AP or DIY?

Since I'm about to order my AP I just thought I wonder what would be better, a AP cage or go DIY and build one from wood with glass sliding doors. I want what would be best for the snake, so any help I appreciate. I will be using a RHP for heat.

AP makes great cages, can't go wrong with them.


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You can get a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 inch PVC from home depot $50-$80 depending on where you live. You could build the same exact cage as a t8 for half the cost of an AP cage with shipping. Actually you could build a bigger cage then a t8 with a 4x8 sheet. I'm actually trying to decide whether or not I want to buy a t8 ap cage with divider for my leopard geckos and then another for when my killer bee grows up. All depends if I have the time on my hands to build them. I'll probably just spend the extra and buy the t8s, its a lot cheaper then the vision v400 I bought for my super pastel.

Wood isn't water proof, and finding glass can be expensive. AP makes a good product, but plan on ordering it early because it takes a while.

Just made a massive order from ap to re house all my bigger snakes . I have to relocate and moving these custom diy wooden cages is going to absolutely kill me . Especially when there's 20 of them .

Animal plastics over DIY... hands down.

I bought a 4'x8' sheet of pvc and I built a rack out of it. Yes, it is easy and great to work with. I also ordered a T8. The quality from AP is amazing. I really think by the time you get the sheet of pvc, buy the right sized track for your doors, and then get the glass doors to fit it, you're going to be close to what you'd pay for a T8. Not to mention the fact that if you call them and tell them you'd like an extra hole here, or a groove cut there, they'll do it for you.

If it comes down to money go with AP. They will do it right the first time , you'll have something that will last and potentially have resell value. On the other hand if you already have the tools and have good diy skills take up the challenge, it will be rewarding. AP racks still need to be assembled once they arrive, which is a quasi DIY project on its own.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

Animal plastics over DIY... hands down.

I bought a 4'x8' sheet of pvc and I built a rack out of it. Yes, it is easy and great to work with. I also ordered a T8. The quality from AP is amazing. I really think by the time you get the sheet of pvc, buy the right sized track for your doors, and then get the glass doors to fit it, you're going to be close to what you'd pay for a T8. Not to mention the fact that if you call them and tell them you'd like an extra hole here, or a groove cut there, they'll do it for you.

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Not necessarily. You don't need to waste time and money on making sliding doors you could make drop down acrylic ones - much simpler and cheaper to install. Personally I would always go with DIY but I also enjoy building my own stuff. Check out HLH Reptiles youtube videos on making DIY pvc cages. It may give you some ideas. I calculated building a 4x2x1 cage with 1/2 pvc to be around $140 including acrylic, hinges, screws, pvc glue etc. So significantly cheaper than AP if you have the time and skills to do it.

You could also build one out of melamine but as others said you may have humidity issues and will definitely have to seal the seams on the inside in some way. This would be cheaper than the pvc but also much heavier and possibly not as nice looking.

I made one my self after glass, door track and pvc it was 127.00.. took about 6 hours to fully construct. so comes down to money AP I think is about 200.
I do carpentry and painting for a living so it was pretty straight forward for me. If you inexperienced or don't have access to a quality table saw you may wanna order one.

Ap is an amazing company. I prefer diy still because of cost. I had a few ap cages when I kept Boas and loved them. Even an 8' cage is easy to move solo. Try that with a melamine cage