Rack/Tubs question

In the near future i am wanting to switch to a rack system or at least tubs, but have some questions about it im sure you all can answer :).
-First off my house can drop as low as 67 degrees on cold days and not get above the 75 mark all day if it stays cold, will this be a problem or will the heat tape be enough to keep them warm?

-Second do you have to have a different thermostat for each tub or can you somehow connect it so 1 controls them all?

-Lastly I plan on keeping my collection relatively small (5-6 tubs at most since i have two t8s as well) so could i just get a adult sized rack/tub and raise them even from juvies from there if i clutter it up? I just don't see the need to buy a rack to turn around and buy another a year later.. Sorry for the long post but cant wait to hear some help Thanks :)

Depending on the type of heat tape yes, ambient temps will be a BIG problem. Heat tape does basically nothing to raise the cold side temperature. So you will be risking either RIs because of the low temps or your snakes never wanting to leave the tape because its to cold everywhere else, so now you are only providing 4"x16" or so of useful space. I keep my racks in a dedicated reptile room with separate ambient heating from the rest of my house. A lot of people here do the same. Its the tradeoff with the space efficiency of racks

That being said I did see an interesting rack design at the last reptile show that was built with this issue specifically in mind. It used much larger heat tape then the usual 4" (I think it was 12"? Not 100%). It also had a slot where you could add additional 4" tape to the cool side yourself and run it on a separate thermostat to control your cool side. Unfortunately I am completely blanking on the dude's name, all I can remember is that he won a reptile report award for his racks.

Yes, you can raise babies in adult sized tubs. I am currently doing it with several juvenile BPs in V70 tubs without any issues

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Heat tape does little to effect the air temp inside any type of enclosure, including tubs and racks systems. If your house drops that low, I would suggest you use a radiant type heater to keep to keep your snake room at a higher temp.

I use a different thermostat for each rack, which in my case, is four tubs. You can string together multiple tubs on one strip of heat tape, or even multiple strips as long as they all pull the same wattage.

I have been successful at keeping Ball Pythons from 150 grams up thru adulthood in the same 32 qt tubs. I do clutter the tubs up with extra hides when the snakes are small, and so far, have never had feeding problems.

i have plenty of space to keep a rack but not a whole room to section off and heat separately. So you all are saying im basically out of luck unless i get a space heater or something?

I have done "area" heating in a larger room the past. It's not the best course of action, but you can get by with it in a pinch. I have also been know to insulate racks with comforters and blankets during really bad cold snaps.

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Originally Posted by Slim

I have done "area" heating in a larger room the past. It's not the best course of action, but you can get by with it in a pinch. I have also been know to insulate racks with comforters and blankets during really bad cold snaps.

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Well the winter is really the only time my house gets that cold, but in the summer its so hot it never goes below 75. given that winter is just now ending i wont have to deal with this problem till december. The only other thing i could do is put them in the guest room which is never used but its on the same a/c and heat as the whole downstairs so how could i effectively heat just that room?

I had this exact same question! Im planning on getting a rack for my ball pythons of various sizes, and I cant decide on what size to get. Thanks for the post!

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Originally Posted by Tunechi

Well the winter is really the only time my house gets that cold, but in the summer its so hot it never goes below 75. given that winter is just now ending i wont have to deal with this problem till december. The only other thing i could do is put them in the guest room which is never used but its on the same a/c and heat as the whole downstairs so how could i effectively heat just that room?

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Close the A/C vents and get a space heater for the room. I have a Lasko Ceramic Element which is a tower space heater that actually has a thermostat on it. It oscillates to spread the heat thru the room and shuts off once the desired temp is reached. I think its perfect in that it doesn't always have to stay on. I also second the idea of wrapping the rack in a blanket to help insulate it.

On a side note, can anyone give input on the assembled weight of these plastic racks? I'm assuming they are fairly light weight with not much insulation?

ill go against the herd and say that if the hot spot is fine, and you maybe add some more warmth to the enclosure, the BP will be fine.

cooler room temperatures are something that can be figured out. most people that only keep one BP as a pet face this issue, and they resolve it by adding more sources of heat into the terrarium / vivarium / enclosure. so im sure there is an acceptable solution to be found.

also, one realisation from physics: if you transfer electrical energy into heat, in itself that will be free of any losses, the question is how to best distribute it and keep it where it is needed. electricity to heat is an energy conversion where you can expect (close to) 100% efficiency in all (every-day) cases. the question is: where does the heat go, and how much of it is used for the purpose?

keeping the enclosures warm enough is an easier task than keeping the whole room warm enough, because it does not involve warming all the walls of the room.

i think you will need at least two good thermostats and a smart design. generally you dont need one thermostat per tub, they can be linked together.

I'll add some observations and hope they help, I've been using a 41q and a 28q rack for some time. I let my ambients fluctuate with the seasons with only minimal influence from me depending on the time of yr! With an ambient temp of 70 degrees, the 28q can maintain 90-93 hot spot and the cold end of 78-80, t
With the 41s it's a bit more drastic but hot spot 88-90 and cold end 76/78. This is in a room that was averaging 68-72 all with 3 inch heat tape. Those were my observations after moving my collection into their new room. Now I have since set up a heater to raise the ambient to 75ish and now have cool sides of 80-82 for the 28s and 78-80 for the 41s. Based on my observations in my room the hot spot can help increase ambient temps inside the tub by quite a bit.
Hope this helps out!!


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I just heat my whole room with no heat tape or any other form of heating. Been working excelent. Just hooked up a 1500w ceramic heater to a Ranco 111000 etc. I've been keeping my room at 90° and everything poops, eats, urates and sheds perfectly without exception. It's not for everyone but works great for me and my snakes.

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Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

I just heat my whole room with no heat tape or any other form of heating. Been working excelent. Just hooked up a 1500w ceramic heater to a Ranco 111000 etc. I've been keeping my room at 90° and everything poops, eats, urates and sheds perfectly without exception. It's not for everyone but works great for me and my snakes.

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thats exactly how all the really large breeders do it, and its perfectly fine, you just need really good insulation.

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

thats exactly how all the really large breeders do it, and its perfectly fine, you just need really good insulation.

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Ya I insulated and eliminated the Window in the room, insulated and eliminated the HVAC register, sealed off the door, insulated the attic access door and secured it, and insulated the plugs switches and outlets. And for safety installed a keyed lock to the room.

Also installed a ceiling fan to circulate the warm air so it is more even from floor to ceiling. Even the carpet stays warm.

Great thing about a sealed, insulated and heated room, if you need to clean a cage or repair a rack, the snake can sit in any tote and stay warm for extended periods of time even. And even if a hatchling escapes it can't get out, and I have piece of mind knowing that it will stay warm until I find it. Makes everything so much safer and easier.

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Originally Posted by PweEzy

Close the A/C vents and get a space heater for the room. I have a Lasko Ceramic Element which is a tower space heater that actually has a thermostat on it. It oscillates to spread the heat thru the room and shuts off once the desired temp is reached. I think its perfect in that it doesn't always have to stay on. I also second the idea of wrapping the rack in a blanket to help insulate it.

On a side note, can anyone give input on the assembled weight of these plastic racks? I'm assuming they are fairly light weight with not much insulation?

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That is looking like my best option, that would be perfect to have a heater with a thermostat on it to shut off once temp is reached. which lasko are you using specifically and is it working well for you?

Thank you everyone for all the great input :) , now can you who are using heaters give me suggestions on some good reliable ones that in your experience work the best. thanks :colbert2:

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Originally Posted by Tunechi

That is looking like my best option, that would be perfect to have a heater with a thermostat on it to shut off once temp is reached. which lasko are you using specifically and is it working well for you?

Thank you everyone for all the great input :) , now can you who are using heaters give me suggestions on some good reliable ones that in your experience work the best. thanks :colbert2:

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Just a word of warning don't rely on the T-stat on the heater. They often fail and cooking your snakes is not fun. The best option Imo is to buy a cheaper heater (sans all the fancy options) and run it off of a Ranco T-stat. The cheaper heater paired with the inexpensive T-stat will not only save you a ton of money, but it will also give you better control and piece of mind.

The t-stat on my heater failed after only 2 weeks, but the heater itself runs like a champ. Lot of guys go this route for good reason.

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Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

Just a word of warning don't rely on the T-stat on the heater. They often fail and cooking your snakes is not fun. The best option Imo is to buy a cheaper heater (sans all the fancy options) and run it off of a Ranco T-stat. The cheaper heater paired with the inexpensive T-stat will not only save you a ton of money, but it will also give you better control and piece of mind.

The t-stat on my heater failed after only 2 weeks, but the heater itself runs like a champ. Lot of guys go this route for good reason.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3

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Ahhh thank you I was thinking how accurate/reliable just the tstat on a heater would be. That makes much more sense doing it that way. I would greatly appreciate if you could give me a link to a Ranco t-stats I googled it they make a lot of different ones :rolleye2: thanks!

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Originally Posted by Tunechi

Ahhh thank you I was thinking how accurate/reliable just the tstat on a heater would be. That makes much more sense doing it that way. I would greatly appreciate if you could give me a link to a Ranco t-stats I googled it they make a lot of different ones :rolleye2: thanks!

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Just go with the 111000ETC. That one works for the application perfectly

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