DIY Adult 40QT snake rack! (Photos!)

This week my Big season project was to make a adult snake rack to house all my corn snakes, well we came up with a basic Design and wrote it out, it was going to be With lids, about 6 foot high, made out of Plywood, 10 levels, 40qt bins. It was a good start for a shopping list.




Wal-Mart supplies (bins)

I got sterlite 40qt locking clear lids

I can’t remember the precise price per bin but it was around $9.00 each so let’s say $10.00 each

10 bins $10.00 each

Total……………..$100



Hardware store supplies (Menards)

1) 4 Plywood ½ inch…………………..$8.99 x 4 = $35.96
2) Wood stain………………………………. $6.88
3) Foil tape……………………………………$ 5.99
4) Four, 1x4 ………………………………..$1.49 x 4 = $5.96


Total……..$ 54.79





Online supplies


11’’" Flex watt Heat Tape… (Per foot $3.40)…… ordered 10 feet = $34.00
Clips for heat tape…………... ($1.00 a set)………….ordered10 sets = $10.00
Thermostat……………. $26.95……………x… (Shipping again $8.95) = $35.90


Shipping was around $10.00 and I could not find a company that carried the heat tape I needed with the thermostat I wanted, so I ordered with 2 companies that means 2x more shipping ) :



Total $88.95

Now the grand Price for the 40qt adult snake rack bins, heat, thermostat, and all is

GRAND PRICE FOR EVERYTHING: $243.74



So now after cutting out the boards, and putting it together it was time for staining, now I picked out a dark stain to match my other rack, next time I will stain the wood before I put it all together, it was a bit hard getting every corner! Make sure it airs out a few days





After staining was wiring the rack for heat, it’s very simple, and isn’t hard once you get the hang of it. I don’t want to go in to detail on how to wire, but it’s pretty easy and if you ever wire a rack and it doesn’t seem to be working the Problem 90% of the time is the connectors, so go back and tighten them, but be warned NEVER TOUCH A UNCOVERED CONNECTOR WHEN PLUGGED IN! Always have a plastic cover or electrical tape covering it. *I will not be held reasonable for wiring* that’s why am not showing you how to do it.



Are making sure everything was heating up well, we added the back on (to keep bins from flying out the back side and help keep heat in) and it was done ( :