potentials cages for an adult bp

i'm looking into a future cage upgrade for when my girl is an adult and so far i'm conflicted between 2 npi cages from npicages.com.

theres the standard 36" (which i was originally gonna go for)...

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...ardnpicage.jpg

& now theres the 36" stackable (which i'm liking better)...

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...blenpicage.png

the main thing i'm looking for is a cage that has a basin-like bottom so it can contain substrate.
the standard cage looks like the bottom is flush with the opening and if it is then the substrate would fall out every time the cage is opened.
i cant tell very well if the bottom in the stackable is the same way.

does anyone know what the deal is with these cages?

I think I prefer the design of the stackable myself. I have not used NPI caging so it is simply based on what I can see. Top venting isn't very efficient. Side venting allows for much better air flow. Based on that along I prefer the stackable ones as I recall the top one will also stack too or am I not remembering that correctly?

well the standard ones fit into a rack like shelf thing but they cannot stack directly on top of each other cuz of how they slant back.
i know with the top screens on tanks and the terrarium i currently have, it needs to be covered to prevent loss of humidity but how does the side venting work with humidity in mind?

i tell ya though, that stackable is looking a whole lot better every time i see it haha.

I haven't seen these in person, so don't take my word for it, but from the picture of the standard, it looks like it has a "lip" on the bottom of the front that should hold the substrate in when you open the glass. I personally like the look of the stackable ones myself, but that's just one man's opinion...

actually inknsteel, your the 2nd person to agree that the stackable is nicer, haha. so now far it's 0-3 standard vs. stackable.

High humidity and poor ventalation can lead to a TON of health issues (how to grow bacteria molds and fungus, temps in the 80s humidity in the 50-70 range and stagnent air = perfect conditions). I'd never block the top vents of an enclosure like that one you are looking at. Cross venting is simply more efficient, the air can move freely and it will generate a healthier enviroment. Humidity should not come from the exhaling of the animal!! :O It is typically controlled by external sources like standing water (water bowl) or a humidifier externally, not from the holding of exhalation humidity.

ok so your saying there wont be a whole lot of humidity loss with the side venting on the stackables right? not like there would be with top screens?

I have side and rear vented and had few issues every now and agian I'd need to add mist of something but I need to do the same for my rack every week or so. I actually bought a humidifier and no no longer worry about it at all. So I don't think you will have too many issues. Hard to say past that. My place is really really dry (12-18%) so a humidifier is the only option for me it works perfectly.

Personally I would go with stackable PVC caging like the ones you can order from Animal Plastics or Boaphile Plastics. I have a 48" AP rack and it has a nice large lip on the bottom to contain all the substrate you would need. It also has back and side vents to allow plenty of ventillation yet still provide high humidity at times.

GL :)

the thing i'm a little doubtful about though is whether or not a 36" cage would be sufficient enough for a female bp who'll probably end up being around 4 1/2 ft as an adult (providing she eats well). that's 54 inches being packed into a 36" cage...i've heard bp's like small spaces but will that be too small? the cage i have for my girl now is 30". how much of a difference will a mere 6" make?

There is a lot of size ideas they are just that Ideas but 1/2 the circumference seems to be quite common. So a 5 foot snake in a cage that is 36 x 24 is fine by that standard. I have seen on the large end the long side no shorter than the full length of the snake and the short end of no smaller than the full circumference = to the snakes length I usually go in between myself some use quite a bit smaller. The whole small enclosure is bunk. It isn't a tight space but a sense of security that they need. Overhead cover and a quiet environment ( not so much sound wise but just traffic wise)

36" x 18" is fine for an adult ball python IMO. If you want to go bigger I'm sure they would enjoy the space!

I like the stackable cage, but what I notice is that it measures 36" X 18", and most of the other cage manufacturers offer full size 3 X 2 cages for roughly the same price.

well, considering my dresser actually measures 53" L x 17" D...i really cant have a cage bigger then 18" deep.
i want a nice little collection of 3 bp's but before i do that i want to build a custom bookcase-style shelf unit for their cages and it will measure 38"L x 20" D x 80" H with each shelf space measuring 38" x 20" x 20".