Ordering the T8. A little help please..

Ok guys, so I'm about to order the T8. It's for my big kingsnake, but this forum gets traffic from the people I want advice from, so please forgive.

So I'm thinking I'm going to get the white one with the sliding glass doors. I want the swinging ones, but I think they only come in acrylic. So what should I order with it? Obviously the 11" flexwatt.. but does that mean it's like 11x11 or what? And does it come already installed and is it recessed or how does it work?.. also, I forget who posted but there was a guy that got LED lighting installed with his. I really want this but I don't see the option to add on the site. I only see the incandescent fixture. Does anyone know if this is a custom thing that I need to call and special order?

Also, any advice or opinions of anything else I should add on to it? I don't really have a great table to set it on, so I will probably order the 8in stand as well, although I wish it was higher than 8in.

Anyways. Advice? Opinions? Things to look forward to? TIA. :)


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I have RHPs in mine, so I can't answer your flexwatt questions. Although I recall it seemed expensive to just attach some flexwatt. They do machine in a groove for the thermostat probe that allows you to easily insert it between the flexwatt and the enclosure. If you want it on a particular side, you'll have to call and talk to Ali.

I have glass sliding doors with locks. I opted for locks since I have a bunch of kids at my house. The doors do not come with knobs, so you'll want to order something. I ordered some from Amazon that stick on.

As for lighting, you have to call and talk to Ali to get LED lights installed. Their options are red, blue and possibly white (can't recall). I have red in both of mine. It's great for night viewing but doesn't provide adequate lighting for cleaning. jmcrook I know installed his own multicolor LED strip. You can PM him or look up in other forums what strip he uses (I know it was specific since AP will machine in a groove for you of a certain width).

Overall, I'm very happy with my enclosures. Took about 3-4 weeks to receive it. Easy to assemble. No issues. Don't hesitate to call and talk to them. Ali is very responsive and helpful.


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I just ordered one and it may be me you're talking about with the LEDs. Like mentioned above you have to call to add it. Its $40 and your options are red, white, or blue. Also like mentioned above you can add your own lights but have AP cut a grove for them for only $10.

I opted for the glass doors, LED lights, and divider.

Said to be three weeks out to delivery.

I didn't order flexwatt as I was going to run the same uth as on my other cages which is just a flat ultra therm mat.

Id call them and get them to put in your order of just what you want over the phone. They are super to deal with.

Hey Mangia, I probably was the guy you saw with the LEDs. I had them installed on 3 of my 3 T10s. They aren't listed on the website. You have to call them and talk to Ali, the customer service gal. She can add them to your order.

The flexwatt is 11" wide and cut about 2' long. It will cover pretty much the whole front to back of an 11" strip. It isn't installed. It comes rolled up with the plug attached. They give you like 2 strips of aluminum tape too but I have a whole roll so I didn't need theirs. My advice is go to any hardware store and buy a roll. It will allow you to tape the whole thing down instead of just a couple points. There is no recess for the heat tape. There is an outline to give you a guide of where it should go. There is a route channel on each side of the bottom of the cage where a t-stat probe would fit. Just choose either the left or right side, it doesn't matter. You will understand ity when you get the cage. Its really easy.

As for options, i'm not sure how active your snake is but all mine use their shelves. I did get locks installed too just in case since it was only $20. I didn't go for the stand as I just use the folding tables you can buy from Home Depot or Lowes.

For me, I ordered T10s with sliding glass doors, locks, flexwatt, led lighting and shelves. I'll do the same when I order my T25s.

Thank you so much guys! So the flexwatt is the only option I have for heating through them? I'm thinking a RHP would be better to just bump up the ambient since he doesn't really need a hotspot. Just a warm side. Guess I could buy my own and put it in. So all of the cages come pre-machined with the temp probe channels?

And I wish they could make it switch between LED colors cuz I'd love a nighttime type color for him like Gio has in his enclosures, but since they don't, I'll have to go with the white. BigSAK is actually the member that I was thinking of. He's the one that's gotten me hooked on the LED thing. It just looks so vivid and bright and gorgeous.

But yes, I will definitely be calling them Monday morning and setting everything up. I can't freaking WAIT!!


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I have a lamp on a timer that comes on at night. It has a red bulb and gives me and the snakes just enough light to see.

All the lights in my cages are white and come on during the day.

If you wanted both day and night led lights I bet they could add two strips. You could have them recess the groove and then add your own lights cheaper than getting them to do it all.

Sauzo, Hulk is super active. He's just very confined in the 20 gallon I have him in. He's way too big for it (about 6 ft).. but yeah, I think I'll definitely throw in a shelf just to give him some more exploration options. He's had a pretty rough life in the breeder tub he grew up in. He has several scars, he's killed a few females that the breeder tried mating him to. He was just a super angry snake when I first got him. The breeder basically gave him to me. And he has, with regular handling, since become just an AWESOME pet. So I really wanna go all out with this since it will be his forever home.

Just like I will do with all of my pythons after I retire them. .. the ones I have now anyways, since they will forever be the ones that started this crazy addiction.

But yeah, hulk needs to just have a paradise that he can relax AND exercise in. And it's time.

Anyways, sorry for the rant! Lol

Oh! And can someone post a pic of the actual RHP they have in theirs? I need to study up on RHPs if I'm going to go this route. It's mounted on the wall right?

And just a pic of the dude being WAY too big in his WAY too small tank lol. Poor guy.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...0132bcf305.jpg



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

I have a lamp on a timer that comes on at night. It has a red bulb and gives me and the snakes just enough light to see.

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Do you mean a lamp that just lights up the whole room or a lamp over the actual enclosure? Because the enclosure is closed off on all sides except the front right? (End stupid question lol)



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A RHP is mounted on the ceiling of the cage.

If you are going to add a shelf you have to remember that this will then cut the cage in half so there will be a portion of the shelf that is only six inches from the shelf. Also depending on which RHP you go with may make it a bit harder to clean the shelf. I have three Pro Product RHPs that are very thin but then the one in my PVC Cages cage is a couple inches thick. In the cage it is in it doesn't matter but if it was in a 12 inch cage with a shelf only 6 inches under it that would only give you a four inch gap between the shelf and the bottom of the RHP.

If you think you want a RHP you may want to get a few more inches in height.

If you go through this site as if you are picking out a page it will show you pics. In some of them you can see the RHPs. Some are black and others are white. Select different size cages cause it will show you different pics. If you click on "Accessories" and then select "perches " it has a good pic showing the RHP mounted to the ceiling.

http://pvccages.com/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Do you mean a lamp that just lights up the whole room or a lamp over the actual enclosure? Because the enclosure is closed off on all sides except the front right? (End stupid question lol)



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A lamp for the entire room. I have a heated snake room and the one floor lamp in the corner gives off plenty of light to see into all of the cages at night. If Im feeding or needing to do something I have a headlamp I wear that has a white, green, and red light output so I don't disturb them.

Maybe I'll just make sure he has plenty of climbing limbs and such. Or put the shelf on the opposite side as the heat panel maybe? Prolly not tho... just brainstorming.


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I know. There are many options. I just want to make sure you knew there could be an issue with getting a shelf and planning on a RHP. Half a shelf sounds like a good idea if they can do such a thing.

I had a King long ago and he climbed often. Im sure yours would mind some climbing stuff either. But you have to realize that being only 12 inches tall is going to really limit any real climbing. For $45 more you could get the T10 which is then the same size except 15 inches tall. I would have done that but Im putting two Bloods in mine so they don't need the headroom.

15 inches is still a good height to be able to use a RHP but much more than that they are no longer recommended unless it is for an arboreal snake.

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Originally Posted by KMG

I know. There are many options. I just want to make sure you knew there could be an issue with getting a shelf and planning on a RHP. Half a shelf sounds like a good idea if they can do such a thing.

I had a King long ago and he climbed often. Im sure yours would mind some climbing stuff either. But you have to realize that being only 12 inches tall is going to really limit any real climbing. For $45 more you could get the T10 which is then the same size except 15 inches tall. I would have done that but Im putting two Bloods in mine so they don't need the headroom.

15 inches is still a good height to be able to use a RHP but much more than that they are no longer recommended unless it is for an arboreal snake.

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Awesome. Thanks for all the great advice KMG. I will go ahead and get him the T10. He will take full advantage of the 3 extra inches.

Hopefully Ali will be able to guide me through what's best for my particular snake. Not that you didn't guide me, but, you know what I'm saying.

Those pvc cages are expensive though. Nearly double what the AP cages are it seems. Plus, APs are on sale right now.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Awesome. Thanks for all the great advice KMG. I will go ahead and get him the T10. He will take full advantage of the 3 extra inches.

Hopefully Ali will be able to guide me through what's best for my particular snake. Not that you didn't guide me, but, you know what I'm saying.

Those pvc cages are expensive though. Nearly double what the AP cages are it seems. Plus, APs are on sale right now.


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They seem that way but compare them to the AP arboreal cages and you will see they are actually really well priced when you consider you can get the cage, glass doors, rhp, and perches included. The PVC Cages price also includes shipping. If you look at just the bare cage for PVC Cages it is actually cheaper than most other bare cages.

Im interested to compare the AP cage to the PVC Cages cage. Right now I only have a AP rack. Im sure I will really like it but I don't know that it is going to beat the PVC Cages cage. The PVC Cage I have right now holds my GTP and it is by far my favorite cage. The quality is awesome and I hope this second one on order brings me as much pleasure as the first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Thank you so much guys! So the flexwatt is the only option I have for heating through them? I'm thinking a RHP would be better to just bump up the ambient since he doesn't really need a hotspot. Just a warm side. Guess I could buy my own and put it in. So all of the cages come pre-machined with the temp probe channels?

And I wish they could make it switch between LED colors cuz I'd love a nighttime type color for him like Gio has in his enclosures, but since they don't, I'll have to go with the white. BigSAK is actually the member that I was thinking of. He's the one that's gotten me hooked on the LED thing. It just looks so vivid and bright and gorgeous.

But yes, I will definitely be calling them Monday morning and setting everything up. I can't freaking WAIT!!


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You can have AP install the RHP for you if you want. You have to have it drop shipped to them from whoever you get it from be it Pro Products or RBI. Ask Ali about it when you call her.

As for lighting, I use white light too. I have them all set to a single timer that automatically turns them on at 8am and off at 9pm.

Grats and you will love the cage. One tip though. They send you lexel sealant which so far is pretty awesome and I think better than silicone but you need to give it a lot longer cure time. My advice is let it cure for 4-5 days before you put the snake in.

And also, here is what the white light looks like if you don't remember. You can also see the shelf that I opted to have them install. Its 8" deep.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...c3a3b0_z_d.jpg

Woops guess I missed some of the thread lol. You can mount a RHP with a shelf. I talked to Ali about it and she said probably the best idea would be mount it forward of the shelf as the shelf is 8". The cage is 24" and the rhp is 12". So that should still leave 4" of free air for the shelf. Then butt it against cage side and drill a hole out the side for the wiring since I didn't want to cable clamp the wiring above the shelf and the led lighting. This was if I installed it myself. Like I said, if you have it drop shipped to AP, they can probably mount it the same way but don't need to butt it against the cage wall as they can just drill a hole through the roof and route a channel for the wiring like they do with the led lighting. That was you still have a clean flush top that you can stack cages if you want to. But like I said, talk to Ali and ask her what the best way to do it is. They have done tons of custom cages so they should have lots of good ideas.

And for sure go for the T10. The extra 3" is nice for getting into the cage and your BP will make use of it. My BP loved her shelf until I poached the cage for my retic lol. But i'll give her a T10 back when I order Rosey and Vicky their T25s and then see if Caesar needs one too.

Seems everyone has hit all the main points here. Just to add my 2 cents I had AP cut the channel for the LEDs and put a remote controlled color changing strip in that I got off eBay for like $15. Definitely worth it if your interested in day and night time viewing options.


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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Woops guess I missed some of the thread lol. You can mount a RHP with a shelf. I talked to Ali about it and she said probably the best idea would be mount it forward of the shelf as the shelf is 8". The cage is 24" and the rhp is 12". So that should still leave 4" of free air for the shelf. Then butt it against cage side and drill a hole out the side for the wiring since I didn't want to cable clamp the wiring above the shelf and the led lighting. This was if I installed it myself. Like I said, if you have it drop shipped to AP, they can probably mount it the same way but don't need to butt it against the cage wall as they can just drill a hole through the roof and route a channel for the wiring like they do with the led lighting. That was you still have a clean flush top that you can stack cages if you want to. But like I said, talk to Ali and ask her what the best way to do it is. They have done tons of custom cages so they should have lots of good ideas.

And for sure go for the T10. The extra 3" is nice for getting into the cage and your BP will make use of it. My BP loved her shelf until I poached the cage for my retic lol. But i'll give her a T10 back when I order Rosey and Vicky their T25s and then see if Caesar needs one too.

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Seems pretty logical about the RHP in front of the shelf. Thanks for your input man. :)

It's my Florida King going in it. The pythons stay in the rack. :)


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UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Ali about an hour ago.

The T10 is ordered. It will have a shelf in the back left (facing the cage ). The RHP I ordered from Bob at Pro Products will be in front of it. According to him, only about 3 inches will be overlapping with the length of the shelf.

The cage itself is the t10 with sliding glass doors in white. I see all the black ones but I wanted to go against the grain. There will be TWO channels made for two separate LED strips. One in white for day, one red for nighttime. 10-12 weeks out for t10s right now. Sucks, but oh well. 330 shipped. A little more than I anticipated but it will be well worth it.

Can't wait!!


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Grats man. I would plan for 12 weeks lol. Took 13 weeks to get mine but well worth it. I'm assuming you are having Bob drop ship that RHP to AP so they can install it and route the channel for the cord?

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Grats man. I would plan for 12 weeks lol. Took 13 weeks to get mine but well worth it. I'm assuming you are having Bob drop ship that RHP to AP so they can install it and route the channel for the cord?

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Yes, Bob is sending it to AP. ... thanks Sauzo. I'm super stoked! :)


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Grats man.