Overwhelmed with caging options... help please!

I am overdue for a larger cage for my BP. I am not much of a DIYer so I am looking for something I can buy that will pretty much serve its purpose as is, but am not sure what will fit that bill and was hoping for some direction. Right now I'm using a glass terrarium with a screen top, with a UTH and CHE. I wouldn't mind switching to a PVC cage, or sticking with glass but I am having trouble finding any reliable sellers (was hoping to purchase something decent online) and from what I've found most sites don't provide enough details or pictures for me to know what I am purchasing and whether it fits all the needs necessary for proper BP husbandry.

Any direction is appreciated.

I recommend Animal Plastics PVC enclosures. I have 3 of their terrariums and i couldn't be happier with both quality and customer service.

I'm using tanks and a tub currently but I'm considering pvc enclosures as well. I've narrowed it down to these three suppliers. I've heard really good things about each of them.

http://www.apcages.com/home/
http://www.boaphileplastics.com
http://www.constrictorsnw.com

Animal Plastics. Good price, easy to assemble and maintain

Throwing in my vote for Vision.

I will also throw in a vision vote. You can get them direct from the company or from LLL Reptile. They are one solid piece. No screws or plastc welds. I have a couple vision cages for close to 15 years and they are like new. They are kinda ugly and some of the models have ridges on the floor for nesting when stacking. They are sturdy..really sturdy. Lots of good options out there though.

have you considered a smaller 3 tub rack from someone like cserpents? Room to get more snakes then.

I'm not ready to switch to tubs yet, I don't see me expanding any time soon. The T8 is intriguing from AP but I'm not sure how it works, does it have a spot for a CHE? And I'm not too sure on the extras they have available as to what would be good or deemed necessary or helpful by most.

Also I like having a cage because its nicer to look at and put on display, its currently out in my living room.

So what I found reasonable was either the T8 which I still have the above questions on, or the Visions Model #221 28" wide - 22" deep - 12" high $199.00 ea.Lighting: None Heating: Under Tank Heater Venting: Rear Angle Vent (RA)

Which I'm not sure is viable for a full-grown BP, and am Also concerned about being able to heat it without the option of including a CHE.

I am using 2 RHP inside divided T8 and it is wonderful!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

Also I like having a cage because its nicer to look at and put on display, its currently out in my living room.

So what I found reasonable was either the T8 which I still have the above questions on, or the Visions Model #221 28" wide - 22" deep - 12" high $199.00 ea.Lighting: None Heating: Under Tank Heater Venting: Rear Angle Vent (RA)

Which I'm not sure is viable for a full-grown BP, and am Also concerned about being able to heat it without the option of including a CHE.

---

On the visions, I started with a 221 and added a light vent on top, I have since sold it because I found it to be too small. Visions hold heat really well. If you are looking at visions I would go with a little bigger on (my personal opinion), but you really shouldn't need a CHE, you can throw a heat pad underneath, hook it to a TSTAT and the cage will get plenty warm.

What are RHPs?

Do T8's hold heat well also? There was quite a price jump from what I saw beyond the 221 to the next viable size which I'm not sure I can afford atm, assuming that would be the 332, which is 150 more

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

What are RHPs?

Do T8's hold heat well also? There was quite a price jump from what I saw beyond the 221 to the next viable size which I'm not sure I can afford atm, assuming that would be the 332, which is 150 more

---

An RHP is a radiant heat panel that you can use to heat a terrarium. I have one in my Pro line cage and they work great. You can get them from Reptile Basics or from Pro Products.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

What are RHPs?

Do T8's hold heat well also? There was quite a price jump from what I saw beyond the 221 to the next viable size which I'm not sure I can afford atm, assuming that would be the 332, which is 150 more

---

Plastic cages in general hold heat really well. I build my own cages now, but when I still use the visions I purchased previously. I like them because they are light weight, one solid piece, and I can go buy them locally and don't need to pay for shipping. My advice is save up for the RIGHT cage, don't just settle for one now. Buying the animal is generally the cheapest part on owning them, do some research on different cages, determine what size you want to go with, how you want to heat it, what TSTAT you are going to use, etc. Then save up for it.

Well my snake is a bit big for his current cage so it's becoming somewhat urgent. So both the T8 or the 332 should be ok for him as a permanent home? What are, if any, valuable options to add on to the T8 from AP?

When I ordered my t8 i ordered the flexwatt and divider with slidding glass doors with a lock.. Plan on having 2 adult Bps in it so each one gets a 2x2x1 area. I have a RBI 40w heat panel in each side and use cryon led under cabinet lighting for them they hold temp good I still have to run a space heater in the room because temps can get as low as 58 degrees and that day it got down to 73 on my cooler side so that same day I went to get a space heater but doesn't help it's been in the negatives..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by michaelt

When I ordered my t8 i ordered the flexwatt and divider with slidding glass doors with a lock.. Plan on having 2 adult Bps in it so each one gets a 2x2x1 area. I have a RBI 40w heat panel in each side and use cryon led under cabinet lighting for them they hold temp good I still have to run a space heater in the room because temps can get as low as 58 degrees and that day it got down to 73 on my cooler side so that same day I went to get a space heater but doesn't help it's been in the negatives..

---

What exactly is the flexwatt? I have an UTH with thermostat, would the flexwatt be worth getting in that case? Is the lock just an added precaution to the snake sneaking out?

I use a Pro-Line 48x23x14 with a PH3 RHP from Pro Products on a Herpstat 1 and it keeps the cage plenty warm. Plus I just keep a large water bowl in the center of the cage and that keeps humidity around 60% all the time. The Pro-Lines work pretty good although I have heard good things about AP cages and I think I might try a T8 or T10 for my baby snake when she gets older so I can judge both of them for myself........or I might just go with another Pro-Line.....thank god I got a year or so to make up my mind :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

What exactly is the flexwatt? I have an UTH with thermostat, would the flexwatt be worth getting in that case? Is the lock just an added precaution to the snake sneaking out?

---

Flexwatt is just a UTH. There are a few types, ones like Flexwatt, THG, Ultratherm and Flukers are heaters encased between a couple sheets of plastic material. Ones like Zoo Med are encased in a plastic/rubber type stuff and Kane heat mats are sealed in some kind of thick all weather rubber stuff which can be used inside cages. The other ones are designed for under the cages on the outside. Flexwatt is pretty cheap so it wont hurt to get it but if your house gets cold in the winter, a UTH is probably not going to be enough as UTH don't heat air. You will need a RHP which does heat the air and anything directly under it. I personally just use a RHP in my Pro-Line cage with a flat rock under it and this keeps the hot side(the rock) 92f and the cool side is 82f. So again, if you are going for a pvc or hdpe cage, my advice is get a RHP for sure if your house gets under 75f in the winter and if not, then you might be able to get away with just a UTH but I still advise get a RHP as snakes don't NEED a UTH as long as their ambient temps are warm enough.

So I decided to go with the T8 and got the Flexwatt and overhead lighting add-ons. What size RHP should I be looking for?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

So I decided to go with the T8 and got the Flexwatt and overhead lighting add-ons. What size RHP should I be looking for?

---

It depends on what your ambient Temps are in the room you are keeping it. If you are using flexwatt you may not need a RHP

I'm not sure where they mount the lights in the t8 because I got mine without them but I put a 40w rbi from reptilebasics on both sides but also have it divided for 2 snakes. Are you using the whole enclosure for one? And from what I have read on here there lights do put off some heat.

Ok well in that case I will see how it works out as is before springing for an RHP. The room he's in averages around 72 degrees during the winter so it might be needed but I'll post after its set up if needed

72f will probably be too cool for just a UTH to heat the whole cage. Remember a UTH only heats the ground, it doesn't heat air so given that in a small cage that is sealed pretty good a UTH might be enough to heat the whole thing, in a bigger cage like a T8, the UTH cant heat that whole thing. So while the floor will be 90f, the air will probably be closer to room temp and maybe a couple degrees warmer. Now if you kept the room around 78f+, you might be able to get away with it. If you are going for the AP cage, you can talk to them and have the RHP you order drop shipped to them and they will install it for you and channel a groove in the top so the RHP fits snug in there and looks clean. But if not, RHPs are really easy to install. As for which RHP, I personally use a PH3 Pro Products one which works great. I heard RB ones work pretty good too so you cant go wrong with either.

even with the flourscent fixture installed you think heat will still be a problem?

Well the fluorescent will raise the temp but I'm not sure if it will raise it 10-15f. I mean you can try it. I personally just use only a PH3 RHP from Pro Products on my 48x23x14 Pro-Line cage. Its a 65watt and the ambient room temp stays at 75f or slightly higher in the winter. With my Herpstat 1 running it, I get 92f hot side and 82f cool side. Snakes don't NEED a UTH as long as the ambient air is warm enough thus why I always start with a RHP in a PVC or HDPE cage and then if you want to add flexwatt later, you can do that. The thing is a RHP alone will keep your snake warm alone as long as you get the right size RHP. A UTH might not keep your snake warm enough alone. Also RHPs don't dry the air out like a heat bulb so using one has no downside at all plus in a PVC or HDPE cage you will have no problem with humidity. I keep 60+ humidity with only a large water bowl in the cage and using aspen as the substrate since I personally hate Eco Earth after using it for 1 year but that's a different issue :P

Ok. So a thermostat is necessary with a RHP? And the RHP is like $60-100 and if I went with a herpastat thats like $100-150? Could I use the probe I currently have connected to my UTH for it?

RHPs still need a thermostat to regulate it. Get something that is either pulse proportional or dimming. Dimming is better for stuff like CHEs and RHPs as they just reduce the power to it but keep it running so the element doesn't have to completely warm up and cool down like an on/off thermostat would do. You could get away with a Herpstat Intro or any Herpstat as they all have proportional dimming. For a UTH you can get away with just an on/off thermostat. As for the probe, if its not made for the thermostat you plan to use, I would say no.

The size of your RHP will depend on room temp and how warm you are trying to get the inside of the cage. If you go with a Pro Products, you have to call Bob and he will ask you questions like cage type, size, animal type, is the cage in a basement or upstairs, ambient room temps etc. Then he will match you up with one. You will probably end up with the PH3 which is the 65 watt one. If you go with RBI I would say get the 80 watt one. The dimensions are a good size for a T8 and with a thermostat controlling it, it will have plenty of power to keep the cage warm enough.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blitzjg

Ok. So a thermostat is necessary with a RHP? And the RHP is like $60-100 and if I went with a herpastat thats like $100-150? Could I use the probe I currently have connected to my UTH for it?

---

A thermostat should be used with Flexwatt as well.