Cagemakers Discussion

[liquidleaf]

When I got my 2007 Ikea catalog, I leafed through it and in the storage section, saw an item that to me, looked EXACTLY like a snake hatchling rack.

Since the unit was inexpensive, I decided to buy it. My aunt was travelling near an Ikea, so I asked her to pick up the storage unit (=rack) for me.

Here are some photos - the plastic bins for the rack have optional lids, which I only got a few of (since my aunt was going in person, I didn't know if the lids would suit my purposes or not so only had her buy 3 of them). Here's the photos - the whole thing can be adapted for use as a reptile breeding rack with VERY MINIMAL alteration.

Here's the rack (minus backing insulation and flexwatt):


Here's the inside of a bin:


Here's a bin with the lid:


Closeup of the corner of a bin with a lid:


Closeup of the drawer slides (which are plastic):


And a lid by itself:


It was very easy to assemble.

Here's a link to the bins: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=11181 - select Transparent and 16 1/2" x 11 3/4" x 4" for size and color. $2.00 each (the rack I got holds 6).

Link to the shorter rack unit (the one pictured here): http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=71931&langId=-1&categoryId=15664&chosenPartNumber=30091452 - $39.99

There is a taller straight unit as well, and also some shorter stepped-style ones.

Link to the lids for the bins: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=20955 $1.50 each

Ikea is still a bit weird with online ordering - even just for lids, the shipping is outrageous, so it's best if you live near an Ikea to just go to the store and buy everything there, but for a total of about $61 plus a few bucks more for heating and insulation and some minor modification to the lids, not bad for a juvenile rack.

The bins have a nice rounded groove around the outside of the bottom that would probably be good if water gets spilled - some water can go into the groove and the middle section will still stay dry, but there aren't any sharp edges in the inside, either. The lid fits completely flush into a recess in the bin, which is why those little turn buttons would be able to keep the lid on.

I purchased small "turn buttons" from Rockler and installed them on a tub. I installed one on each corner, and this provides a method for retaining the tub lid so that whatever is in the tub cannot push the lid off of the tub. Each turnbutton simply revolves, providing a little latch to keep the lid on (photos to come).

Still to do: insulate the back of the unit and run 3" or 4" flexwatt down the inside of the insulation to heat the rack. I'm not expecting baby snakes for several more months, and I'll post photos when the rack is finished.

[liquidleaf]

So you may be wondering what I meant about the turn buttons. It seems like I will hopefully have snake babies to put in the rack sometime in the spring, so I finally got around to putting some of the finishing touches on the rack.

Well, here are some photos of the turn buttons attached to each corner of a bin, holding a lid on. Each can swivel out of the way to allow the lid to come off. Even though they are only held on with very tiny screws, I can pull the lid quite hard and it doesn't budge.



Because the bins are fairly large (for hatchlings) and there are only 6 of them for this rack (and hopefully there will be more than 6 babies), I am going to make dividers for each bin. I mocked up some templates out of cardboard, here's the general idea:



Not sure WHAT I am going to make the dividers out of yet. Probably tileboard/showerboard.
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Lauren Madar, CageMakers' site administrator

[Occunda]

Ich bin neu, Hello freunde !.
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