Maybe I'm Retarded... (Racks)

[boybronco]

But after looking into the Racks, multiple websites and everything I am still wondering...does this Heat Strips that come with the Tubs work properly? Maybe I'm a skeptic, infact I know it must because so many very sucessful keepers use it but I'd like an explanation about it prior to purchasing. Maybe somone with a rack can post some pictures or something for me to take a looksies at.

Some things I hope you can explain to me are...

1) Show the connection to the Thermostat?
2) Excuse my complete retardation but how the :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: does a Thermostat even work?
3)With these heat strips they do not need "Basking Spots"?

The ones I'm looking at are here: http://www.herpenclosures.com/racks.html

Does anyone have experience with these? What is the difference between "Elite" and "Economy" other than the price?

Any other pertinent information that you think I should know would certainly be appreciated, and all snickers and laughs at how dumb I am are tolerated!

Thanks.

[rabernet]

I love my HerpEnclosures rack, and a few other people have them too! I have the Elite - it's built to last a life time. The economy doesn't use as thick a material.

I'm not sure what your definition of basking spot is, but ball pythons don't need supplemental lighting for basking. The HerpEnclosures rack comes with flexwatt as belly heat, which aids in digestion.

As to how a thermostat works, you know the thermostat in your home that controls the A/C and heat? It turns the A/C or heat on and off as it reaches a set temperature. You are doing the same thing with the flexwatt and the thermostat. You set a temp high and with Ranco/Johnson's thermostats, the thermostat cuts the power on and off to regulate the temps. A Helix or Herpstat thermostat will deliver just the right amount of current to keep the temp where you've set it, rather than on and off.

I use a Helix with my HerpEnclosures rack. I think that the Elite is worth the extra money. My animals that are in that rack eat ferociously. I keep all of my snakes either in my HerpEnclosures racks or individual tub set-ups. I'd like to eventually get them all into the rack set-up.

Here's mine:


And lovely Sierra modeling her 1/2 of her tub - I picked her up the same day I picked up the rack:

[Spaniard]

Hey Robin,

What are you using as a divider in those tubs?

[Nate]

Is it necessary to buy a thermostat for each tub?

[Spaniard]

Each thermostat has it own wattage limit as long as the tubs you're controlling are the same, and under the watt limit, you can control multiple with one unit. With racks I think you can control 2 units if they're the same exact rack and don't exceed the watt limits when combined.

I would personally only use one thermostat per rack system.

[Kilo]

nathanledat, I believe you buy a roll of flexwatt in which your rack will be wired with. And the thermostat regulates the entire rack. So logically each different rack should house different types of herps to regulate different temps. Ex. All balls in one rack with a abmient temp of 90 and all the beardies in another rack mainting there own heat level (not sure what it is?).

[boybronco]

I live in Southern California so we dont have a Thermostat AC or Heating as the weather is always between 65-85 room temperatures never really change in these degrees (Although AC would've been nice through that last heat wave) So I was unfamiliar, thanks for the explanation!

It was my understanding that BP's need a "Basking Spot" of 90-95 Degrees, not necessarily light, because that can hurt them, but a basking spot that is considerably warmer than the rest of the cage.

This heat tape is capable of heating the tubs to 90 on the warm side and 80-84 on the cool side? And it does not melt the plastic? Do special tubs need to be purchased to prevent melting or can any Sterlite tubs be used? (I am aware that the rack I'm looking at comes with Tubs, but for replacements )

And are the height sizes truely adequate to keep the BPs from feeling "Cramped" How tall are the tubs in your pictures Rabernet? I would be getting to start the second largest size and then down the road when my BPs got larger an "Adult" rack or individual cages.

Also can you post some pics of tub setups, with hides/water bowls what else needs to go in there?

Sorry for all the questions, you guys are a great help!

Bill

[Spaniard]

The belly heat provided in a rack set up is ideal for the digestive process of your bp providing that you maintain its temps at 92-94 on the hot side.


The Sterilite 1960 Tubs are six inches high and commenly used to house adult bps, since they are ground and burrow dwelling snakes they would not feel cramped.

I'm sure someone will handle the rest of the questions as I think I can only answer these two for you.

[boybronco]

The belly heat provided in a rack set up is ideal for the digestive process of your bp providing that you maintain its temps at 92-94 on the hot side.


The Sterilite 1960 Tubs are six inches high and commenly used to house adult bps, since they are ground and burrow dwelling snakes they would not feel cramped.

I'm sure someone will handle the rest of the questions as I think I can only answer these two for you.

Thanks Spaniad you are very helpful. A few more questions I thought of: My room Humidity is normally around 65% in my other enclosures, if I switched to Newspaper it may drop a bit but probably around to 60%. Is this "ok" as it is on the higher side of recommended humidity and if I ever spray the Humidity will probably go up to like 70%. This is not too high is it?

About the Heat Tape if using News Paper for a substrate and having the heat tape heating the hot side to 90+ degrees will it burn the snake if he sits directly over the heat tape? To heat the ambient temperature to 90+ the tape would have to be considerably hotter right?

Again sorry for all the stupid questions, just really dont understand how these work!

Billy

[rabernet]

Hey Robin,

What are you using as a divider in those tubs?

Rich at HerpEnclosures sells those dividers as an option with his racks. It's very nice! Vaughn turned me onto him! They're made specifically for that tub. It's the Sterilite 1756 tub that you buy from Target. The rack is sold without the tubs, so you have to pick those up yourself.