I just want to make a quick post to gather some opinions…
I only have one rack for all of my snakes (breeders and babies both) and I kind of want to make a seperate open-style rack to put my breeders in so I can have more room for babies.
My plan was to make it out of wood since thats the most available material in my area but I want to hear from y’all what else I could possibly use that would be available in any typical Lowes or Home Depot. I know pvc board is the most obvious option and I really feel hesitant using wood due to the obvious fire hazard it would present while using heat tape… but I just want to know if its worth it long term to use wood since it is a cheaper option if safety measures are taken to reduce the fire risk.
I have a couple homemade PVC racks I use for my hatchlings. It is open-sided so helps cut back on cost. I will try and snap a pic of them when I break for lunch today
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What size heat tape do you use for them?
I’m looking on reptilebasics at their bulk options to use for belly heat but I’m unsure if I should go with 6" or larger for adult BPs. I plan to use 41 qt sterilite bins in the build so that’d be a length of 29" on the bottom.
There are many drawbacks to that cheaper option of wood:
- It’s heavy.
- It can warp in high humidity.
- It’s organic so it’ll degrade over time.
- It’s porous, so you have to be careful of direct contact with water.
- It may require sealing (and resealing).
So, yeah, the material is initially, monetarily cheaper, but you’ll pay for it in other ways.
For instance, if you have to get hurricane protection for your house windows, you could DIY on the cheap with removable sheets of plywood or spend the extra money on true aluminum panels. There is no way in hell I would even consider the wood solution for the reasons I listed above.
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I was already thinking ahead on the sealing part but you have a good point about the weight aspect, especially since this would be needing to go up a set of stairs so thanks for the input!
I’m thinking about going ahead with the minimal open build like @t_h_wyman said with pvc to reduce the price of just making a solid pvc rack. Its still just all planning for now since I’m still setting up a budget for the build (or possibly 2…)
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Is wood really all that much cheaper? I haven’t bought PVC sheet since the before times (and then from a plastics supplier), but 4 x 8 sheets of 1/2" PVC trim board are about $100 at the big box stores – I wouldn’t think that’s much cheaper than decent stuff. A sheet of good plywood is $75, and then there’s the cost of sealing it.
Decent joinery on plywood is more complicated than on PVC, too, where simple butt joints work well enough. I started out with a couple wood and/or “melamine” racks, and I the ones I have left are degrading (the others I trashed); the PVC racks I’ve built are like new after years.
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A 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood where I’m at is only $35
$50 for the really high-end stuff.
A single 1" x 6" x 8’ sheet of pvc is $30 here.
Either way I’m just going to bite the bullet and get pvc board because I definitely want longevity and reliability over lower cost.
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I used the 4" for years before switching to 6" when I went and splurged on a big rack later on.
I wish I could find PVC board that cheap near me. All I’ve seen is the smaller pieces for trim.
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Here is a small rack I made with a wire shelving system. I used the Sterilite 15 qt. tub # 1754 for baby boas and the Sterilite 74 qt. tub # 1969 for sub adults and boas about 6 feet long and less than 12 to 15 lbs. The 1754 tub measures 17 inches x 11 inches x 6 - 3/8 inches, and the 1969 tub measures 44 inches x 19 - 3/4 inches x 6 - 3/8 inches. You can fit 8 of the 1969 tubs or 36 of the 1754 tubs on this rack.
Set up like this picture cost me about
$350 with 4 inch X 44 inch flexwatt
on each shelf. I made this in the late 90s, so it’s probably a little more expensive now to make.
I also have 1/4" masonite on each shelf to cover the flexwatt so the tubs don’t set on or rub the flexwatt.
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That’s a board, priced for convenience for a certain application. Sheets of PVC foam are probably best sourced from a real plastics supplier. Google maps can find the nearest ones.
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