Good caging for a pair?

[Gecko Den]

i built my 7 tub rack for around $125. that's not including the $37 for the thermostat. i got flexwatt heating for $44.45 from reptilebasics.com he was 30 cents cheaper by the foot. i got the lumber from lowels, $34 total. they was $2 cheaper per board. the heat tape was like $6 for 50 yards. walmart had the sterilite 1860 tubs for $5 each. the iris tubs ran from $12 to $17 per tub so i had a big savings there. its cheap to build a small rack. i use a router and a 1/2 bit for the shelfs. too about 2 days to think up a plan and build something. it took more time for the paint to dry.

Are you really going to stake the life of your snakes on a $37 thermostat?

[Stings]

Are you really going to stake the life of your snakes on a $37 thermostat?

would matt sell junk? i would hope not. but anyways that will be set for back up but i will have them on a dimmer. so no i wouldn't trust anything electrical so ill just use it as a backup if the dimmer should fail.

[Adam_Wysocki]

would matt sell junk? i would hope not. but anyways that will be set for back up but i will have them on a dimmer. so no i wouldn't trust anything electrical so ill just use it as a backup if the dimmer should fail.

A couple of thoughts …

I don't think Sam was commenting in any way shape or form on what Matt would or would not sell.

Everyone in the business knows that the 500R is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to t-stats ... that's no mystery.

You have an impressive list of snakes on the way in your signature that you've spent a good amount of money on ... for less than 5% of what you spent on those snakes, you can do much better in terms of an accurate dependable thermostat.

There are thermostats out there that you can trust to safely keep the snakes that you've invested in at their required temperatures .... there are professional breeders out there with collections valued at well over one million dollars using them and they are so reliable that they don't need backups (and I promise you that they aren't using the Zoomed 500R ).

To me, the idea of using a $37 thermostat to back up a $10 dimmer that is controlling cage temps of het pieds and het albinos is like putting a $20.00 retreaded tire on a $10.00 junk yard rusted out rim and then mounting the rim/tire on a brand new Porsche ... If you're really lucky and careful, I guess it "could" work, but if you're driving a brand new Porsche, why would you need or want to settle?

-adam

[$nake$]

A herp farmer is someone who has a ranch or facility in where one breeds reptiles and the reason my uncle in not giving me a cage is because I made him a bet that i could raise and breed some of his albino ball pythons but i have to buy everything else!

All that he suggested for cheap caging is that i should buy reptile suitable tubs

[justcage]

Ok what did i miss..lol..lol.. Here are my thoughts.. ZooMed 500R thermosats are perfect for an emergancy, unexpected addon(while your main tstat is on order) or roach colonies, not for a pair of albino balls. No I dont sell junk thats for sure but like Adam said I would not use a subpar thermostat on that setup.. A Johnson Controls or Ranco would be a much better option for analog. Also you would have saved more than 30 cents a foot by ordering your flexwatt from me as I beat anyones pricing on the net

[Adam_Wysocki]

or roach colonies

LOL ... that sounds about right.

-adam

[justcage]

Honesty is the best policy

[ARamos8]

Since the plan is to lend a helping hand with raising these fine critters (short term, mid term, etc...) DONT SKIMP on the products. Get with Matt or others on the internet and purchase some reptile tubs. If two is all you have then I must say MGReptiles has the combo to beat with quality parts (that was not a plug....sure).LOL Keeps your overhead low and you can see the critters too...My . Hope that helps.. Cool Uncle though...

[Stings]

i wish i would have known that justcage. 30 cents would have been nice. as you can tell I'm a cheap ba$tard. but the way i have it wired it has the temps set to 94 deg on the rheostat and have the thermostat set to shut down at a higher temp say 95 or 96. if the rheostat should fail and make a rise in temps the thermostat will then take over and shut it down. i have a digital volt meter on it so i know how many volts i will need to see on top of the rack to get the desired temps. looks like an alarm clock with the big numbers. i work as a machinist and do the electrical at my shop. i have a journeyman's card as a machinist and I'm 3rd year apprentice as an electrician. the snake thing is a new hobby. I'm sure i will break into my wallet and get the better thermostat, but for now i think I'm ok i have a safety device built in so that should be good. to buy an industrial thermostat would cost over $300 so the $70 is not a bad price.