Fully Enclosed Snake Racks?

so far because it is this time of year. i seem to be doing ok keeping my temperatures alright for my first BP. however, i am concerned about the coming months and when things get cold. I do not have a room that i can just keep hot all the time nor do i have any desire to do so for my whole house. i do not have a closet i can use either. my setup now is a 15 QT tub with two heating mats for hot and cold side with thermostats. i know this will not be good enough when my house is in the 60s. and at some point he is gonna need to upgrade to a 28 qt which will be a little harder to get my temps right from what i am reading because it is bigger.

I plan to get more snakes (i only want about 5 total) but only if i can keep them healthy and safe. I want to use a rack system. i like how efficient they are and still give the animal the security it needs and i can slowly add to my collection with appropriate tubs sizes and upgrade as needed and fit the tubs on to the shelves. I do not think a normal snake rack will be able to provide the heat that is needed in a house that cold or even colder to keep the animals safe with just belly heat alone. (i live in Louisiana and do not run the heater often). do they make a fully enclosed snake rack (obviously with breathing holes) or is there a DIY that is of similar nature that someone can point me in the right direction to?

basically what i am envisioning is a snake rack like you normally see with the belly heat with the hot side but the behind the hot side is a separate compartment that has a heating element or some sorts (oil heater, a panel, idk something that's safe) and a door on the front. its like a regular snake rack but is a little longer to accommodate the heating element and has a door to keep in the heat.

does something like this exist? or am i stupid? I'm concerned I'm gonna need to give my snake away because his well being might be in jeopardy come the colder months. sorry not trying to be dramatic i just don't want him to die and it is my fault.

Thanks everyone!

When you get creative with "DIY", there's no limits. Not sure of the actual dimensions you'd need ultimately to fit your "rack system", but from where I sit, I'd look into furniture, specifically a large "wardrobe" made of wood (great insulation) that you could modify. I've modified furniture in the past to suit my snakes, & so have many others. There's newly-built (I'd avoid anything made of particle-board stuff) or used furniture (check ads & thrift stores), or even un-finished (solid wood) furniture you can buy & finish to your own preferences.

If you do any staining (etc) though, you need to let it off-gas for a long time for safety (so get started long before you need it!)-your snakes should never be breathing any fumes from such products, & you'd want to use low or no-VOC products anyway- they're healthier for you too. We have members here that have serious skills that will hopefully chime in with their suggestions, & you might find a local handyman/furniture guy that needs the work to build it for you, to your exact specs.

One large cabinet that I converted years ago, I did most of the work myself (I have some experience finishing furniture, & the "open" cabinet was bought unfinished- I added a back, sides ventilated with perforated metal, a recessed light in the lift-up top, heat tape connected to a thermostat, etc.) but I contracted out making the front doors with glass windows- & he used super long 'piano hinges' to attach the doors to the cabinet- they were perfect, beautiful & functional. I still have the cabinet- it began as a large multi-purpose media or book case, & after it served as a custom snake home for some years, I gave it another make-over, & now it's a very serviceable china hutch. Solid wood furniture is worth the initial investment, IMO- it can become whatever you need, though if you are inclined to move in the near future, consider that large heavy wardrobe cabinets may be all but impossible to move- so consider your lifestyle & the permanence issue for where you currently live, including whether you're renting or owning.

BTW, it's a whole lot easier & faster to modify a furniture cabinet for ONE snake than it is for a rack system. Since you only have one snake for now, why not modify something for him for this fall/winter, then see how it goes before you proceed to plan for expansion? Especially since you voiced concern about being able to keep him healthy. Don't get ahead of yourself- it's very easy to do. ;)

Thank you for reaching out. I agree I may be getting ahead of myself thinking about more snakes but if the cost was close to the same and I could set up for more snakes spending the close to the amount of money then I figured why not?

I look more into the wardrobe idea. I was wanting to see if there was anything that someone had made that was close to what I was describing. It just seems easier if someone else did it and tested it first obviously. Plus my creativity skills aren't always that great. But I love seeing others ideas. I'm surprised not a lot of people that have experience have chimed in yet. Perhaps they will.

Thanks

If you DIY your own rack just install two strips of heat tape: one in the back that you will set up to create a hot spot of 90-92*f, and one up front that heats the floor to 80-82*F. You can also use wider heat tape.

In the warmer months you could just turn off the cool side heat tape.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

If you DIY your own rack just install two strips of heat tape: one in the back that you will set up to create a hot spot of 90-92*f, and one up front that heats the floor to 80-82*F. You can also use wider heat tape.

In the warmer months you could just turn off the cool side heat tape.

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Does this really work? I mean I'm having some issues now with ambient temps at night if I put my central AC to low. Needless to say wife is complaining :laughing::laughing:

Forgot to mention I'm using 2 UTH one at 90 other at 80

What's your house ambient temp?

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Originally Posted by bcr229

What's your house ambient temp?

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summer time 68-73 degrees F

winter 58-66 F

sorry late reply been busy

If your house gets that cold then you should either put everything into a proper well-insulated reptile enclosure with an RHP to increase the ambient temp, and belly heat to create a basking spot, or you will be using an enclosed rack with front/rear belly heat plus a wide strip of back heat to increase the ambient air temp inside the rack.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...snake_rack.png

ok guys if you look above i made this rough sketch for what i was thinking to enclose a snake rack with 2x4s and pallet boards. I was thinking a panel type or oil based heater for the section that has the heater but i am concerned about fire.

this is not to scale! its a rough draft and i suck at drawing but i hope it helps you help me.

as you can see there is a door to help hold in heat.

i was thinking of building this around the large 5 drawer open side design from animal plastics. (i wouldn't mind a female cause they get huge)

any thoughts, potential hazards or opinions welcome .

Thanks

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Originally Posted by greg.s

ok guys if you look above i made this rough sketch for what i was thinking to enclose a snake rack with 2x4s and pallet boards. I was thinking a panel type or oil based heater for the section that has the heater but i am concerned about fire.

this is not to scale! its a rough draft and i suck at drawing but i hope it helps you help me.

as you can see there is a door to help hold in heat.

i was thinking of building this around the large 5 drawer open side design from animal plastics. (i wouldn't mind a female cause they get huge)

any thoughts, potential hazards or opinions welcome .

Thanks

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Building a box around the rack would work and I think a RHP on the side like that would be a nice thing to have. I'm in Texas and like it cold. The economy rack I have from Animal Plastics would not work at the temps my house is usually at.

With the RHP on a tstat I would also add some led lights on a timer to give them some kind of cycle. I know it is not needed but I just personally do not like leaving animals without any light. Even at night I have some blue led bulbs in a lamp on a timer to put off some light. It would be a cheap thing to add.

Thinking about it I think if I were you I would reach out ProProducts and tell them what you are planning and get their suggestions on not just the size of RHP you should get but stand offs and such. I am sure if anybody would know it would be them and they could steer you in the right direction. I know they are behind on production so you could talk to them about a timeline too. I have several RHPs and the ProProducts are the thinnest, which I believe would work, and look, best for your application. They are also THE rhp when you start talking to reptile keepers.

https://pro-products.com/pro-heat/

thanks KMG, I will check that out, do you think the heat panels they have can keep up with temps like this:

summer time 68-73 degrees F

winter 58-66 F

i like it cold to here in Louisiana and don't like to run the heater much.

The LED light isn't a bad idea.

My concerns were if it i needed enough space away from combustibles if i decided to use an oil based heater instead of a heat panel you mount on the wall or a Radiant Heat Panel from a reptile place. it seems if it is marketed for something with scales is cost more vs something else that does the same thing for normal stuff.

also if it would work of course and actually keep in heat.

so

1. not a safety hazard for fire or the animals
2. it actually works.

do yo think i need to put gaps between the pallet board slats (air flow) or should is it ok if i keep them tight or minimally spaced?

thanks

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...59?store=14373

not sure if something like this is ok for what im trying to do or not as far as safety is concerned, it has a thermostat on it so idk if need a different one to attach to it or not.

For such a small space I wouldn't use an oil filled heater. That's what I use to heat my entire snake room. It's overkill for sure.

ProProducts is made for animals and are the safest out there. Read up on them. They will not burn, are thin, and produce even heat instead of a heated center like some others.

I would have a gap as an air exchange. Or maybe a vent down a side.

Sounds like you're looking to create a heat box that can achieve a state of thermal equilibrium?

I'm finding this thread quite interesting as I have intentions of building a new system myself soon enough.

I currently have 3 out of 5 in an upcycled chest of drawers converted with glass sliding doors but am considering constructing a unit of ten!

Good luck OP, I'll continue watching this thread with interest.

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Originally Posted by KMG

For such a small space I wouldn't use an oil filled heater. That's what I use to heat my entire snake room. It's overkill for sure.

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I agree. Look for something like a 200-250W "personal heater" that office workers put under their desks/cubes. They're designed for very small spaces and you could run it on its own on/off t-stat.

I live in Chicago and have no problems with open racks (ars 5040 hybrid w/ herpstat 2) even in January with old single pane glass windows. I find the belly heat with I think 20% ventilation keeps the tubs adequately heated. I might have to bump temps up a couple degrees and then back down in the spring. There's a window next to my racks and in the winter I tape a 1 inch thick piece of Styrofoam insulation to the inside of the window. I've seen someone use that on the sides of their rack on a post here before to keep rack temps up in their basement. You might also consider a pvc rack system that has closed back and sides. However I find those types of racks are inconsistent in Temps on individual levels because usually one piece of heat tape is used to run heat through the entire rack. If you do go diy I would suggest using one strip of heat tape for each level don't just snake one through the entire rack. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Sean

Been thinking about something similar my self and was thinking. Of making something using the pax wardrobe system, if I get round to it I may draw something up on cad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Jamiekerk

Been thinking about something similar my self and was thinking. Of making something using the pax wardrobe system, if I get round to it I may draw something up on cad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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If you draw something up please post it here. I'd love to see other ideas. Mine was basic envisioning for what I had in mind. Also should be a fun project. I saw one guy also for the bottom where the rack sits he built it on am installation box so the bottom rack wasn't sitting on the floor. I plan to do the same. If I can find the page I will post it.

Back again but this time with an update. I have pretty much built the "enclosure" for my snake rack. but i may need some modifications and would like some advice on heater source as well . Its very large and measures 50 long in the front 48 in tall and 48 inch wide. its pretty big and I'm not sure if i like the look of something that big in my living room and also it may not even fit in the door when moving from my garage. ideally to the left of the rack is where I was gonna put a small electrical heater such as this one

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

but i am wondering if this enclosure would need to be that large in order to use an electric heater this size. (I'm worried that it wouldn't have enough space if i reduced the size of the length. maybe from 50 to 40 or 36 inches. fire hazard concerns, but would be on a t stat regardless.)

if i reduce the size and use a RHP such as one of these https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/457-...nt-heat-panels would it produce enough heat to get the temp inside of the structure to 75 degrees or so? the rack has heat 3 inch heat tape installed also for belly heat. all heating sources will be on a t stat

here are some pictures

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ck_inside.jpeg



https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...side_view.jpeg


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...enclosure.jpeg



https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../0/side_2.jpeg

as you can see there are some gaps between the pallet boards. i did this on purpose for air flow, but i am not sure if it was really needed cause its not an airtight container, i guess i was just paranoid. but can be fixed depending on what others think.

I wanted everyone to see the progress so far, im ready for this thing to get in position. it will have casters on the bottom but they only had 2 at lowes. I can install them later . should i reduce the size of this thing and use an RHP? or do you think i can get away with the electric heater idea ( i think it would be more heat efficient for this but im not sure)

thanks everyone!

also would a Ceramic heating element be a good idea to put to the right of the rack to keep it toasty in there? on a tstat of course.

also i now realize that there is a caging section on this forum, i think that this thread would have been better suited there.

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Originally Posted by greg.s

...also i now realize that there is a caging section on this forum, i think that this thread would have been better suited there.

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Hint taken- I agree. This is now in the Caging Forum. ;)

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Originally Posted by bogertophis

hint taken- i agree. This is now in the caging forum. ;)

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thanks so much! :D

Found this on amazon. i just want to keep the ambient temps up inside the tubs. RHPs are costly and IDK if they will do what i need for this. seems like this would put out more heat and would be cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Repta...s%2C144&sr=8-7