Q for those housing boas or other large snakes in PVC cages

Hi guys!
Although I have a varied small collection (9 now with #10 on the way)... I have decided that boas are the direction I'm going. I currently have 2 males (BCI and BCA), just ordered a CA Motley male, and have plans (in the next 2 years or so) to acquire a breeding pair of Nicaraguans or BCLs... That said, this is obviously a more expensive direction for me to go with my collection housing-wise.

For those with multiple cages, what brand have you found to be the most economical, yet quality? Is is cheaper to buy a pre-fab unit of multiple cages (i.e. proline) or just collect as you go?
And, given 2 cages with the same heating setup (flexwatt, etc.) do you ever run them on the same thermostat channel?

I will more-than-likely be looking for sliding glass doors (with locks) and belly heat (the room is heated so I do not need RHPs). What will make it expensive, is the height I want.. I'm planning on 4'x2'x 18", which bumps of the cost quite a bit when dealing with any of the cage makers.

I'd appreciate any opinions from those that have multiple cages.
Thanks for your time / help!

My male sunglow is in a T8(48"x24"x12") from animal plastics. I have my other snakes in these as well. I have found them to be very well made and great enclosures. Any specific reason you want 18" in height? Mine are 12" and they are quite roomy. I still have room to put in climbing branches for him.

Thanks for the reply!
I was wanting the 18" for 2 reasons.. I did want climbing space, either a shelf or tall enough for climbing branches, etc. But I have also heard that the 12" tall ones are very hard to clean vs. the taller cages.

Animal plastics. Maybe take a look at the T10, 15 high and $130 less than the 18 tall T11. I keep large carpet pythons in these. But if 18 inches is a must, I still say AP.

Thanks!
The AP cages do look like a good deal. But when I played with the cart... Even the T8 (with a light fixture, heat tape, and lock) ended up costing almost $300... I played with the cart some more and added another cage and set of accessories to see if that would help on shipping costs, but apparently you don't get a break on shipping when you buy more than one cage at a time.

I may have to look into a seller that comes to a show near me... Maybe getting a cage delivered will at least save on shipping (I think the shipping for AP was $60 per cage).

If 15" is tall enough, then I could use one that tall... I have a Jaguar male Carpet that will need a cage as well. Do you have a pvc perch in there for him or a shelf?

Ebberston

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by artgecko

If 15" is tall enough, then I could use one that tall... I have a Jaguar male Carpet that will need a cage as well. Do you have a pvc perch in there for him or a shelf?

---

I don't use perches or shelves, though you could certainly fit one into the T10

I agree with DennisM, check out the AP T-10 cage. Its plenty high and can put a shelf in to give in essence even more floor space. I personally am using a Pro-Line 48x23x14 HDPE cage now for my 6ft BCI but I will probably give AP cages a try as I've heard great things about them and their customer service responses are quick.

Well,

The amount of space you give depends on how many animals you want. I prefer to enjoy all of the animals in my care VS feeling like a farmer and having to use efficiency setups. I totally understand the need for them because having a lot of anything creates the need for faster cleanup, feeding, water changes plus time savings. Smaller more efficient caging setups also open up more space for more caging.

That said BCs ARE semi arboreal and they will use vertical space. They will also physically benefit from the climbing and exercise.

There are large BCCs found in their natural habitats high up in the canopy, not just the baby BCs.

I have a 48" x 30" x 20" Pro-Line and I think I would have gone 24" high if I was not concerned about heating.

This particular boa is about 5.5 feet long and is fed from perches 90% of the time, and he also will climb in the evenings.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2322.jpg

I have these perches about 15-15.5" off the deck and he has 5" between the perch and the ceiling when he is up(bottom cage). The top cage here is 14" high and there is a young coastal carpet in it. She will soon get a 24" tall cage.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC01380.jpg

Another option is to cycle your animals through the taller cages every few cleaning/disinfecting sessions and then they can all get a crack at the bigger space but you don't have to outfit the whole room with big cages.

Personal preference really, but I like seeing them climb.


http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2327.jpg

I think any well known companies pvc cage is going to run 3-400 once you add heating and lighting or whatever you need. I've seen up and coming people making snake cages for less, but there's a noticeable quality drop as far as appearance too. I have boaphiles and they were not cheap but factored into the life of my snakes, and keeping them healthy seems more than worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GoingPostal

I think any well known companies pvc cage is going to run 3-400 once you add heating and lighting or whatever you need. I've seen up and coming people making snake cages for less, but there's a noticeable quality drop as far as appearance too. I have boaphiles and they were not cheap but factored into the life of my snakes, and keeping them healthy seems more than worth it.

---

Well said!

You will have a lot to choose from, make the best choice for your needs and the needs of the animal.

It will be worth it down the line.

Thanks guys!

I would love to do 18" cages for all of mine.. But cost is a factor (as well as space). My collection should top out at 12 animals, with 5 of those being animals that will need 4' cages... I'll have to see how i can manage my space and my funds to make it happen. I don't have a problem with spending $300 per cage, but my husband might think otherwise lol.

An AP T-10 cage with a shelf will be plenty for anything except for the really big BCI girls and they run under $300. Looking at your list of snakes, none of them would outgrow a T-10 with a shelf and only the BCA and BCI would even need a cage that big.

Thanks Sauzo,
I think I need to update my list lol. I also have a male jaguar carpet python now and I'm adding a Motley CA male Bci next week. Eventually I also want to add a breeding pair of either Nicaraguan Bcis or Sanoran Bcis... Both of those stay on the smaller side for a Bci (or so I've been told). The BPs, KSBs, and Western hognose are in racks. What will be a somewhat tougher issues (where space is concerned) is that I don't want to stack them too high due to my shortness... Being 5'1 means that I'll need a step ladder for any stack more than 4 cages high. :D

Thanks again for your help!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by artgecko

Thanks Sauzo,
I think I need to update my list lol. I also have a male jaguar carpet python now and I'm adding a Motley CA male Bci next week. Eventually I also want to add a breeding pair of either Nicaraguan Bcis or Sanoran Bcis... Both of those stay on the smaller side for a Bci (or so I've been told). The BPs, KSBs, and Western hognose are in racks. What will be a somewhat tougher issues (where space is concerned) is that I don't want to stack them too high due to my shortness... Being 5'1 means that I'll need a step ladder for any stack more than 4 cages high. :D

Thanks again for your help!

---

I wish I had that problem LOL!

Being worried about how many cages I can stack would be a dream!

Both of those others you listed will do fine in a T10 with a shelf also. I hear ya about stacking too. I personally don't want to stack either as I'm worried about silicone coming loose in a seam and the top snake pissing a tsunami onto the lower one. My normal BCI girl pisses like no ones business.

Ewwwwwww.... You've now given me something gross to worry about lol. I hadn't even considered the urine issue.

Does AP provide the silicone for you to seal their cages or is this something I would have to get on my own? I'd want to take every precaution to ensure that this wouldn't happen. I remember reading about people using "sealant" on their AP cages, but never read exactly what type.

Gio- Maybe one day you'll win your wife over. :D It helps that my husband likes to interact with the snakes, but he doesn't want to directly participate in the hobby otherwise and is a cheapskate at heart (this is actually a good thing in most situations). Usually he's pretty reasonable if I see something that is a good deal at a show or something, but buying cages at $300+ each might just do him in lol.

I'm thinking that I'll need to add 1 cage at a time, maybe even 1 a year until everyone is in a nice cage. I will more-than-likely wait to add the pair of sonorans / Nicaraguans until all the other boas and carpet have cages.

We are just starting to breed our own rats, so maybe that will help with the food bill, so that $$ can go to caging.

I believe AP does provide the sealant.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

I believe AP does provide the sealant.

---

They do

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by artgecko

Ewwwwwww.... You've now given me something gross to worry about lol. I hadn't even considered the urine issue.

---

I have AP cages stacked and nobody is peeing on anyone else.

DennisM- That is good to know. I'll have to stack at least some of the enclosures due to space, so hopefully pee-leakage won't be a common issue. :D

I think a lot of the Pee leaking stories came from "a few" and the species kept by those few were rather large, like exceptionally large. I also don't see any of it being a problem unless you are using news papers, paper towels or card board as substrate and the snake moves the paper over and lets loose on the bare plastic and the pee finds the cracks and leaks out over time. Again really big snakes, not royals or small to medium BC's.


I have yet to see anything that even causes pooling in aspen, coconut husk or cypress that would run into the corners of the tank and leak by any my medium sized animals.

I think there may have been some point/counter point play as to why a certain cage was better than another when these stories came out at least that is my speculation. The "assemble yourself" units usually offer you a better price and more space. Naturally one would think the makers of finished, molded units would list the strong points of their cages, like welded seams, no leaks and "no assembly" to sway opinions.

Each design has pros and cons, but I have not heard mention from the multitude of AP owners/users here or elsewhere of any issues with leaking.

I have never had an issue with Pro-Line either, so unless you are housing giants on some type of nonabsorbent substrate, I don't think you'll ever have an issue.