are rack systems better than terrariums when it comes to bp's

[maudie]

I'm asking cause I'm thinking about switching all my ball pythons from terrariums to tubs. I have 3 ball pythons and am getting a fourth soon, I'm planning on breeding. I currently keep all 3 of my snakes in 40 gallon terrariums... I know, a little crazy. it was never that much of a problem until I got a 3rd snake, now it's becoming impossible to manage them all😂😂😂 I'm starting to run out of space and cleaning them all is really a huge hassle. at the end of the day, I just want to do what's best for all my snakes - wether it be 40 gallons or tubs... but a rack system is sort of becoming necessary at this point. so I was wondering, do you think switching them to tubs would be negative for them, positive, or would they just not really care???

[sho220]

Racks are the way to go...

[bcr229]

Racks are the way to go...

This. It is much easier to maintain temp and humidity, easier to clean, and cheaper housing on a per-critter basis.

Once you get the rack running you can keep one tank as a QT enclosure and sell the others.

[maudie]

that's what I've been thinking too

[JoshSloane]

Absolutely. Even if you aren't going to breed, racks are much better than terrariums for maintaining bps. If ever the day comes that you have a mite infestation, you will thank g-d that you have plastic tubs and not terrariums to clean and disinfect constantly. Tubs can be pulled, sprayed down, wiped, and disinfected much easier.

I personally have both racks and terrariums going on right now. Once I get my new rack delivered, everyone is out of terrariums.

If you had one or two snakes I would say a terrarium is fine, but as your numbers grow, racks are the ONLY way to go.

One last note. Don't worry about your snakes not having an extravagant enclosure in the racks, like they would in a terrarium. Being able to maintain a properly heated, humidified and clean enclosure in a tub is much better than having an inadequate, yet extravagant terrarium.

[BenzieBox]

I don't have a true rack system right now but I do keep my snakes in tubs. It's so much easier to keep my humidity levels stable as well as the heat. Eventually I'll most likely build myself one since they seem to be kind of pricey as far as shipping them already put together. But I'm still kind of in the markey with different companies and ideas.

[tbowman]

Switch to tubs and say goodbye to any shedding problems forever.

[JoshSloane]

If you are going to purchase a PVC rack, you will find that the cost for a pre-fabricated one is usually pretty close to what you would spend to create your own. I was previously building my own melamine racks, which worked well, but decided to switch to PVC. Sheets of Azek board is extremely pricey and will drive your cost up. If you do a wood rack you can definitely save money though.

[maudie]

thanks so much everyone you've been really helpful!!!

[JoshSloane]

Check out Beeger Boxes. They use proportionately larger heat tape in their bigger racks. If your ambient room temps aren't very high, this is the way to go.