Looking to buy a snake rack

[MarkieJ]

Anyhow, I want to get a rack for the majority of my snakes. This was inspired by the challenges of keeping a glass terrarium at the right humidity and temperature levels here in California, the heavy weight of glass cages (I do not want to move with those things), the challenge of reaching into the larger cages to clean, and this is also inspired by the desire to no longer feel cluttered with cages.

The manufacturer I keep going back to is RBI, but I know there are others I should consider. I'm leaning towards this Iris Sweaterbox Rack 32 qt from RBI with dividers, and the Iris CB-70 Rack. And I'd like to use the Ranco pre-wired thermostat that RBI carries, and get a temp gun. Just not sure which temp gun I should get. I see the $25 ones out there and then RBI sells some $50-100. I'm not sure if I want to stick with my Fluker's thermo/hygrometer, so if you have a suggestion there too, that'd be cool.

Things I desire in a snake rack:

• efficiency (heat/humidity)
• low to moderate cost
• manufacturer that'll be around for me to buy more stackable/compatible racks
• light weight but durable (probably PVC?)

While I don't have an unlimited budget, I like doing things right the first time, I tend to buy high quality, but not always is the top of the line the best (i.e. an Arai helmet is not superior to a Shoei helmet, its preference... and a Scorpion helmet is tough to beat for quality and features for the price!).

Thanks in advance for sharing! Please post photos if you can!

I went with the equivalent rack from Animal Plastics: the 375 series. Here's a quick snapshot of it:



The bungee on the top shelf is to keep a curious kitty out. I'm sure you can't go wrong with the RBI rack either. I ordered a Johnson Controls herpstat from them, and it was literally plug and play. The Ranco is likely the same. Despite being in these tubs, I still can get problem sheds from my BPs in these racks (I already have an AP CB70 rack, and a couple of melamine racks) from our dry air here in San Diego. I'll still add some water to the newspaper in their tubs when I see they're in shed.

The Animal Plastic racks come unassembled but are easy to put together if you have a hand drill. You also have to buy the tubs separately. From what I understand, the reptile basic racks come completely assembled with heat and tubs. One other downside about Animal Plastics is that it takes a minimum of a month before you get your rack. The last one I ordered took 6 weeks (the one above), and it's only a 4 shelf tub! However they are very high quality and I'm completely satisfied with them. You won't have to worry about customer service from either companies.