Weekend Project --- New Juvenile Rack System for Carpets

[Chris Behof]

Had some time on my hands this weekend and put together a new rack for juvies/sub adult carpets. The tub sizes are 25" Long x 16' Wide x 12" High so plenty of height to enjoy the perches. The tubs are Sterilite and I believe they are a new model. They have a handle locking system the is VERY tight so I don't need to retrofit the tubs with any velcro or additional locking systems. See pics below for the type of tub.

Lately, I've been holding back a ton of babies and growing them out so having the next size up on housing is essential for me.

This size would be perfect for 1-2 year old carpets that are not power fed.

I put this together for a fraction of the cost of buying from a reptile supply dealer.

It is more function over form but that is just fine for me!


Cost Breakdown:

Shelving: $70

Heat Tape, wired: $40

Thermostat, Johnson: $75

Dowel Rods for Perches: $15

Tubs: $75


TOTAL: $275.00

Or roughly $28 per unit, not too shabby!

[gman8585]

thats a sweet set up. does your room temps stay up enough, that you dont have to worry about overheating? i use UTH's hooked up to a herpstat and it seems where my place is a bit on the drafty side i still have to keep the room heated a bit.

[gman8585]

i've spent time in my home depot, thinking about seeting up a rack system and even built the rack with sterilite tubs but i dont trust myself enough to wire the flexwatt, any advice on wiring the heat tape?

[Chris Behof]

i've spent time in my home depot, thinking about seeting up a rack system and even built the rack with sterilite tubs but i dont trust myself enough to wire the flexwatt, any advice on wiring the heat tape?

Yep, have someone else do it! hahaha

You can buy it prewired for a small fee from most of the reptile vendors out there. Just give them the width and length desired and that's all!

[Homegrownscales]

It's actually really easy. Most places also sell the connectors for like 6.00. That has the plug cord and two little metal clamps that you clamp on to each Copper strip on the side of the flex watt. You tape over it with electrical tape after and you're golden. I'm not a handy person and i know nothing of electrical work but I've sodered the flex watt on myself although I'm not very good at sodering. So I like the clamp connections. I believe I get my heat tape and connections from big apple herp.com but there's other websites that sell both.

By the way the rack is awesome. I'm in the process of making a melamine one. But I've used the metal racks systems like that for a long time with no issues. The only thing I did differently was use heat cable. But those are quite easy set ups for just a few tubs.

[Chris Behof]

Don't you need a special crimping device to install the clamps to the heat tape?

[Homegrownscales]

Needle nose pliers did it for me.
http://www.rcreptiles.com/forum/about3373.html
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