DIY Snake rack

I'm trying to plan a snake rack and was wondering if anyone had tips on materials and/or sealants that would work. I was planning on using 1/2" to 3/4" plywood and treating it with a waterproofing material but am unsure what is safe for herps. My rack dimensions are going to be approximately 36"X16"X48". I plan on housing a combination of sub adult ball pythons and blood pythons in 41qt sterilite tubs, and baby pythons of the species previously mentioned in 6qt, and 12qt tubs. Its a combo rack with the 41qts being inserted lengthwise, and the others width. My main concerns are warping/bending of the shelves, water/humidity damage, and whether to use back or belly heat? Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

it has been my experience that back heat is very inefficient. belly heat is what i like for my geckos. make sure you have a way to control the heat output i.e. a rheostat or thermostat.
if you use belly heat you should rout a channel for the heat tape so the tubs don't contact it. when you slide the tubs in and out of the rack you don't want it rubbing on the heat tape. the rubbing could eventually wear through the heat tape and pose a fire hazard.
you might want to heat up the heat tape and staple it down while it is warm. if you staple it down when it is cold it will probably buckle on you after it is heated.
melamine works very well. plywood works also, but the melamine already has a humidity resistant veneer on it.
i hope this is helpful to you.

I use and suggest Melamine versus plywood and sealants. While I have both back and belly heat (not on the same rack but some racks with back heat and others with belly) I would suggest belly heat for the snakes you mentioned. I use 3 in flexwatt and have an electric planer that cuts a 3 1/4 inch groove that the flexwatt fits into perfectly and allows the tubs slide over the flexwatt without ever touching the flexwatt avoiding damage of it. To address your bowing concerns I use braces that I cut that are just a little taller than the tubs. (see pic)

use this link for references. clay davenport has diy racks and cage plans and shows you step by step and even tells you what he uses.

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/cages.shtml

Originally Posted by DAND

I use and suggest Melamine versus plywood and sealants. While I have both back and belly heat (not on the same rack but some racks with back heat and others with belly) I would suggest belly heat for the snakes you mentioned. I use 3 in flexwatt and have an electric planer that cuts a 3 1/4 inch groove that the flexwatt fits into perfectly and allows the tubs slide over the flexwatt without ever touching the flexwatt avoiding damage of it. To address your bowing concerns I use braces that I cut that are just a little taller than the tubs. (see pic)

I'm very interested in your technique. Could you explain the planer to this tool-impaired woman? Where can I get one of those, what specifically am I looking for, and about how much can I expect to spend? I'm getting ready to refurbish 2 racks and build another using the 3" rather than my usual 11" and can use all the pointers I can get. I don't like having to slide the tubs onto the flexwatt and want something cleaner and safer.

I believe I picked this one up at Home Depot. If my memory is correct it was under $50.00 bucks. It has an adjustable depth setting (3rd pic). Top view (1st pic) gives you an Idea of what it looks like and the bottom view (2nd pic) shows the cutting blade. It just rotates around and cuts a nice groove that the flexwatt fits in perfectly. I just clamped a piece of wood as a guide on the board and ran the planer down the length of the board. Bingo it was done (4th pic). I hope that answers your questions.

That's perfect, thank you! I'm headed over to Lowe's and Home Depot to see what I can find.

I love back heat. Wont ever change from it ever again either!

Thanks for the help everyone! I can't wait to get started and will post some pics when I finish.

Originally Posted by Mooing Tricycle

I love back heat. Wont ever change from it ever again either!

I know this thread is old, but why do you prefer back heat? I'm asking because that's primarily what all of my racks use and I've seen SO many people say it's terrible and belly heat is better. Just wondering on pros and cons.