I tried doing a search with the keywords 'how to set up a rack'....and got a bunch of good information. I finally decided that I have enough questions about my particular situation that it was time to post a thread of my own.

I just moved, so here's the setup I have now. I have one very large tank, a 100 gallon with a screen top (came fully set up from previous owner) which contains my single ball python, Sir Giles. He was a rescue and due to money constraints I haven't been able to rearrange his setup. The ambient humidity right now is sitting at 40%. I spray him down twice a day to raise his humidity to at least 75%. The other problem is that where I now live I don't have central heat and air, so his base temperature fluctuates between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the enclosure is so large I provide a hot spot by way of a heat bulb resting in the corner, partially on the screen top. I have an uth as well, but I haven't been using it since I have yet to find my probe thermometer and I'm paranoid it will overheat or something while I'm at work. I'll have to add pictures later. I have a corn snake as well with a similar setup, only she's sitting in a slightly smaller cage that was custom built, and not very well since the entire top of the cage, which also includes a screen, doesn't stay up unless there's a wedge of wood between the wood top of the cage and the glass.

I want to straight buy a rack system, but since that costs $400 at the least, or $200 a pop for stackable cages, I can't afford that any time soon. I've seen 'ghetto racks' on the forum which include everything from self built rack systems to a storage shelf bought from Home Depot and containing plastic tubs. My question is, how would one set up a shelf with tubs heat wise? I'd think flexiwatt heat tape would melt right through the plastic. I do have a drill, so its feasable for me to buy plastic storage tubs from Wal Mart, Target, etc and drill holes for ventilation. I have some other basic tools, hammer, hand wood saw, hack saw, etc but not enough to build my own custom rack system. I don't have the space to do any small scale construction like that anyway; the new place has a yard but its tiny and not enclosed, and there's no room in the house to build anything (I also have a roommate).

My last questions are; what would be the best solution for my situation? Any suggestions on how to improve my current setup, temperature wise? I'm not sure the snakes are okay with the heat the way it is. They've been doing okay for the last three weeks, but I'm concerned I'm missing something.