Racks-- Reptile Basics

I am considering moving my BP's into a rack since my pied has been having a terrible time with shedding. I don't really care for racks, but I hate having to stress her out to get stuck shed off her. I was looking at the Reptile Basics CB-70 racks. Anyone have this rack or a similar Reptile Basics model? Do you think them? Would you buy again? Do you find your BP's shed better in racks than not?

What do you keep your snake in now? Do you just have one snake? Do you plan on getting more?

I wanted a PVC enclosure, a T8, but didn't want to spend the money on the enclosure and the RHP's, etc...

I bought an old used plastic type enclosure, very thin-walled, when I got my bp. I had to use a UTH and a CHE to keep temps good. With some work, I had humidity fairly stable. I decided maybe a rack was a better option, so I built one. I still had to use a radiant oil heater in the room near my rack to keep ambient temperatures where I wanted them. Humidty is easier to keep up in a tub ( I used lids on my tubs, many do not).

While the rack solved one problem(humidity), it created another one(low ambient temps). It was an easy fix for me, but it will depend on your room temperature and your rack size/style, and heating methods. If you only have one or two snakes, i think PVC enclosures are well worth the money. I ended up changing my mind again and now have a T8 on the way. If you are going to have more than two or three snakes, I think a rack is the way to go. The more snakes you have, the cost per snake drops drastically with a rack system.

I just ordered one of these the other day. So hopefully the answers you get are that they are great;) I have an AP rack right now that I love and was considering getting an enclosed rack from AP but they were too expensive since I didn't need 10 spaces right this second. I figured with reptile basics I can buy another one at a later date to stack on top plus shipping was included in the price which was nice!

I'll let you know in a few day? I ordered the sweaterbox rack from them, with dividers until my little slithers get big enough for the full size tub. I got an email the next day with my order on it and a tracking number, which denoted a two-part shipment - I'd ordered a few other things as well. The tracking number gave me a delivery date, but it never said that anything had been shipped - on the delivery date, the smaller items I'd ordered arrived, so I emailed to make sure that the rack wasn't supposed to have arrived, as well. It does say give them a two week lead time - I just wanted to be sure. The response I got was that it would be shipped in two days. A week later, I called, and was told that it would ship by the following Monday. The following Tuesday I emailed again, and was told that it would ship within two days. That time, it actually DID ship in two days, and is scheduled to arrive today.

I was told when I called that the delay had been due to their machinery malfunctioning. So basically, it took about a three week lead time in the end, despite their assurances. I'm waiting to see what the rack and dividers look like before I decide if I'll order from them again.

I only have two right now- a normal and a pied. My normal is very large-- over 4' at this point and chunky. He is in a 30 gallon which has a 12" x 36" footprint, so I want to go with the CB-70 to give more space for him, instead of less (with the sweaterbox). My pied is the one who has been having shed issues. If I got the three slot rack, I'm sure I wouldn't mind having another snake to fill it-- probably either an albino BP or maybe another pied. Pied are my favorite morph. So variable. Would I keep more eventually? Possibly.

My ambient heat in the basement is low-mid 70's. I would probably get belly heat and run it with a Ranco thermostate. Had plastic cages from AP once and didn't care for them. They were very bulky, impossible to light, so very dark inside. Not a lot of useful space.

I have one RB CB-70 and several other racks from them. I like them. I find no difference in shedding in tubs vs. cages.

I've got my rack from them now. A different one thank you are looking at - but same manufacturer. It seems to be solidly built and well put together. The only thing I don't care for about it is that when sliding the tub in, just before it's all the way in the back catches on the groove that holds the heat tape, and getting it over that point frequently sloshes the water in the bowls. Everything fits together well - it came pre-assembled, of course, so it should - and it was very well packaged. I will need to add ventilation holes to the tubs, however, since they hold humidity a little too well, particularly with the water getting sloshed a bit. I got dividers for my tubs until the snakes grow into them, and the dividers fit very securely, though each divider being three separate pieces makes it a bit awkward to get it together after cleaning without things coming apart. Part of the reason for that is that I use un-printed newsprint for substrate, and I have it beneath the divider. Unless you get dividers, that's no concern.

Another small issue is that there's not enough room between the bottom of the tub and the heat tape to put the thermostat probe there without the tub catching and yanking at it constantly, so I ended up putting it to the side of the tub. However, when I DID have it there, I had about a twenty degree disparity between thermostat temperature and tub temperature, and now that I've moved it, I have about a two degree disparity. It's holding heat well, holding humidity well as previously noted, and the tubs are easy to clean other than wrestling with the dividers to put them back together.

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Originally Posted by Caspian

I've got my rack from them now. A different one thank you are looking at - but same manufacturer. It seems to be solidly built and well put together. The only thing I don't care for about it is that when sliding the tub in, just before it's all the way in the back catches on the groove that holds the heat tape, and getting it over that point frequently sloshes the water in the bowls. Everything fits together well - it came pre-assembled, of course, so it should - and it was very well packaged. I will need to add ventilation holes to the tubs, however, since they hold humidity a little too well, particularly with the water getting sloshed a bit. I got dividers for my tubs until the snakes grow into them, and the dividers fit very securely, though each divider being three separate pieces makes it a bit awkward to get it together after cleaning without things coming apart. Part of the reason for that is that I use un-printed newsprint for substrate, and I have it beneath the divider. Unless you get dividers, that's no concern.

Another small issue is that there's not enough room between the bottom of the tub and the heat tape to put the thermostat probe there without the tub catching and yanking at it constantly, so I ended up putting it to the side of the tub. However, when I DID have it there, I had about a twenty degree disparity between thermostat temperature and tub temperature, and now that I've moved it, I have about a two degree disparity. It's holding heat well, holding humidity well as previously noted, and the tubs are easy to clean other than wrestling with the dividers to put them back together.

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Thanks for the review. Did you ever drill the holes? Did it help with the humidity?

Thanks for the update. I just went ahead and ordered an Iris CB-70 rack with a Ranco thermostat. I've had a Ranco on my other cages for some time and really like them. At one point I had all my snakes in racks, but found that I prefer keeping the Colubrids in cages where I can see them when they are out and about (and mine often are). With the BP's, even in cages, they hide in their caves and rarely leave, so I don't feel badly having them in racks.

Since we will now have three rack slots, we also went ahead and picked up another BP. Got a male mojave coming next week.

There's always room for one more!

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Originally Posted by Hypancistrus

Since we will now have three rack slots, we also went ahead and picked up another BP. Got a male mojave coming next week.

There's always room for one more!

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Just remember to quarantine that male for at least 90 days before you move him into the rack.

And now that you have one rack, prepare to buy another.:D

He is a baby so I will be QTing him in a 10 gallon 3 floors away from the rest. I'll probably leave him in the 10 for some time. 33" x 17" is a lot of space for a baby ball python.

I have their sweaterbox rack with dividers and love it. Im buying a cb70 rack from them soon!

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Originally Posted by Hypancistrus

Thanks for the review. Did you ever drill the holes? Did it help with the humidity?

Thanks for the update. I just went ahead and ordered an Iris CB-70 rack with a Ranco thermostat. I've had a Ranco on my other cages for some time and really like them. At one point I had all my snakes in racks, but found that I prefer keeping the Colubrids in cages where I can see them when they are out and about (and mine often are). With the BP's, even in cages, they hide in their caves and rarely leave, so I don't feel badly having them in racks.

Since we will now have three rack slots, we also went ahead and picked up another BP. Got a male mojave coming next week.

There's always room for one more!

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I used a large nail and a blowtorch to melt holes, rather than drilling them. Each tub has 14 1/4" holes across the front of it now, about 1/4th the height of the tub from the top, and the humidity is averaging between 60% and 85%, depending on the weather (I live in the High Desert of Nevada, so low humidity is more of a concern than high, usually). Mostly, it's holding in around 75%, and I'm getting great sheds. My largest female's tub gets higher humidity, because she insistently pushes her water dish to the back over the heat tape every day. Temperatures are holding strong at around 89f. on the hot end, 75f on the cool end. The snakes tend to hang out in the middle, and shift back and forth depending on the time of day or night. Over time and with use, the tubs are sliding in and out more smoothly than they were, though they still catch sometimes and have to be maneuvered a bit - pull on the lip, push on the base - to get them all the way in. I've got the BP's in tubs split by dividers, so two to a tub (with no access to each other!) on newsprint, and my Kingsnake in the full bottom tub by himself on aspen chip. Everyone seems happy except for my little tiny captive-hatched boy, Lue, who is being a brat about eating. I recently crammed his cage full of filler to see if that would help, but I can still only get him to eat by putting him in a butter dish with a warmed up f/t mouse for a couple hours. No zombie dances - they scare him. No live - they scare him. Quiet, dark, solitude, and forced proximity, and he'll eat - sometimes. If I leave it in front of the hide he's in, he leaves and goes to another hide. Pesky little bugger. That's one problem with the divided tubs in the sweaterbox rack. It's very difficult to restrict access to a smaller area inside it. The space for each snake ends up being long and narrow. I think I would like it better if the tubs were broadside, instead of lengthwise, in the rack.

I use a large Rubbermaid tupperware container with Weathershield locks. It prevents them from escaping but is great for keeping in humidity. I drill the holes and then cut off the balled up plastic so the snake doesn't scrape itself. I don't ever need to mist or do anything special for humidity, and the snakes like the smaller area (feels more secure) but they also have a little more room than they would in a bin. I like having leafy plants in the containers too.

Sorry to bump an older topic but I have the same rack coming today. I am wondering do the 3 tubs NEED holes drilled through the front? Or is it not air tight to where the snakes will be fine without any holes? The ambient temps are around 78%. Gonna put thermostat to 90%.

I have a few of these and much prefer them. I also have some of the dividers, I used some black non toxic silicone to adhere the ends together to assist in having to reassemble every time. As for the holes in the tubs for humidity/ventilation, I used a soldering iron, places perfectly round holes with smooth edges. Lastly, I trimmed, or rounded the feet on the bottom rear side of the tub to help with the tubs catching on the groove lip, not perfect but better.

When all said and done, after a few simple modifications I am very pleased with this rack/tubs combo.