Would this work?

[GexPex]

So I have hatchlings on the way (hopefully) and I'm looking for ideas on how to keep them at least until I find new homes for them. I was looking into plastic drawers....
http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-3-drawer-cart-green/-/A-13168240

With a heat mat attached to the back of them (vertically), would this work?

I'm not very handy when it comes to making stuff (such as my own hatchling rack), so if anyone has any other SIMPLE ideas, please let me know lol.

I'd rather not keep them together so that I could monitor their food intake/poops/etc. as well as keep them from accidentally biting one-another's tail (not sure how common that is in leopard geckos, but it's quite common in cresties...I know that for sure).

 

[justinadavid1104]

when a drwer is pulled put the one beneath it has no cover

 

[GexPex]

Right, but I was hoping that the bins would be too deep for the geckos to climb out.

 

[beezy]

no. those are no good.. i had an escape from those. even when in the closed position there is still a gap around the whole top that a gecko can squeeze thru. if u like playing hide and seek with your gckos then go for it but if not then stay away from those.

 

[mango+cola]

Just get plastic tubs with lids and put a few holes in the top. And I don't think attaching the heat mat to the back is a good idea, kind of defeats the purpose since they need belly heat.

 

[reptiles1st]

They don't need belly heat, they only need a temp gradiant. I use back heat on 2 racks and have no problems. The heat mat on the back probably won't work to well. You could go to lowes and buy a shoe organizer rack for 9.99 and buy some 6qt shoebox bins from walmart and run heat cable. Would be alot easier and very cost effective.

 

[Crimson.Dawn]

I avoid belly heat because it can malfunction and melt tubs, potentially killing geckos. While the back heat can also malfunction the heat is not indirect contact with the tubs, and can't kill my animals.

As for the pre-made drawers, I use some. More out of convenience then anything else. If you do you will have to cut a small piece of backer board or peg board to fit up in between the top of one drawer and the bottom of another. Peg board can be cut with a kitchen knife so its not hard to fit in, that way no one escapes. in the long run they are more expensive then building melamine racks. By a lot. But if you are not good with tools its one way to go, as long as you modify them.

Lets see.. The frame that holds the drawers can come apart. It snaps together, You will have to take the drawers out, take the frame apart and trace the inside of the frame to fit the peg board. Glue in the board with some liquid nails. then let it dry for about 24 hours to get rid of the smell.. and re-assemble. One of these days ill take mine apart and show how I did them lol.

 

[GexPex]

Then how would these work, since they're separate containers and have their own "lids"...
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Narrow-Modular-Storage-Drawers-Set-of-6-White/15940600

 

[reptiles1st]

With the cost of those you are gonna spend alot more than their worth for geckos. You want to make sure you can house a bunch if your gonna breed and those bins are kinda costly. I have used the 3 drawer system aswell and I agree with Gina that it takes a good bit of time and effort to make them work.

If your gonna plan something out, build something that is more universal. So you can house them in larger bins if you have trouble selling babies. Melamine is easy to work with and they sell it in a bunch of different sizes so you won't have to do any cutting. If you lay it out right.

 

[geckomaniac123]

Those should work

Then how would these work, since they're separate containers and have their own "lids"...
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Narrow-Modular-Storage-Drawers-Set-of-6-White/15940600

Those should work ok as long as they are too deep for the geckos to escape from. Remember that leopard geckos can use their tails to prop themselves up on to reach so take the entire body length into consideration when evaluating that the tubs are deep enough. Also make sure there are not any gaps at the top of the tubs where a gecko could get a head, leg or tail out over the side because you could accidently pinch or crush them as you pull the door forward to open the door if they do. If your using this mainly to house neonates or juveniles this should not be a problem because they'll be too small to reach the top edges.