Wanting to build a rack

[Kavyrie]

All 7 of my babies are in tanks, and I really want to free up space around the house. I also came to realize very quickly that most of my snakes will greatly benefit being in a rack rather than a tank (I do my best to keep the humidity up, but its not easy). I don't really want a rack with tubs though, because honestly I just really love being able to see all my guys going about their business, so I'm hoping to get a bookshelf sort of thing and install sliding glass/plexiglass doors. I haven't built anything before though, so I'd really appreciate some advice on what I should be looking for. What kinds of wood would be ideal? Would it be okay to just buy a bookcase and seal it, or should I build the entire thing instead? I'd be housing my ball pythons and my BRB in this rack, and have a few slots ready for future snakes. I was thinking 6 spaces would be good to have. What would be the best way to ventilate the rack? What kind of heating should I get if it is made out of wood?

[DeesBalls]

I've built cages and they are stackable... i guess like a book shelf type thing... they were cheap and made out of melamine.

i would use melamine, holds up to humidity great BUT its expensive, and heavy- i guess you could just get a book shelf, and then seal it maybe, not sure there... way to ventalate the rack, is to have some holes in the tubs, and just leave a very small gap between tub and shelf....

radient heat panels would be good for bigger cages, i use 12x11' flexwatt IN the cage, with a sealed "box" around it. I cut a small slit in the bottom of the back piece so i can slide new in, and old out, if need be.

hope this all helped, if not let me know...

[h3h]

I don't know what your budget is, but mine wasn't very high for something that I didn't 'need,' but could definitely use. I went to a hardware store bought a plastic/resin shelf, one of the kinds you can assemble without any tools, something like this, but larger:

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/dd/ddb70b4c-d19a-4d39-adf3-3d20e99fdc16_300.jpg

The particular one I bought had holes in the shelves like this one, so I bought some peg board, cut it to size, and zip tied it to the under side of the shelves. This prevents them from getting out. Then it was just a matter of assembling the shelf, and using my tubs to line up the height, once you have done that you can cut the long bars that connect the shelves to fit perfectly on your rack. With my particular shelf/rack having holes in it, covered with peg board - gives me the option to not punch holes in my tubs as there is plenty of air flow. Although all my tubs already had holes, because I had already punched them out months prior...I don't know how handy you are, or if you are short on tools. If either of these is the case then this makeshift rack may be for you. I was able to get 8 tubs in this rack, with a 20g long glass aquarium on top. So I hold nine snakes, with one on display, and I could easily buy this same shelf/rack and expand this to 16 snakes. the rack stands less than four feet after being cut down.

If that sounds too frugal, or not ascetically pleasing enough, you could either buy one ($300-??????) Very expensive considering the alternative, or make it.

You need a sealed wood, or you'll have to seal it yourself. Well technically you don't have to do that, but if you want it to last you better. The heat and humidity will cause it to drag and sag. You will have to replace much sooner than treated wood. I think the consensus for the rack is Melamine....Keeping in mind you might need Bruce Banner to move the thing for you if you build it too high. Melamine is very heavy and it may behoove you to put caster wheels on the bottom of it.

If you choose to make it from scratch with good quality material all you should need is:

Melamine ($$$$$)
Wood glue
Screws
Wooden Dowels (if you like)
Tubs/Enclosures
Heat Source (flex watt)
Aluminum Tape
Thermostat
Temp Gun? (verify integrity of the thermostat)

Wood, especially untreated will absorb and release heat, but doesn't conduct it very well. At a certain temperature it WILL burst into flames, so it is very important to have a thermostat. Most people like the Flex Watt heat tape for a heat source on their rack, but I have seen people use just regular human heating pads...With a thermostat/temp gun of course.

I also guess for a short term solution if you could find a book case that meets your size requirements you could use that, but it will be a very temporary thing, and unless you use UTHs it would be a pain to wire it for Flex Watt only to have it be worthless in 6 months.

I'm not really sure what I just wrote here, and it looks too long to proof read, (lol) so I hope I didn't digress too much, and maybe I helped a bit. Let us know what you decide to do. There is bound to be a thread on this forum that goes into detail on rack building. If not, I could get more detail oriented on the project if it is something you are really going to pursue.


- h3

[DeesBalls]

^^ shelfs are nice as well, seen alot of people on youtube use them, and they look nice. i still reccomend melamine... mine was not expensive, it was $35 for a 8'x4' sheet, and free cutting. and then i bough a few pieces of like 36''x17'' for shelving for i think like $15 or so... but its heavy as all hell.

[Kavyrie]

The only thing about the melamine is the weight that's an issue, since I would be putting it in my room and would have to lug it up the stairs and then down the stairs when I move out. As I said I also want sliding glass doors instead of using tubs, since I like to watch my guys go about their business. The only way I could work around that would be to build individual cages and stack them, but I'm sure there is probably a downfall to that as well.

[gareth.hooper]

Although open shelving is a workable solution, the problem I have with it is the lack of heat retention where it's needed. That's where a solid back and side (at least 50% side) helps.

I agree a bookshelf conversion would work best and still give easy and enjoyable viewing. Glass sliders and full length glass or plexiglass sliding doors will work great. For ventilation, those plastic ventilation grids will work perfectly for the sides. You could even go with a front lower dam wall and fit the sliders on that.

So whether it's a converted bookshelf or new melamine build, there will be weight involved regardless.

[DeesBalls]

The only thing about the melamine is the weight that's an issue, since I would be putting it in my room and would have to lug it up the stairs and then down the stairs when I move out. As I said I also want sliding glass doors instead of using tubs, since I like to watch my guys go about their business. The only way I could work around that would be to build individual cages and stack them, but I'm sure there is probably a downfall to that as well.

in that case, make stackable cages, heated with flexwat, RHP, or UTH... add you some sliding glass doors and your there, again i made mine out of melamine, but they are no where near as heavy as my rack...

baby rack:
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/cages/cages2.jpg

2 cages stacked... they are bare in some pics, i was cleaning and organizing stuff when i took pics.
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/cages/cages1.jpg

nother one.
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/cages/IMAG0197.jpg

each cage was built, by me... they dont look nearly as nice as i could possibly do, i sort of rushed them a bit... each cage was..... $65 or so. no too bad for nice wooden cages.

[gareth.hooper]

Those stackable cages are spot on.
I was also just thinking for weight saving try 12mm melamine, wouldn't go thinner though. For balls, the height could also perhaps be 2/3 of what DeEugi has shown here.

[DeesBalls]

ya, for balls they are way to tall, well not "way" but too tall. i have a common boa, BRB, and corn snake in them... i am not too familiar with "mm" because i dont know the metric system.

thanks for the compliment.

[Kavyrie]

I was thinking about stackable enclosures, and those look really nice for being rushed. I'm going to look into Melamine since I know its probably the most durable material I could use. Thank you for the pictures, they will be a great refference for when I start building. Any advice for putting in the doors?

[DeesBalls]

I was thinking about stackable enclosures, and those look really nice for being rushed. I'm going to look into Melamine since I know its probably the most durable material I could use. Thank you for the pictures, they will be a great refference for when I start building. Any advice for putting in the doors?

lol dont use the metal chanels i used.. they suck... you should be able to find some nice sliding door things, made for sliding doors..

these things----Knape & Vogt P2417TAN48 Plastic Sliding Door Track And Guides - Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Knape-Vogt-P2417TAN48-Plastic-Sliding/dp/B000CSK398/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1347304844&sr=8-7&keywords=glass+door+tracks+1%2F8)

would be the best bet. when i did mine, i made the top piece only attachable by a few screws, so that way i could attach the doors, then put the screws in, so when i have to replace plexi, i take the piece off, put new in, and re attach. hard to explain but it works good. and i like them but would rather use something else.

[rmfsnakes32]

All this is very good info I have been debating on buying or building a rack thinking I will go with building

[DeesBalls]

build!! to get a nice one, with heat and all that, they can vary up to 800, and start at 400 or more... sure they are professional, but extremly expensive... my cages were about $80 or so each (when all broken down) and my racks for my hatchlings, were like $100 all that including heat.