I ordered one of the 'small arboreal' racks that Anthony Caponetto has been selling (manufactured by Barrs, of course) as a possible intermediate system for raising my baby Dipsadoboas. You can see specs at http://www.acreptiles.com/store/index.php?target=products&product_id=4

After several weeks (apparently there was a mix-up somewhere), the rack finally arrived today and I thought I'd post up some more detailed pics and my initial impressions.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj217/janeothejungle/caging/p1010012.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj217/janeothejungle/caging/p1010013.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj217/janeothejungle/caging/P1010014.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj217/janeothejungle/caging/P1010015.jpg

This is the bar for attaching heat tape, I'm a bit curious to see how well this regulates such a small space in an open rack...

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj217/janeothejungle/caging/P1010016.jpg

Initial dislikes - 1.) no directions of any kind when you break open the box. Yeah, I know, you can figure it out if you stop and think about it long enough, but still, it irks me. 2.) The side support panels are fairly flimsy (due to the thinness of the rack) and I have to wonder about the weight if you were to use pebbles or something with weight a substrate. 3.) If you only have one of these racks, you're either going to need to keep it in a steady-temp room, or use a stat just for this rack due to how open it is and how quickly the plastic critter keepers conduct/lose heat/cold.

Initial Likes - 1.) It's light, breaks down easy and is very portable. 2.) The vent holes are fairly small which is nice when you have snakes with tiny little heads. 3.) Versatility. Anything you can keep in a small critter keeper, you can now keep in a rack where it is highly visible.

Once I get the heat tape set up and running, I'll post up some more notes. :yessir::yessir:


Cheers,
Kat

Huh, looks interesting Kat, let us know how it works for you. :yessir:

Seen that rack in use with a vendor at a show that was selling salamanders...seemed like an okay rack but I did also wonder about the heat on it...

Cool design...hope if works well day to day for you :cheers:

Hmmm, it is an interesting rack, I was looking at those for the cresties when I had them but when I saw them at a show I didn't like the flimsiness at all. I guess I just like sturdier racks :D

OMGoodness! I NEVER thought of making a rack for all the critter keepers I have!!!! :eek: what a great idea! Closed rack with back heat.......man I am dense.....never even crossed my mind that it could be done!!

Looks VERY flimsy.

But on his site all setup they look great!

Definitely keep us updated on how you like it!

Interesting Kat! cant wait to hear you observations after using it!

Kat the 3 i have i put some woode panels on the side and the back just to hold the heat in a bit better.Dont know if that helps.
Gotta remember they were initially used for geckos that are kept at room temps.:cheers:

I can't comment on the heat aspect, but I own and use one of these for my baby cresteds and I love it. Through any normal use, I can't see this rack being damaged. You'd have to grab it and torque it to really see an issue, in my opinion.

Maybe a ton of weight in each keeper would be an issue, but I don't know.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in that I've had one for well over a year and love it.

Does look flimsy hope it works well for you. Great concept for the use of Kritter Keepers in a rack though.

I ordered one of the 'small arboreal' racks that Anthony Caponetto has been selling (manufactured by Barrs, of course) as a possible intermediate system for raising my baby Dipsadoboas. You can see specs at http://www.acreptiles.com/store/index.php?target=products&product_id=4

After several weeks (apparently there was a mix-up somewhere), the rack finally arrived today and I thought I'd post up some more detailed pics and my initial impressions.

Initial dislikes - 1.) no directions of any kind when you break open the box. Yeah, I know, you can figure it out if you stop and think about it long enough, but still, it irks me.

Cheers,
Kat

Not to disparage Anthony Caponetto, but had you gone directly to the source (Doug Barr), I'm almost positive you would've gotten your rack in 4-5 days with NO delivery screw ups AND assembly directions would have been included. I've bought several pvc cages and display units directly from Doug and had NO problems whatsoever! Kare, however, bought a display unit from Anthony (a Barrs unit) and ran into the same delivery delay BS. I'm just saying...go to the source. Doug Barr is a real stand up guy. That said, I'm sure that your new rack will stand up to everyday abuse very well...the critter keepers will break before the rack does!

A friend used them for Eyelash vipers. I think he liked them, but he did not use the heat tape.