Fully Enclosed Snake Racks?

[greg.s]

so far because it is this time of year. i seem to be doing ok keeping my temperatures alright for my first BP. however, i am concerned about the coming months and when things get cold. I do not have a room that i can just keep hot all the time nor do i have any desire to do so for my whole house. i do not have a closet i can use either. my setup now is a 15 QT tub with two heating mats for hot and cold side with thermostats. i know this will not be good enough when my house is in the 60s. and at some point he is gonna need to upgrade to a 28 qt which will be a little harder to get my temps right from what i am reading because it is bigger.

I plan to get more snakes (i only want about 5 total) but only if i can keep them healthy and safe. I want to use a rack system. i like how efficient they are and still give the animal the security it needs and i can slowly add to my collection with appropriate tubs sizes and upgrade as needed and fit the tubs on to the shelves. I do not think a normal snake rack will be able to provide the heat that is needed in a house that cold or even colder to keep the animals safe with just belly heat alone. (i live in Louisiana and do not run the heater often). do they make a fully enclosed snake rack (obviously with breathing holes) or is there a DIY that is of similar nature that someone can point me in the right direction to?

basically what i am envisioning is a snake rack like you normally see with the belly heat with the hot side but the behind the hot side is a separate compartment that has a heating element or some sorts (oil heater, a panel, idk something that's safe) and a door on the front. its like a regular snake rack but is a little longer to accommodate the heating element and has a door to keep in the heat.

does something like this exist? or am i stupid? I'm concerned I'm gonna need to give my snake away because his well being might be in jeopardy come the colder months. sorry not trying to be dramatic i just don't want him to die and it is my fault.

Thanks everyone!

[Bogertophis]

When you get creative with "DIY", there's no limits. Not sure of the actual dimensions you'd need ultimately to fit your "rack system", but from where I sit, I'd look into furniture, specifically a large "wardrobe" made of wood (great insulation) that you could modify. I've modified furniture in the past to suit my snakes, & so have many others. There's newly-built (I'd avoid anything made of particle-board stuff) or used furniture (check ads & thrift stores), or even un-finished (solid wood) furniture you can buy & finish to your own preferences.

If you do any staining (etc) though, you need to let it off-gas for a long time for safety (so get started long before you need it!)-your snakes should never be breathing any fumes from such products, & you'd want to use low or no-VOC products anyway- they're healthier for you too. We have members here that have serious skills that will hopefully chime in with their suggestions, & you might find a local handyman/furniture guy that needs the work to build it for you, to your exact specs.

One large cabinet that I converted years ago, I did most of the work myself (I have some experience finishing furniture, & the "open" cabinet was bought unfinished- I added a back, sides ventilated with perforated metal, a recessed light in the lift-up top, heat tape connected to a thermostat, etc.) but I contracted out making the front doors with glass windows- & he used super long 'piano hinges' to attach the doors to the cabinet- they were perfect, beautiful & functional. I still have the cabinet- it began as a large multi-purpose media or book case, & after it served as a custom snake home for some years, I gave it another make-over, & now it's a very serviceable china hutch. Solid wood furniture is worth the initial investment, IMO- it can become whatever you need, though if you are inclined to move in the near future, consider that large heavy wardrobe cabinets may be all but impossible to move- so consider your lifestyle & the permanence issue for where you currently live, including whether you're renting or owning.

BTW, it's a whole lot easier & faster to modify a furniture cabinet for ONE snake than it is for a rack system. Since you only have one snake for now, why not modify something for him for this fall/winter, then see how it goes before you proceed to plan for expansion? Especially since you voiced concern about being able to keep him healthy. Don't get ahead of yourself- it's very easy to do.

[greg.s]

Thank you for reaching out. I agree I may be getting ahead of myself thinking about more snakes but if the cost was close to the same and I could set up for more snakes spending the close to the amount of money then I figured why not?

I look more into the wardrobe idea. I was wanting to see if there was anything that someone had made that was close to what I was describing. It just seems easier if someone else did it and tested it first obviously. Plus my creativity skills aren't always that great. But I love seeing others ideas. I'm surprised not a lot of people that have experience have chimed in yet. Perhaps they will.

Thanks

[bcr229]

If you DIY your own rack just install two strips of heat tape: one in the back that you will set up to create a hot spot of 90-92*f, and one up front that heats the floor to 80-82*F. You can also use wider heat tape.

In the warmer months you could just turn off the cool side heat tape.

[greg.s]

If you DIY your own rack just install two strips of heat tape: one in the back that you will set up to create a hot spot of 90-92*f, and one up front that heats the floor to 80-82*F. You can also use wider heat tape.

In the warmer months you could just turn off the cool side heat tape.

Does this really work? I mean I'm having some issues now with ambient temps at night if I put my central AC to low. Needless to say wife is complaining

[greg.s]

Forgot to mention I'm using 2 UTH one at 90 other at 80

[bcr229]

What's your house ambient temp?

[greg.s]

What's your house ambient temp?

summer time 68-73 degrees F

winter 58-66 F

sorry late reply been busy

[bcr229]

If your house gets that cold then you should either put everything into a proper well-insulated reptile enclosure with an RHP to increase the ambient temp, and belly heat to create a basking spot, or you will be using an enclosed rack with front/rear belly heat plus a wide strip of back heat to increase the ambient air temp inside the rack.

[greg.s]