rack precautions

im thinking about building my own rack, im purchasing another ball soon (possibly monday) and this would be easier then my tubs and multiple thermostats. my main concern is how easily would the snakes be able to escape from a rack ? has anyone had issues like this ?

I built my rack 2 years ago and haven't had an escape yet. Just be careful with your spacing and you shouldn't have a problem. I put 2 cd's on each corner of my tubs to get the spacing that I wanted.

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Originally Posted by jtipton

I built my rack 2 years ago and haven't had an escape yet. Just be careful with your spacing and you shouldn't have a problem. I put 2 cd's on each corner of my tubs to get the spacing that I wanted.

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The CDs thing didn't work for me, a lot of my tubs stick and are hard to pull out. I used vinyl tile from Lowes thats 1/3" thick and all the tubs slide fine.

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Originally Posted by jtipton

I built my rack 2 years ago and haven't had an escape yet. Just be careful with your spacing and you shouldn't have a problem. I put 2 cd's on each corner of my tubs to get the spacing that I wanted.

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what did you build yours out of? ive seen melamine, and azek board and regular wood ones. im open for any suggestions

I built mine out of 3/4 in ply wood. I wouldn't really recommend plywood though. Even being painted and sealed it has a bad tendency to grow mold. It has to be scrubbed down pretty often. I am going to build new ones soon and will most likely be using melamine.

I used melamine shelves and two by fours to cut the weight down. They're still heavy, but they would be heavier.

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Originally Posted by Kodieh

I used melamine shelves and two by fours to cut the weight down. They're still heavy, but they would be heavier.

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Casters make them move so much easier :gj::gj:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Casters make them move so much easier :gj::gj:

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This is also true! If I move them (which may be in the next year), I'm going to splurge on some great casters. ;)

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Just buy expanded PVC. It's like $35 a sheet and it's what a lot of your better racks are made of.

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Originally Posted by jtipton

I built mine out of 3/4 in ply wood. I wouldn't really recommend plywood though. Even being painted and sealed it has a bad tendency to grow mold.

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When I had mine I built the rack with the tubs lids on and left the wood untreated. The lids made sure if a snake tried to get out and I was puling the tub I not be twisting the skin against the wood. and I never had a mold problem. I built my racks so they held 14 tubs each and were only a little over 4 ft tall. I did put a 1x4 strip along the bottom as A: kick plate if I kicked it while doing something. and B: to allow the lowest 2 tubs to not be right on the floor( the back left open to allow the air to flow under the rack.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Just buy expanded PVC. It's like $35 a sheet and it's what a lot of your better racks are made of.

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Not sure about everyone else, but there is no one in my town that has xpvc.

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Originally Posted by mechnut450

When I had mine I built the rack with the tubs lids on and left the wood untreated. The lids made sure if a snake tried to get out and I was puling the tub I not be twisting the skin against the wood. and I never had a mold problem. I built my racks so they held 14 tubs each and were only a little over 4 ft tall. I did put a 1x4 strip along the bottom as A: kick plate if I kicked it while doing something. and B: to allow the lowest 2 tubs to not be right on the floor( the back left open to allow the air to flow under the rack.

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I didn't want to deal with the hassle of lids. I bought the smoothest ply wood I could find (I believe that Lowe's called them project panels). I used a 2x4 base and casters so mine wouldn't be right on the floor.

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Originally Posted by Kodieh

Not sure about everyone else, but there is no one in my town that has xpvc.

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Same here. I haven't been able to find anywhere even remotely close to me that sells it.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Just buy expanded PVC. It's like $35 a sheet and it's what a lot of your better racks are made of.

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Where the heck are you getting 1/2" 4'×8' sheets of this stuff for that price? The only place I can get it is an hour and a half away, or I have to pay freight, which is like another $150. This is on top of it being about 60 bucks a sheet.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Just buy expanded PVC. It's like $35 a sheet and it's what a lot of your better racks are made of.

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Care to hhok us up with a name and supplier in my area?

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Care to hhok us up with a name and supplier in my area?

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I'll call the place tomorrow and see if they ship. They're local here so going to Texas shouldn't be bad. They'll also cut it for you if you give the measurements.

I didn't realize that it wasn't as common as it seemed here, sorry, lol.

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Originally Posted by Neal

I'll call the place tomorrow and see if they ship. They're local here so going to Texas shouldn't be bad. They'll also cut it for you if you give the measurements.

I didn't realize that it wasn't as common as it seemed here, sorry, lol.

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yea i was looking at prices online for lowes and home depot to get materials i would need and its so expensive. but hey thats what xmas money is for right :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by bandicoot4

yea i was looking at prices online for lowes and home depot to get materials i would need and its so expensive. but hey thats what xmas money is for right :rolleyes:

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I didn't think lowes or home depot sold that. Yea materials can be expensive and I'm not one to sit there and build stuff so even though I can get all of the stuff to do my own racks, I still prefer to have Chris build them.