when you have an empty slot you have to fill it and than you have to buy another rack because you're out of room.......it's a never ending story :rolleye2:

But like Raul said

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Lol, guess you found the con....:D

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Originally Posted by Michelle Tonkinson

Are there any cons to a rack system? The price I saw for what I might be interested in was right around $300 which I thought was reasonable and I know there is a wait time from when you order.

Thanks in advance for opinions.

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The tubs are clear, so light passes through. The dimness just makes the snakes happy--they'd be hiding in burrows during the day anyhow.

The only con I am aware of: You cannot see the animals in there very well, so they're not good for display.

Thanks again for the replies!:D

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Animal Plastics. I emailed them with a couple questions and Ali emailed me back within a few hours!

I think I am going to go with the 4 row rack that can hold both 15 and 32 quart tubs which should last me awhile with both snakes being so small and I'll get another rack once they are ready to size up. I already have "ideas" for the two empty slots:P.
After doing some thermostat research I'm going to go with the Herpstat 1. I'll feel better having a relay just in case something goes wrong.

Cons? What Cons? :)

- CCarr33