Another Rack Thread

[PhoenixGate]

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.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Honestly if you don't have central heat/air I don't think racks are right for you. Racks require the temperature of the room to be controlled.

Do you have a thermostat for your UTH?

Check out this thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[PhoenixGate]

Honestly if you don't have central heat/air I don't think racks are right for you. Racks require the temperature of the room to be controlled.

Do you have a thermostat for your UTH?

Check out this thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

Nope, no thermostat. That's the other reason I don't like using it. Like I said the cage, including the lamp and heating pad (uth) were inherited from the previous owner. It should be noted that when I got him, he was 5 years old and only 300grams....he's been steaidily gaining weight since I got him.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Yeah, don't use the UTH until you can get a thermostat and a probed thermometer. There are recommendations for both in the thread I linked to in my post above.

What if anything are you using to measure temperatures in the cage now? What are your current cage temperatures?

[PhoenixGate]

I haven't had a chance to view the link yet. Both cages are set up with heat and humidity gauges from Petco. I also have a probe thermometer that I use to spot check temps. Currently cage temps are sitting at 80 cool side and 90 in the hot spots. Temps fluctuate about 5 degrees depending on weather.

[Slitherous]

Before I got a Vision Rack system, (customized Vision V-70/11), and a Herpstat Pro thermostat w/ temp probes I used glass tanks w/ UTH units and an off-the-shelf in-line lamp rheostat to maintain temps, (basically a short extension cord with a rheostat attached). It required close attention to keep the temps relatively steady, but it worked. I got the rheostat at Ace Hardware for around $12.99. Since using a Herpstat I wonder how I ever lived without it, but I managed to make it work "ghetto style" while I saved for it. I used a probe thermometer like you described, (a refrigeration thermometer actually), and kept the hot spot at around 90, (floor temp, not air temp). That being said, once I set up my rack system I was totally sold on it and amazed at how time and space-saving it is....I've got six snakes and seven geckos in it and have empty tubs left for the future, all in one small corner of a room. Start saving for a rack system, you'll be glad you did.

S

[PhoenixGate]

Well it sounds like I should just save up for the rack system(after I move), and then start building up a collection. I can always use the new rack system as my quarantine area, and then when the new snakes are settled in I can move my ball python in. My last question is; why does a rack system require a temperature controlled environment?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Well it sounds like I should just save up for the rack system(after I move), and then start building up a collection. I can always use the new rack system as my quarantine area, and then when the new snakes are settled in I can move my ball python in. My last question is; why does a rack system require a temperature controlled environment?

Heat tape doesn't do anything for air temperatures in the cage. In a rack you can use alternative heat sources like radiant heat panels/heat bulbs/ceramic heat emitters to do so.

Plastic tubs also don't hold much heat in. This means that the cool side/air temperatures in the tub are completely dependent on the temperature of the room they are in.

[Slitherous]

Well it sounds like I should just save up for the rack system(after I move), and then start building up a collection. I can always use the new rack system as my quarantine area, and then when the new snakes are settled in I can move my ball python in. My last question is; why does a rack system require a temperature controlled environment?

My rack uses heat rope, not tape, but it does the same job and sits in grooves built into the shelves underneath the tubs. The tape heats up to warm the bottom of the tub, and the temp probe keeps the surface inside the tub at a preset constant temperature. I have a warm and cool side in each tub....the warm side is at 90 degrees, (heat rope directly beneath), the cool around 80, (no heat rope under that side). Between them the air temp maintains at around 80-85. The digital Herpstat Pro also allows me to program nightly or seasonal cool down cycles if desired. The shelves of the rack unit are ventilated to allow air flow. Unless you have a room that maintains constant temps in the high 80's/low 90's you have to have some kind of artificial temperature control to safely keep reptiles, thus the need for a temp controlled rack system. Ball pythons don't need radiant (overhead) heat and UV exposure like many lizards do, so the belly heat supplied by a rack system is what seems to work best with them.

S