RBI vs Boaphile

After roaming around on this site for a couple weeks I have realized it would be best to keep my bps in something other than a glass tank.

I currently only have 2 snakes, and don't plan on anymore than say 6.

I really like the stackable cages that are black and sleek looking.

Building my own is out of the question as I have no skills in that dept.


I narrowed it down to RBI or Boaphile .. the ones that are 3x2 .

I like the way the boaphile one looks in regards to the latches and key lock.
But I do not like that the heat panel is white .. sounds silly I know ..but I would like it to blend a little better.

With the RBI , I like that the heat panels are black and would blend better , but I do not like the way the latches look, and I don't see a keyed lock option.
But I am interested in the optional probe slot .... I am not sure if I need that or how it works , but I didn't see it on Boaphile.

What are some pros and cons to each one? I have never used a setup like this and not sure what is important and what's not.

Would a RBI heat panel work on a Boaphile cage? Do I need a probe slot for any reason?


Thanks

Hey there, I was very confused as to which to get as well. I met Jeff the owner of BOAPHILES at the Chicago show. Really nice guy, stands behind his work and now i am the owner of two of his 5 drawer side ways racks. I got those so that i could do smaller bins on the bottom for my younger snakes and the bigger drawers for the larger ones.

I bought also bought the Themostat that is on his web site. No issues, easy to set up. Instructions came for everything. I did punch a hole in one of the bottom smaller bins to run the probe into it. Temps are perfect.

My two cents..

Scuba

You won't regret either purchase.

Generally I prefer RBI for everything "ball python".

If I was considering a different species, the options provided by places like AP or boaphile would lure me to them.

If you want a boaphile, I THINK they may offer their cages in white as well, so the RHP will "blend". Then again, if you're set on black cages that doesn't help.

I personally prefer white cages, especially if I'm going to mount any fluorescent lighting in them. The white helps spread the light around to really make the inside of the cage glow for very nice-looking decor.

Thank you both!

I am just having a hard time deciding ... I was looking at the pictures each provide , and on Boaphiles I noticed a small gap between the glass door and the wall , does that matter?

http://boaphileplastics.com/accs_files/hinge.jpg

Also ... where is the ventilation on either one?

I would love to see pictures of these cages if anyone has them!

Thanks again

The black one is a cage from Reptile Basics. I absolutely love it. So why do I have so many visions now? Well I can find them cheaply on craigslist and money matters here. The visions are great cages too. In fact, I love them.

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...9_10150001.jpg

I just purchased an RBI 4 footer and I love it. I am sure the 3 would be constructed similarly. So the belly heat option delivered to a show was cheaper than whats listed online, give Rich a call he is a nice guy. I have a RBI RHP 80 watt on Helix COntroller and i love it. Proportional thermostat is the way to go with Radian Heat Panels. The cage is well built and I elected for double doors like the pic above. If your looking at the picture, the heat is on 40% of the floor and off the back a bit. The heat is self contained and the probe slot is on the back right corner looking at the cage. I am using a Ranco thermostat on the heat tape since you dont need proportional with them. Anyway, my only hang up was the ambient temps in my room. When you switch from 80 watts RHP in a 3 footer to maybe 40 watts heat tape in a 4 footer and your room is still 65-67 your bound to have problems. I went and bought a oil filled radiant heater to bring the room temps up. Now everything works famously. I am a huge fan on the radiant heat panels, but I have seen now that I have belly heat that my snake uses the heat differently, not better or worse just different. I would advise you to get the belly heat option even if you opt for a RHP. Also, one thing you didnt mention as an option is buying the RHP from RBI and installing it in the boaphile. It screws to the top of cage and comes with the plug lopped off, just cord. You drill a hole, run the cord out and than Rich uses a slick clip on system to get the plug reinstalled, easy rewiring is what I am saying. Plug it in and your good to go.

I like not having cords or probes in the cage and the fact that I could get my cage right away was nice as well. There are less options with RBI. Anyway, thats what I decided on. You may want to consider a 4 footer with a permanent divider, independent heat on both sides as well. I am getting one of those for juvenile boas so I think it would work great for ball pythons, you would have 4 square feet of caging on each side or 2X2 floor space.

Good luck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minja777

Thank you both!

I am just having a hard time deciding ... I was looking at the pictures each provide , and on Boaphiles I noticed a small gap between the glass door and the wall , does that matter?

http://boaphileplastics.com/accs_files/hinge.jpg

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The gap does not matter. Actually, the gap might be the ventilation although I think there are vent slots on the back somewhere.

The probe slot is for your thermostat probe. You absolutely need a thermostat in order to keep temps from getting dangerously high. Reptile basics sells some good ones.

Have you thought of using a rack instead of display cages? If you plan on getting 6 snakes then those cages can become a pain to clean, not to mention they are huge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Have you thought of using a rack instead of display cages? If you plan on getting 6 snakes then those cages can become a pain to clean, not to mention they are huge.

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i concur!!! if you are planning on getting up to 6 snakes you should definately look into a rack! i ordered one from boaphile not too long ago, actually it should be here in the next week or so.
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/rhin...sterilite.html
thats the one. my brother has the same one and it is a god send!