Kitedemon always has good insight and I've PM'd him a few times.
I have not been involved in snakes very long. We started with my Son's Royal last year, and I have gone bananas with research since then. I have read something everyday, researched cages, snakes, I own books written by experts, and consider myself a quick study, yet I'm still learning and open to new advice.
I had plenty of time to research cages for my boa. I have a Barranquilla Colombian BCI male. He's not quite a year old and is a bit over 3 feet long. He likes to climb, is an aggressive feeder like most boas.
I looked at all the cages, and while I do have $$, I'm not rolling in it, and I want to spend what is reasonable whenever I can. My wife is not a huge fan of the hobby yet has put up with it.
My choice of cage after all the research was the Pro-Line 48" X 23" X 14".
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_1017.jpg
I personally believe the plastic used for the cage is the best in the Bizz. Nothing sticks to it, it is sturdy, easy to clean and looks nice. It comes in the color you want which was white I believe?
I looked at Animal Plastics, they are nice, but I wanted a front loading single window and the price WITH SHIPPING was more than the comparably sized Pro-Line. Vision cages are nice too. I thought they were a bit more $ and the ceiling has some strange dips and shapes.
PVC cages are nice as well, but cost more $
I personally did not care for the Boaphiles. I thought they were thin and fragile and the used ones I've seen seem to have retained smells and stains. But there are a ton of people who swear by them.
Calculate shipping and size.
I felt the 14" tall was perfect. Not too short as Kitedemon pointed out. Boaphiles are actually 11". They are hard to reach into and clean and I think they are a tad too short for a snake that will climb. Again PRO's use them and some love them.
Going too tall brings up heating issues. I had some money to spend, but I wanted to be smart. I looked hard at the Animal Plastics T-10 which is 15" and but ended up with the Pro-Line.
I heat with 1 radiant heat heat panel. I used a Herpstat 1 and monitor the cool side with the probe. I have cool side temps at 80-81. The basking side is 90-92. Ed at Constrictors NW put me in touch with Bob at Pro-Products and he spoke to me and set me up with the proper heat panel. Be prepared to give your ambient room temps, distance your cage will be from the floor, size of the cage and some other details. He will get you a panel that will control your whole enclosure. I saved a lot of $$ using 1 heat source and I was able to go from the planned Herpstat II to the Herp I.
Kitedemon has good insight on heating and so does Bob at Pro-Products. I have nothing that comes close to their knowledge.
My set up works that's all I know. The hobby is not cheap, but you can spend wisely and get good stuff. I always kept a bit of $ left over because I will not heat without a Herpstat.
PM me if you need some help. I just finished the process and am very happy.
