Racks or altered closet?

[Kittycatpenut]

I'm going to start breeding ball pythons and I thought it would be easier and more cost efficient to change my walk-in closet into a reptile room than to get racks. I would put a room heater and a humidifier in it and use plastic bins either stacked on the floor or in bookcases. Would this work?

[oliverstwist]

*subscribe* I am contemplating a similar set up.

Cost vs racks etc pros and cons would be nice

[Kittycatpenut]

Well for racks if you run out of room you have to buy or build another one, but for a room you just have to get another bin.
You also don't have to worry about heat tape or expensive thermostats. Do heaters have thermostats in them?

[ReptilesK2]

They wont have a temp gradient so that wont work.

You will NEED a heat source, hot spot & cool spot.

How do you have your current ball python setup? I hope she has a heat source lol.

[Kittycatpenut]

She's in a 30 gallon tank with a heat lamp.

Doesn't BHB (or whichever one that makes Snakebytes) do something similar?

[KatStoverReptiles]

they wont have a temp gradient so that wont work.

You will need a heat source, hot spot & cool spot.

x2

[ReptilesK2]

She's in a 30 gallon tank with a heat lamp.

Doesn't BHB (or whichever one that makes Snakebytes) do something similar?

You might want to switch her to a heat mat or heat tape.

They do heat up their rooms, but they still use a heat source.

Not trying to be mean but if you cant afford heat tape then maybe you shouldn't start breeding ball pythons.

[The Serpent Merchant]

They heat the room to the cool side temp (80ish). Then there is a strip of flexwatt under one side of the tubs. This provides the basking temps (90ish)

[Kittycatpenut]

I use a heat lamp because it works. The temps stay around 85 on the hot side with a 90 basking spot and don't drop too much at night. Also the humidity is at 50-60% normally and 60-70% while she's shedding.

If there is heat tape at the bottom of BHB's racks than why are the tubs stacked on top of each other without shelves in between them?

[KatStoverReptiles]

The heat tape is probably along the bottom of the shelf. Like so:



Heat tape along the bottom of each shelf. In the back. Keeps the back at ~90 and the ambient in the room is ~80.