Rack Construction finished.

[Ehatcher]

I finished the construction of the rack, added a "storage shelf" on top, and got everything tightened up nicely. Im going to paint it black i do believe. Now the only hard stuff i need to do is wire the 4" flexwatt. sorry for the low quality cell pics

Gotta prevent those tubs from slidin to far and lettin the geckos escape!!

Here is the storage area. Not sure if I am going to add the sides or just leave it open. I dont think i will add them.

Im keeping the extra length 2x4 there incase i want to add another level or two in the future.

Im using the new Rubbermaid Clever Store 15 qt tubs. they are 16.9 x 13.4 x5.4 inches. They are very nice tubs with a lot of room, as seen here with my 67 gram SHTCTB (who is in shed) and his humid hide.

cant wait to get it completely done and the geckos moved in!

 

[thestack510]

Nice job Eric. Those tubs are the ones I want. You had better be ready to whip up another one. Cheers to the future SMG!!!!

 

[thestack510]

Thanks for the heads up by the way. :main_thumbsup:

 

[puckett26]

How long would you say it took you to complete the whole rack? Also if you dont mind me asking how much were all the materials you used, minus the heat materials and tubs? By the way nice rack!

 

[Ehatcher]

it took around 2 hours to build. It's relatively easy and i have zero carpentry skills, so i would say that anyone could do it. I already had the drill and SKIL saw, so i just had to buy the 2 10ft 2 x 4 sections, and i bought a large sheet on 3/4" thick paneling, and some 2 1/2" deck screws. The wood is NON pressure treated and i will be putting Thompson's water sealer on the undersides of the shelves to protect from the humidity. I believe i spent around $36 for the materials at home Depot. Thanks for the comments!

****If anyone decides to use the water sealer, be sure to give it AMPLE time cure, My information will not be responsible for anyones geckos becoming ill or dying because of the possible levels of toxicity of the fumes from the sealer! As with any type of toxic or potentially toxic chemical, use common sense. *****

Ken, no problem bud. Those tubs are awesome and im more than certain you will like them.

 

[Olimpia]

Looks really nice! Next season (if my girls fiiinally lay good eggs) I will be needing to build something like this for the babies. I actually reeeally like yours haha.

 

[puckett26]

Wow thats it? Well Im going to attempt that here in the next week or so. I'll keep ya post

 

[GECKOFREAK]

Very nice work, Eric! I like that it has a storage area too...that helps :main_yes:

 

[paulnj]

very cool rack and tubs!

 

[Ehatcher]

thanks Olimpia, Andrea, and Paul! :main_thumbsup:

 

[Ehatcher]

*** UPDATE ***

I finally got the Flexwatt ordered and have began wiring it. It is extremely simple to wire. I put down foil tape as a base.

Here is a piece with the connectors and the insulators connected. I am going to fill the insulators with silicone to further insulate them. I opted against soldering because i didnt want to accidentally over heat or ruin the flex watt.

im going to Parallel wire them. It is very simple to do.

This is as far as i got because im a dumb butt and didnt order enough connectors and insulators. Ohh well, Ill order them tomorrow when i order the herpstat.

Thanks for looking!

 

[ElapidSVT]

nice work!
one thing i'd suggest is buying a LOT of extra bins. i built my rack long enough ago that they quit making the same style bins and now i am hard-pressed to find anything that will fit at a reasonable price.

 

[Ehatcher]

thanks Rob! Yeah, i have a nice surplus of extra bins right now. I may go buy 10 or 20 more for the future. I REALLLLY love these rubbermaid tubs.

 

[Ehatcher]

here is a video talking about the tubs im using!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyGVEyIPid8&feature=channel_page

 

[prettyprincess3690]

That looks awesome! Great work

 

[rince]

Im using the new Rubbermaid Clever Store 15 qt tubs. they are 16.9 x 13.4 x5.4 inches. They are very nice tubs with a lot of room, as seen here with my 67 gram SHTCTB (who is in shed) and his humid hide.

I doubt that you can get in a hide on the cold side, one on the warm side, a humid hide, water bowl and calcium dish in there and leave your gecko room to run around. I know I am piping the same tune over and over again, but I think those tubs are to tiny. Again, you wouldn't keep a dog locked in a crate twice his size all his life and consider it suitable ...

That being out of the way, I think you spend a lot of good thought into the construction of your rack and did a good job assembling it.

 

[VitalTears]

looks neat..xD

 

[thestack510]

Nicely done Eric. I am inspired to build.

 

[Ehatcher]

I doubt that you can get in a hide on the cold side, one on the warm side, a humid hide, water bowl and calcium dish in there and leave your gecko room to run around. I know I am piping the same tune over and over again, but I think those tubs are to tiny. Again, you wouldn't keep a dog locked in a crate twice his size all his life and consider it suitable ...

That being out of the way, I think you spend a lot of good thought into the construction of your rack and did a good job assembling it.

You are comparing Canines to Reptiles. They each require completely different niche requirements.

The tub itself acts as hide, the gecko feels safe. I can fit a humid hide in the bin, as well as a calcium dish, a water dish and a food dish, and proper heating gradient. All of the geckos niche requirements are met. That being said, the gecko(s) that you own were more than likely bred in a rack system and dwelled in it until it was either sold to the pet store, Privately owned pet shop, or sold at a show. MOST every large breeder and hobbyists that have a large number of geckos use rack systems with tubs. I put most in bold because there as some that do use tanks to breed.

Im not saying you are wrong, but the geckos live just fine in rack systems with tubs. My bearded dragon on the other hand lives in a 75 gallon tank which provides more than enough space, so dont think i condone torture of animals or something because you dont believe in the use of tubs.

Thanks for the compliments on the rack though :main_thumbsup:

Ken - get that thing built man. Labor of love. It feels pretty good to see something go from bare wood to "something" that is usuable lol.

 

[Shadraak]

i agree about the cool hides etc, i have them in some of my gecko tubs and they never use them, funny enough they usually just sit on top of them, so i've taken thema ll out, and if there is taht much concern doesn't need to be a big hide ie... i use tp or pt tubes and they wokre AWESOME, the geckos love them and it's even a bit of excercise as when they try to climb on it it's not balanced so they ahve to work at it .... rain man loves getting in it he usually rolls it around a bit, there's something off about that gecko .

but i had a question for you eric, i use the 16qt sterilite totes and they seem really high where that seems to have more floorspace have you compaired the 2? hight/length etc?