jovamabob
New member
So i decided to build my own snake rack for the 8 hatchlings im taking on - but i was on a budget! I spent less than £60 in total!
I first took a set of shelves i happened to be given by someone, though you can buy these for around £15 in charity shops or second hand furniture sales - the snake doesn't care who it used to belong too! Mine had an open back for easy wiring, had 6 shelves, measured 58 inches high with a shelf height of 9.5", depth of 7" and width of 23.5"
I decided to use heat cable for its versatility so i placed down aluminium tape down in lines to protect the wood and reflect the heat up. I bought 10m ofthis on ebay for £4. I then placed the heat cable looped on top, fixing it in place with more aluminium tape (Don't let the wire cross itself!). I bought 7m for £16 through swell reptiles and it covered half of my shelves using 3 loops or 5 shelves using 2 loops. You could buy garden propagation cable cheaper though if you hunted around. I used a thermostat to control it that cost £19 via swell reptiles, though you could find one cheaper on ebay most likely. I bought a lucky reptile thermometer with two probes for £6 off ebay to measure temperatures with (currently around 31c in the hot end).
I then prepared the actual RUBS. I went to poundland and bought nine 7 litre Rubs (for £9 naturally). I then used a screw to make air holes, lined it with kitchen roll substrate and added the accessories.
I used stainless steel bowls i got in poundland's home section which were 4 for £1 or if you wanted something heavier you can get 2 ceramic ramekin bowls for £1 there which don't look out of place. I checked them with my older snake to check they'd be big enough
I got 4 baby bowls with lids for £1 and cut a doorway into them for using as a hide. (It still needs sanding down here). Since it is not fully opaque i filled it with shredded kitchen roll to hide in and since they have a plastic base i can dampen this during shedding or add any moss.
I then added my tubs. They hang off the back sightly, but i dont mind this since it helps keep the cool side cool. I bought three tubs that were not as tall as the others since the lids could overlap slightly and i can fit more on the shelves. I also added once 'dud' tub that has a tight fitting hole cut in and the probes for the thermostat/thermometer placed in. This gives me a good reading of what the temperature inside is like without having to risk snake escapes! If you want you can purchase individual thermometers for each tub for around £2 on ebay. I chose not too.
And there we have it! Done! It fits nicely into my living room, since i only used half my shelves so the bottom 3 are good for storage. I have quite a bit of paint left from painting a vivarium i may give it a nice coat of paint later on and do some stenciling work on the side, just to give it a face lift.
I first took a set of shelves i happened to be given by someone, though you can buy these for around £15 in charity shops or second hand furniture sales - the snake doesn't care who it used to belong too! Mine had an open back for easy wiring, had 6 shelves, measured 58 inches high with a shelf height of 9.5", depth of 7" and width of 23.5"
I decided to use heat cable for its versatility so i placed down aluminium tape down in lines to protect the wood and reflect the heat up. I bought 10m ofthis on ebay for £4. I then placed the heat cable looped on top, fixing it in place with more aluminium tape (Don't let the wire cross itself!). I bought 7m for £16 through swell reptiles and it covered half of my shelves using 3 loops or 5 shelves using 2 loops. You could buy garden propagation cable cheaper though if you hunted around. I used a thermostat to control it that cost £19 via swell reptiles, though you could find one cheaper on ebay most likely. I bought a lucky reptile thermometer with two probes for £6 off ebay to measure temperatures with (currently around 31c in the hot end).
I then prepared the actual RUBS. I went to poundland and bought nine 7 litre Rubs (for £9 naturally). I then used a screw to make air holes, lined it with kitchen roll substrate and added the accessories.
I used stainless steel bowls i got in poundland's home section which were 4 for £1 or if you wanted something heavier you can get 2 ceramic ramekin bowls for £1 there which don't look out of place. I checked them with my older snake to check they'd be big enough
I got 4 baby bowls with lids for £1 and cut a doorway into them for using as a hide. (It still needs sanding down here). Since it is not fully opaque i filled it with shredded kitchen roll to hide in and since they have a plastic base i can dampen this during shedding or add any moss.
I then added my tubs. They hang off the back sightly, but i dont mind this since it helps keep the cool side cool. I bought three tubs that were not as tall as the others since the lids could overlap slightly and i can fit more on the shelves. I also added once 'dud' tub that has a tight fitting hole cut in and the probes for the thermostat/thermometer placed in. This gives me a good reading of what the temperature inside is like without having to risk snake escapes! If you want you can purchase individual thermometers for each tub for around £2 on ebay. I chose not too.
And there we have it! Done! It fits nicely into my living room, since i only used half my shelves so the bottom 3 are good for storage. I have quite a bit of paint left from painting a vivarium i may give it a nice coat of paint later on and do some stenciling work on the side, just to give it a face lift.
