Advantages Of Tubs/Racks

[Newbie39]

Not trying to make anyone mad I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons of racks and tubs as opposed to tanks. The most attractive thing about tubs to me Is that they are much cheaper than a tank of similar size. And from what I've heard they told humidity better, no mesh for it to escape. I don't have a need for a rack as I've only got 3 snakes and I don't see the point on spending money on one unless I get more. And they don't really display too well, I like to watch them so that factors into this as well.

I am new at this so I only have had the luxury of using a tub.

1 - My Temps. have always been on point.

2 - During shed easy to raise humidity (One perfect shed so far)

3 - Feeding - only skipped the first feeding (my fault the feeder wasn't hot enough) - Eats like a champ now. Strikes within 5 seconds.

4 - just make sure to secure the lid with clips. as they can lift if not properly secure or worse get stuck and hurt themselves.

[KayLynn]

What?

The guy started off this thread with "Not trying to make anyone mad I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons of racks and tubs as opposed to tanks." That seems like a respectable, valid topic to me at least. Doesn't seem like he was trying to stir any pot.

You say there's a search feature and he can use that.....and I say that 98% of the topics that are currently being discussed here can also be found via the search feature. So what if it's repetitive? The entire site is repetitive to an extent with the exception of new morphs and that's about it. It's part of the nature of the hobby.

He’d already started another thread just yesterday where people explained the reasons why they have racks and why they don’t. I don’t care about the repetitiveness of topics, I’ll reiterate husbandry all day long, but his other post is already full of his information. I don’t see why there was a need to start another.

I’m not trying to be malicious, but this person seems to have researched racks vs tanks already, considering the subject of their post yesterday and the explanations behind it. What this seems to be coming down to is just a difference of opinion.

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[Newbie39]

He’d already started another thread just yesterday where people explained the reasons why they have racks and why they don’t. I don’t care about the repetitiveness of topics, I’ll reiterate husbandry all day long, but his other post is already full of his information. I don’t see why there was a need to start another.

Thought we were past that thread. No need to rehash that. He was re worded it. No need to jump on people for looking for help and opinions. I find that happens on here quite a bit. Should be a place were people for advice and help from experienced people like I have. If it wasn`t for this forum I would have been lost. This forum has made transition into the snake hobby so smooth for me and gave me so much knowledge much quicker.


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[KayLynn]

I’m not jumping on anyone lol, he just already has access to this information in the other thread he started, despite his wording. People offered up explanations on their tanks and their racks and why they keep them in those habs.

I apologize if how I worded my previous post bothers you, but that’s my opinion.

[tttaylorrr]

i think OP wanted to move away from that thread specifically because of how it turned out and their opinions posted there. i think this new post is to focus on the topic, regardless of OP's previous postings.

[tttaylorrr]

i keep PVC (Yellow), glass (Corny and Spaghetti), and tubs (Coffee Bean and Pumpkin Pie)

i'm reposting what i've wrote in a previous thread:

AP T8 PROS: PVC enclosures are wonderful in how they maintain temperatures and humidity; simple to put together and AP will customize the enclosure however you need it; CONS: it's big and difficult to move!

glass enclosure PROS: you can create a lovely looking enclosure with plants and decorations that look nice being seen through the glass; CONS: can be difficult to maintain steady temperatures and needs constant monitoring and adjustments


plastic tub PROS: light-weight, portable, can customize ventilation to suit your needs, holds humidity and temps well; CONS: not the prettiest of my three enclosures

my tubs and PVC are my easiest setups to maintain. in the very near future i will be getting a rack system. with 4 ball pythons and limited space it's kind of necessary at this point and aesthetics aren't more important than husbandry. the advantages of totally steady temps and humidity is such a plus.

however, Corny will always be my "display snake" and will have a glass enclosure for as long as he lives.

[KevinK]

I’m not jumping on anyone lol, he just already has access to this information in the other thread he started, despite his wording. People offered up explanations on their tanks and their racks and why they keep them in those habs.

I apologize if how I worded my previous post bothers you, but that’s my opinion.

Maybe he didn't like the answers he was given or he wanted to further his amount of replies on the subject. So what?

Your opinion seems to be rather harsh considering the three and a half months you've been on here.....

[MD_Pythons]

I've used all four types of housing.. glass tanks, pvc cages, stand-alone tubs, and racks (closed-sided pvc racks).

I would say that for BPs, the advantages you get are the following:

1. Easier to hold humidity and heat (especially the closed-sided racks, not the "economy line" open sided ones)

2. Cheaper to house snakes in appropriately sized housing... (the CB70 rack I have has tubs equivalent to a 40gl breeder footprint, but I can house 3 with less cost than equipping 3 glass tanks or 3 pvc cages)

3. Easier/ Cheaper to heat - one strip of heat tape hooked up to 1 t-stat probe and channel will work for all 3 snakes, vs. needing 1 probe / channel per glass enclosure or pvc cage

4. Lighter / Easier to clean- This is a big one for me. I'm a short person...5'1" and moving a 40gl breeder to do a complete clean is a huge ordeal for me. It is much easier (and safer) for me to take out tubs and clean..This means they get cleaned more often and cleaned more thuroughly, since I can easily fill and soak them and dump the water than in a glass tank. This is also true of pvc cages, you can scrub / clean them, but can't really fill and soak them.

5. More space-saving- This becomes a bigger deal as you get more snakes, but racks do take up less room allowing you to keep more snakes without having tanks / cages everywhere


The main disadvantages IMO are:
1. Lack of visibility
2. Lack of space for more active species--- Note that I would not keep boas, carpets, or other active / climbing species in a rack past small juvie size.
3. Tub size constraints- You can get a pvc cage made up to just about any size you want, with racks, the size / footprint is determined by the size of the tubs you can get. You can find larger tubs (i.e. vision tubs) but these can be hard to find and expensive. So, finding a rack with an odd footprint (if you want one) can be more difficult. This is not a huge issue with BPs, if you go with the standard rack sizing (CB70 for adults, etc.). But if you are keeping, say, blood pythons and want a larger / taller tub, then you will have to look for a manufacturer to work with that can get the tubs you want and custom build one.

I was mostly considering tubs for my blood and bp, my carpet being more active would better use the space of a tank imo. She's currently in a 20L tank but I have been looking into a custom PVC tank for her. Bps and bloods don't climb like carpets do so I figured the lack of height wouldn't be an issue

[MD_Pythons]

I’m not jumping on anyone lol, he just already has access to this information in the other thread he started, despite his wording. People offered up explanations on their tanks and their racks and why they keep them in those habs.

I apologize if how I worded my previous post bothers you, but that’s my opinion.

Look. I started this thread so I could move away from my last post which had gotten more emotional and much larger than what I thought it would. I'm not trying to argue or stir the pot or anything. I'm just trying to have a nice chill discussion about keeping snakes

[Starscream]

Pretty much all the pros for tubs/racks listed here. Only major con I have with my bigger tub is I can't seem to find any shelving unit I can put it in. I'm thinking maybe those metal adjustable units might work but I don't want to waste the money to find out :/. Maybe something like this would work for what I have? http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-She...6BPS/205559612 Still. $50. Maybe after Christmas lmao.

Another con is visibility, like others have said. My UVB light makes it so you can see in pretty well during the day, but at night you have to pop the lid to see anything.