Boaphile...hard to reach?

I've sent emails and called with no luck. Haven't dealt with them before. I have a dumerils that will need to be moved soon from rack to permanent enclosure. I like the 421 coupe but am done trying to get ahold of them. Any T10 owners here? Pro line? Boa master? Thanks

I just bought the boamaster 4x2x1 econo PVC cage for my boa and I like it. Easy to assemble and was reasonably priced!

Thanks, I will check them out. How are you heating?

No problem. UTH (connected to therm) and a CHE for ambient temps.

I've never heard good things about boaphile. Or their communication. I just got my T20's (animal plastics ) for my boas. They are nice. They are put together, but not up and running yet. Waiting for my heat panels to come in. But if your dums is a female, you may want to rethink the size of a T10, imo.

I can't give any input on the other cages, but the problem with Boaphile is it's not a "them", it's a "he", and he gets very busy sometimes. I'm sorry you're having some difficulties; his cages are really awesome.

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Originally Posted by Sita

I can't give any input on the other cages, but the problem with Boaphile is it's not a "them", it's a "he", and he gets very busy sometimes. I'm sorry you're having some difficulties; his cages are really awesome.

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No matter, if you have a business, you need customer service. I believe AP is a small family run business as well. Ali and her husband. And you can call there during business hours, and she WILL answer the phone...

I've just ordered a Proline Cage and Ed Lilley is an awesome guy to work with. He answers your emails within the same day or the next and answers anything you need to know :) He makes some really awesome cages at a reasonable price so check out his site :)
http://www.constrictorsnw.com/cagess...ularcages.html


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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

I've just ordered a Proline Cage and Ed Lilley is an awesome guy to work with. He answers your emails within the same day or the next and answers anything you need to know :) He makes some really awesome cages at a reasonable price so check out his site :)
http://www.constrictorsnw.com/cagess...ularcages.html


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I looked at his. I texted him and he got right back to me. But I didn't like the way 2 cages had to be put together for the size I needed.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

I looked at his, as he is "semi-local". I texted him and he got right back to me. But I didn't like the way 2 cages had to be put together for the size I needed.

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Could he make one large custom cage for you? He makes custom cages too. It might make it a bit pricey though but I'm not sure.


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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

Could he make one large custom cage for you? He makes custom cages too. It might make it a bit pricey though but I'm not sure.


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He said he could build them. But I believe he also said it would be 2 cages put together. Which may be fine. I prefer one smooth unit.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

He said he could build them. But I believe he also said it would be 2 cages put together. Which may be fine. I prefer one smooth unit.

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I can totally understand that :) I'd be iffy too with two cages put together, that's so odd lol. I'd be much happier with one smooth unit as well.


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Jeff is kind of a pain to deal with, ill admit to that. His customer service skills are terrible. However, his cages are the best in the business in my opinion, and any frustration from lack if communication or longer lead times is more then paid off with the finished result.

In the weeks before my first cages from him shipped out I wanted to murder him. Now ill never do business with anyone else

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I almost went with Boaphile but instead decided to go with Animal Plastics. I'm glad I did! AP has great products, prices and customer service. If you contact them they get back to you within 24 hours. If you have an issue they will fix it immediately. Perfect all around aside from the wait :)

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I finally talked to Jeff at boaphile. I guess they have been pretty busy and apologized for not returning emails. Ordered 422 coupe with belly heat, light, and he's throwing in the 1611 radiant heat panel. They are not even shipping right now because of weather. He told me I should receive it in 8 weeks.

Almost everyone makes you wait on the order of 8 to 12 weeks. AP will often tell you less, but my cage with them took way to long to build and ship - frankly it was embarrassing. They refunded the shipping fees but only after I contacted them and asked what the hell was up. Communication was great up until they had my money. They are very nice on the phone but when it came down to it, they were no better than Boaphile in terms of turn around time or letting me know what was up with the delays.

Jeff has a long history of crappy communication - you can find ample evidence of it with a simple search. Frankly, his cages are not as sturdy as Constructors NW or AP. At one point I had a whole stack of them and had issues with bowing associated with RHPs on the very thin roofs.

If I was in the market for a cage today I would go with Constrictors NW. If Rich for Reptile basics is still making cages, I would deal with him in a heartbeat. Great communication, great turnaround time and great product. There was/is no one better in that regard.

This hobby tends to cultivate a cult of personality thing. BS like long wait times and horrible communication are tolerated because the seller is some sort of proto-celebrity in the reptile world. I have no other way to explain why so many settle for mite-infested snakes, sick snakes, deformed snakes, unreturned calls, long wait times and the like............

I've got to say as someone that runs a business, and also has a full time job that it's far from easy. I can certainly understand a small company missing the odd inquiry. I try as hard as possible to avoid it but I'm sure I've been guilty of it myself. But constantly not returning inquiries, taking people's money and then breaking off communication. 8-12 week lead times on orders? Seriously? How does a company stay in business with that kind of thing happening over and over again. I've built hundreds of cages in the last 6 months. And I've never make a client wait more then 2 weeks, even that seems to long to me. I don't understand why you would even take an order if you weren't going to be able to fill it for 3 months.

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

I've got to say as someone that runs a business, and also has a full time job that it's far from easy. I can certainly understand a small company missing the odd inquiry. I try as hard as possible to avoid it but I'm sure I've been guilty of it myself. But constantly not returning inquiries, taking people's money and then breaking off communication. 8-12 week lead times on orders? Seriously? How does a company stay in business with that kind of thing happening over and over again. I've built hundreds of cages in the last 6 months. And I've never make a client wait more then 2 weeks, even that seems to long to me. I don't understand why you would even take an order if you weren't going to be able to fill it for 3 months.

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Well Jason, since people continue to give them business, they aren't being forced to up their service.

Again, not to beat a dead horse, but AP was super nice on the phone and always commiserated with my "impatience". When 8 weeks became 10 weeks, it was me who called. They were very pleasant. They were pleasant every time I called. I called often as my 8 weeks became 14 weeks. They credited me the shipping charges. That was nice, but I would have rather paid the $50, got an unsolicited update on the delay and got my cage in a reasonable period of time.

Now in contrast, in December I called Jeff Johnson of Freedom Breeder and ordered a rack. Lindy brought it home from work with him that night and I picked it up at his house. I have called Lindy and Jeff countless times and have always had them bend over backwards to deliver me their product.

Same with Rich Goldzung. Same with Doug (Barr's). I purchased a cage from CNW a few years ago and Ed's communication was excellent and the cage was shipped quickly and flawlessly. I am amazed that people put up with delays, poor communication and long lead times when there are other options out there.

I am floored that people actually defend or make excuses for these delays and the bad communication. Absolutely floored.

Ordered 7 cages from PVCcages.com last Friday night. Had an email within 5 minutes saying he was backed up with orders and will be delayed with shipping and should have them out in 3 weeks with an email when they shipped. It's a mom and pop operation and tries to have cages shipped in 1-2 weeks. When he said 3 weeks, I was like ":O That's awesome", cause of all the stories I hear of people saying 6-8+ weeks. We'll see what happens moving forward as the payment went through. I'll throw a thread up of my experience about the cages when I get them in and set up.

A "bigger" operation should be able to get their cages out within 1-2 weeks if a small operation can do it, IMO.

Customer service goes a long way with me. One of my local pet stores which I have been doing business with them for 5+ years, rubbed me the wrong way this past fall. I've started breeding my own feeders and will no longer be doing business with them in the future.

just sayin'

I looked at pvccages also. They didn't have anything big enough for for my needs this go round. But I plan on ordering my gtp's cage from them in the near future. So please do post how it all goes.

AP has great racks and great cages however over the years the lead time has gotten longer and longer, still great products and great customer service/communication which can't be said about everybody but when you need something you don't always want to wait 12 weeks.

Chris at C-Serpents has excellent products, great customer service and the lead time is very short.

Well all of you have me thinking once again. Thank you for all your replies. Looks like I need to make some calls

I dont think any one company has the magic forulmula everybody is always looking for. If anybody could find the magic system for short lead time, large catalog of products in caging and racks, high quality, and low prices they'd put everyone out of business.

Their is a tradeoff with everything, and a company that can fit your unique expectations. One person might think its crazy to spend a grand on cages and it take a
8 weeks to show up, but those cages are move in ready as soon as I open the boxes. On the flip side I think its crazy to pay someone just to cut a few sheets of PVC, pre drill some holes, throw some hardware in the box and charge separately for shipping. To each his own

I think some of the guys with longer lead times just need to be more up front about it. Its the old saying "under promise, over deliver" if jeff and AP said 8-12 weeks from the get go nobody would complain when it shows up at exactly 8 weeks.



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One more thing and ill give it a rest:

I also dont think its fair to compare lead times between companies when one makes only cages or racks and the other makes both. Any company that makes both uses a production cycle where they make only racks for a period of time, then only cages. Obviously their lead time is going to be longer then someone who is making cages only 24/7

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I know this thread isn't brand new... but I wanted to express thanks to all of you folks who contributed. I'm hunting for a Boa rack/setup to swap my two boa's into in the future and unfortunately my normal provider (Reptile Basics) doesn't have an appropriately sized one. I have 0 experience in the Boa world and this was a ton of solid information.

I have a question though for folks if you don't mind reinvigorating the thread.... for the setups that don't come pre-assembled, after you seal it (or maybe you don't) with silicone, how does it hold up as far as ease of cleaning and dealing with the plethora of messes that can occur inside an enclosure - poo, pee, blood, water, etc.? I'm leaning toward a particular supplier but I'd like this answered. I know some come pre-assembled and already sealed, which makes me tempted to go that route. Ease of cleaning is a huge deal in the long-term, but the attractiveness of the enclosure is also something I'd like as well.


Thanks!

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Originally Posted by zee-man

I know this thread isn't brand new... but I wanted to express thanks to all of you folks who contributed. I'm hunting for a Boa rack/setup to swap my two boa's into in the future and unfortunately my normal provider (Reptile Basics) doesn't have an appropriately sized one. I have 0 experience in the Boa world and this was a ton of solid information.

I have a question though for folks if you don't mind reinvigorating the thread.... for the setups that don't come pre-assembled, after you seal it (or maybe you don't) with silicone, how does it hold up as far as ease of cleaning and dealing with the plethora of messes that can occur inside an enclosure - poo, pee, blood, water, etc.? I'm leaning toward a particular supplier but I'd like this answered. I know some come pre-assembled and already sealed, which makes me tempted to go that route. Ease of cleaning is a huge deal in the long-term, but the attractiveness of the enclosure is also something I'd like as well.


Thanks!

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http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00753.jpg Pro-Line 48" x 24" x 14".

I can take the perches, hides, bowls and plants out in under 2 minutes. Take a shop vac and suck out all the substrate, and clean the NON STICK plastic, then spray it down again, reload the supplies and new sub and be done in about 15-20 minutes. That is for a display cage. If you are using an efficiency setup, you'd basically take out your news print, disinfect, wipe and reload.

The sealing is very easy and holds up. The cage slide together so the fluids would have to go down, under and over the fittings to actually leak if you did not seal it.

I sealed it anyhow and have had no issues.

I now have a custom 48" x 30" x 20" on the way.

AP gets good reviews as well. I just like the plastic Constrictors NW uses.

Everything has pro's and cons.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply, your setup looks awesome!

At first I was just considering this for housing, but with as nice as these looks, I'm becoming more tempted to maybe buy a couple for my BP's (eventually) to have a snake or two out in my common area of my home for "show" and then rotate the occupants every few weeks or something.


What are the benefits of glass vs acrylic doors? I'm reading and researching while I wait for responses (so I'm trying to do my part).


Thanks again! This hobby is totally cool.

Found the answer to my question above.


With each of the different aforementioned suppliers, how do they compare on weight? I realize they will be awkward to move due to their size but how heavy are they? I'd appreciate input on both the bp sized enclosures as well as say a Boa sized enclosure.

Thanks!

My Animal Plastics T20's are very light. Just requires 2 people due to size.

Pro-Lines are not overly light. You could drop then off a truck and they'd be fine but they are not light.

Thanks to both of you. Was legitimately curious as that was one question raised in my investigations and wanted to confirm. Not something I'm particularly worried about, but if say my girlfriend needed to move it, she'd be ok weight-wise. Dimensions would pose a problem, but glad to hear they aren't ridiculously heavy.

Boaphile's website says calling them is your best bet and that seems to be pretty accurate, I called and talked to him for awhile when ordering my first cage several years ago and called about a month ago on the status of my 2nd, got nobody but he called me back within the hour. The wait times do suck but a few months for a setup that will hopefully hold my snakes for life isn't unreasonable imo.