Caging Questions, Animal Plastics, Reptile Basics...etc.

Hi!
I’m preparing to buy my first cages (all I’ve ever had is racks) and I have some questions. I’m sorry if this post gets long or some of these questions seem odd…:)

1) How hard are they to clean? I’m upgrading my BRBs from tubs to these. Their humidity is pretty high, so I bleach everything in their tubs once a week as a pre-emptive strike against mold. Obviously this would be much more difficult in a cage that I can’t spray down and the rinse out in my shower (lol). Is it hard to reach everything in there? I know this may seem like an odd questions, but never having had this type of cage, I’m having a hard time picturing the cleaning process…which is obviously important in a high humidity environment.

2) Do you have a preference for swing or sliding doors? I like the look of the swing doors better, but I’ve read lots of people say that prefer the sliding doors. Why?

3) Would you add the florescent light fixture? I like the idea of it but, once again, I’m not sure how it would handle the high humidity.

4) Shelf: The animal plastics cages have a “basking shelf” option. I really like the idea of this even though I wouldn’t technically use it for “basking.” The BRBs are pretty active and it would give them more “floor space”….kind of like a decorative enhancement? Am I crazy for wanting this? Do you think it would be a neat cage addition? They have a large water bowl and humid hide, so sometimes I feel like that get jipped on floor space.


These are the main cages that I’m considering, but I’m open to suggestions if it’s in this general price range.

Animal Plastics “Carpet Cage” (36x24x15): With everything that I want (belly heat, lock, swing doors, shelf, shipped) it’s about $300. This is the same price as the AP T3 except its 3 inches taller.

Animals Plastics is having a sale right now on their T8 (48x24x12). So I would be able to get all of the same things as mentioned above, but for around $280. Is it worth the $20 cheaper (well $40 b/c I’d get 2) to deal with a cage that is bigger than I need? (I need 6 sq feet). Also, it is only offered on the sliding doors, which I’ve mentioned I don’t prefer….but really what do I know…I’ve never really had much contact with either. Thoughts?

Reptile Basics (36x24x14): With everything included (except the shelf) it would be between $250-$300 depending on the type of heat that I choose…I guess that I’ll call Rich and tell him my temperature requirements and let him make a suggestion. The BRB range is around 75-83….UTH would be closer to $250 and RHP would be closer to $300. Suggestions or experience?

So, all things considered, the prices are very similar. Except that Reptile Basics doesn’t come with the shelf and Animal Plastics doesn’t come assembled.

Thanks and sorry again for such a long post!

ap cages take all of 5-10 minutes to assemble. All you need is a screw driver. I really like the sliding glass doors I had the swing doors on my old ap cages and the humidity warped them. The t8 is an awesome cage for the price

I say keep shopping. Just take the time to look around more.

I just ordered a 4'x2'x1' boaphile cage for only $266 delivered. I had a 5 cage stack pack already, but my thermostat had 6 outlets. So I didn't want waste the 6th outlet and ordered a 6th cage. I added three options(1.5 heat, 3 black hinges instead of 2 galvanized, and a center lock) to the cage for a total of $57 and still it was only $266 shipped to my door. No assembly required! All inside edges are caulked by The Boaphile.

Web search boaphile plastics. Proline cages are nice also(constrictors northwest).

My boaphiles all stacked.
http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/v...ics/BCC005.jpg

I have cages from Reptile Basics, PVCCages, and Repti-Racks. I like them all. The PVCCages cage is really nice. I use it for my GTP, and could not be happier with it. My Reptile Basics cages are awesome quality, and work perfectly. My Repti-Racks cages are not as good of quality, but still work perfectly. They are a little thinner than the Reptile Basics, but do not sag. The only issue I have with them is they hold too much humidity. If you do order from them, add one or two extra vents in the back to take care of this isse. BTW, they are by far the cheapest company of the three cage makers I mentioned. I use RHPs in my cages for heat. My GTP cage has sliding doors, and my others have swing doors. I do not prefer one type over the other.

Thanks for the responses!

How common is it for the humidity to warp the swing doors? Are the sliding doors heavy/hard to open? Do they grind when you open them?

Could you walk me through your cleaning processes? Especially in like a GTP cage where the humidity is on the high side.

Thoughts on the shelf and the lighting? Worth it or not?

Ok, I did some more research on the other companies suggested. I didn't really like the Repti-Racks...idk why Also, unless lots of people say that its an issue, then I think I'm going to go with the swing doors, so that elminated PVC Cages.

So, here's the results in order of cheapest to most expensive options. All cages are 2'x3', with locks, shipping, and heat included:
-No shelf, no light, H=11.5" (Boaphile, ~237)
-No shlef, no light, H=17.5" (Boaphile, ~252)
-No Shelf, Light, H=14" (Reptile Basics, ~275)
-Shelf, no light, H=14"(Pro-Line, ~275)
-Shelf, Light, H=15" (Animal Plastics, ~320)

So what do you suggest? I'm a little worried about a cage that is only 11.5" tall when I have to fit a humid hide in there...but that is a popular height, so I guess its ok. Does having it short make it harder to clean? (reaching to the back) I think that I'd prefer having the shelf over the light if I have to choose (and I prolly will since having both is so much more). I really like the Boaphile 17.5" high one...but I guess I'm hesitate to give up that shelf option (its $100 with the boaphile!). What do you think? Let go of the shelf? lol

1) Cleaning is more difficult than in tubs, but not by much. If you seal around the bottom edges loose substrates are fairly quick to remove (I find it easiest to scoop out the majority then vacuum the corners), and of course paper towels / newspaper are always easy. The only issue is that they're difficult to rinse, so I'd recommend using some sort of habitat disinfectant spray that is less dangerous than bleach for frequent cleanings. It may not work as well but it should help keep mold at bay.

2) Sliding doors for feeding; with my snakes that have a habit of flying out of their cages when they smell food, it's really convenient to be able to keep my face safely behind glass and slide the door towards me, just enough so that I can stick the tongs in the cage. So I guess it depends on the feeding responses of the snakes you plan to keep in these cages.

3) I personally think it's too much bother. But if you really want to, go ahead.

4) I think those are mostly intended for lizards, but I'm sure they'd work for snakes if that's what you want.

I'm biased, but I'd go with Animal Plastics. I've used AP cages for several years now and I'll never use anything else. I love them. Assembly is easy as long as you have a drill, but it takes 40 minutes or so.

And as for the extra space, I'd say if you have the $40 and the room for larger cages, why not?

Crazy4Herps: Thanks, your reply was very helpful. My current racks are Animal Plastics and I love them. I'm going to email a couple of the companies with some more detailed questions...and I still need to just decide if its worth it to pay the extra for that dang shelf. haha

You should be able to get the shelf in the 17.5 boaphile, but not the 11.5 cage.

If the option isn't available on the site,give Jeff a call.

You could get a 17.5 boaphile and install climbing branches. Sun dried cypress works great!