bin set ups for reptiles and how to make them?

[kala83]

so I went out to a local event that the local herpetology society for the University of Missouri was at.
Like last October, and one of the guys there was mentioning to me how if I wanted to look at getting a Blue Tongued skink, and some snakes mostly a corn snake and a new ball python again in the future.

that doing bin cages is a good way to have them have enclosure and it can be a bit less cost effective then going out and getting a glass tank. (not personally that I am opposed to using these)

but I was wondering where can someone find instructions on how to make these.

or maybe I could just get feed back on here for the dimensions on how big I should look at if I wanted to use them for the types of reptiles I mentioned above.

[prairiepanda]

I suggest you Google "DIY snake rack"
There are many different ways you can approach building one; either from scratch or out of a cheap shelving unit. There are also a few manufacturers of snake racks in the US if you don't feel up to the task of making one yourself.

Racks are definitely cost-effective and easy to maintain. They're also known to be particularly good at holding humidity. That said, they also have their disadvantages. The reduced visibility makes it harder to check on the state of the enclosure and the animal without actually opening it and disturbing the animal, providing adequate space can be a challenge, and racks are rarely suitable for arboreal species.

I use a rack system for all my snakes currently, but I plan on upgrading them to nice display enclosures when they reach their adult size. The rack is nice for growing snakes, though, because it's cheap and easy to change the size of the bin as needed while they grow. I have a custom-built rack that a carpenter friend made for me. We found a series of bins which comes in 3 sizes that have the same height, so we designed the rack in such a way that one shelf can hold 1 large bin, 2 medium bins, or 3 small bins, so that it can easily house all my snakes at their different stages of growth.

For bin size, a good rule of thumb to start with is to have the total length of two sides of the bin approximately equal to the length of the snake. Certain species may need more, and certain individuals would be happier with more or less space, so you have to approach it on a case-by-case basis, but the 2-side-lengths rule is a good place to start. Obviously with snakes that are still growing you'd start with something a bit bigger than that and upgrade to a larger bin when the snake's length starts to exceed that(or when the snake starts showing signs of wanting more space, whichever comes first)

Some people have also had success putting baby snakes directly into their adult-sized enclosures, though. In that case, you need to provide a lot of hiding spots so that the baby won't feel so exposed. This won't work for all snakes, though.

[kala83]

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

I suggest you Google "DIY snake rack"
There are many different ways you can approach building one; either from scratch or out of a cheap shelving unit. There are also a few manufacturers of snake racks in the US if you don't feel up to the task of making one yourself.

Racks are definitely cost-effective and easy to maintain. They're also known to be particularly good at holding humidity. That said, they also have their disadvantages. The reduced visibility makes it harder to check on the state of the enclosure and the animal without actually opening it and disturbing the animal, providing adequate space can be a challenge, and racks are rarely suitable for arboreal species.

I use a rack system for all my snakes currently, but I plan on upgrading them to nice display enclosures when they reach their adult size. The rack is nice for growing snakes, though, because it's cheap and easy to change the size of the bin as needed while they grow. I have a custom-built rack that a carpenter friend made for me. We found a series of bins which comes in 3 sizes that have the same height, so we designed the rack in such a way that one shelf can hold 1 large bin, 2 medium bins, or 3 small bins, so that it can easily house all my snakes at their different stages of growth.

For bin size, a good rule of thumb to start with is to have the total length of two sides of the bin approximately equal to the length of the snake. Certain species may need more, and certain individuals would be happier with more or less space, so you have to approach it on a case-by-case basis, but the 2-side-lengths rule is a good place to start. Obviously with snakes that are still growing you'd start with something a bit bigger than that and upgrade to a larger bin when the snake's length starts to exceed that(or when the snake starts showing signs of wanting more space, whichever comes first)

Some people have also had success putting baby snakes directly into their adult-sized enclosures, though. In that case, you need to provide a lot of hiding spots so that the baby won't feel so exposed. This won't work for all snakes, though.

with that kind of set up can you use rubermaids that you can find at wal-mart? and I was just wondering also can you use thermostats with these kinds of enclosures also....I was not so much looking at a rack just individual bins cause I thought that was the guy at the herpetology society suggested to me. But yes doing a google search sounds like a good idea.

[pet_snake_78]

It depends on how many snakes you have. Bins with a clamp shutting top can work fine for a very small collection of animals. They more you have, the more advantage you will have with a lidless rack system. You also don't want to put a tiny hatchling in an adult sizes tubs. At the least you need the following items:
-Heat tape (reptile basics will assemble it for you or if you're building racks they sell the tool): The size you need depends on the tub size
-Thermostat: Get a proportional one not a cheap POS. I use herpstat but other good ones should be fine, too.
-Foil tape: Walmart, Home Depot. It shines like aluminum foil and holds heat tape down.
-Soap and bleach: Cleaning water bowls
-Soldering Iron: Used to melt air holes in the tubs.

[prairiepanda]

Yes, Rubbermaid bins work well. You can really use any bin you prefer, as long as it isn't too flimsy.

When I had just two snakes I had them in bins without a rack. On most bins the lids aren't secure enough to contain a snake, so you have to modify them a bit. On one bin I secured the lid with industrial strength Velcro, and on the other I used binder clips. Binder clips are pretty convenient but only work on certain kinds of lids. Once I started getting more snakes, having the bins alone got to be pretty annoying which is why I had the rack built. It's much more convenient.

Usually people use heat tape with bins and rack systems. People who are uncomfortable with setting up heat tape sometimes use heat pads instead, but that tends to be much more expensive unless you only have one or two snakes. You can have the heat source right up against the bins; the thermostat will prevent it from getting hot enough to melt the plastic. Some people cut recesses into rack shelves so that the heat tape doesn't touch the bins, which is harder to make but makes it easier to position probes and probably makes it last longer. If you build a rack you just have to make sure you consider the placement of heat tape/pads and thermostat probes when you're designing it.

My rack has slots for heat tape but is not currently heated. I keep only species that have successfully been kept and bred for generations by experienced breeders with only ambient heating. I chose them specifically so that I would not have to worry about heating; I just keep the whole room warm. That limits the kinds of snakes I can keep, but works very well for the ones I have. In the future when I have the resources to keep more snakes I will install heat tape in the rack so that I can accommodate other species that are more dependent on temperature gradients.

[Andy_G]

Unless you're in a large, well ventilated area using a mask, I would use a drill or dremel tool over a soldering iron for putting holes in rubbermaids simply because some of the fumes produced from melting or burning this type of plastic...mainly furans and dioxins...are known to be quite toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Just so you know.