Critique my new enclosure - AP T12

Still very much a work in progress, but I'm open to constructive criticism or suggestions on my new AP T12 so far. A few things still to add are a second hide on the cool side (left) which will come from current tub, secure the Herpstat probe after I get the temp dialed in, I have cypress Forest Floor to add after testing humidity without it, and some greenery to go around the wood. Anything look problematic though? Is green bamboo fine? Is the wood piece okay?


I'm noticing that every time I slide open the glass doors, they are cutting into the plastic track. Is that normal for awhile or is something wrong here?

This one will house a Tarahumara boa.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/gxSUNTh.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/aCuMzGZ.jpg

Looks about dialed in to me. I’ve got 3 AP cages and while the doors do wear the track to some degree, I don’t recall any of mine cutting into the tracks over the last 4-5yrs. Did one edge of the glass not get rounded off or something?


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So I'm guessing this isn't normal "break in" time for the plastic tracks? I bought 2 and they're both doing it just about every time I slide them open.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Ju2Eg1K.jpg

Woah! Yeah, definitely not normal. I’d call AP and tell them what’s up. Looks like the edges of the glass didn’t get finished. Guessing they’re pretty sharp on the corners based on your shredded door tracks


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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Woah! Yeah, definitely not normal. I’d call AP and tell them what’s up. Looks like the edges of the glass didn’t get finished. Guessing they’re pretty sharp on the corners based on your shredded door tracks


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That's exactly what i was thinking as well. Like jmcrook mentioned, reach out to AP and they should send you new glass.

Temporarily, you can flip the glass upside down to see if that helps.

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I have several AP T8's with sliding doors and none of them do that.

As for the enclosure decor, I think once you add the fake plants to clutter it up a bit more and a hide on the hot side, she'll be perfectly fine in there. I expect she'll perch on the stick quite a bit too.

I just got an AP last week....and while it's not nearly as bad as that, my glass doors are doing the same.

I got my first AP last week, and they forgot about the glass doors entirely. :( Not to mention it was already a month and a half after their extremely long lead time of 21 weeks.

For your cage, my critique is:
-Get another hide for the other side.
-Fill that cage up with as much fake greenery as you can. The more clutter, the better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andeal

I got my first AP last week, and they forgot about the glass doors entirely. :( Not to mention it was already a month and a half after their extremely long lead time of 21 weeks.

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They regularly go over the lead time. I was quoted 10-12 weeks a few years ago and it took 25...

As for the doors, I believe a past order of mine they shipped the doors separately. Partly so they could be packed more securely and partly so people are sure to give the sealant time to cure before putting animals in the enclosure.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

They regularly go over the lead time. I was quoted 10-12 weeks a few years ago and it took 25...

As for the doors, I believe a past order of mine they shipped the doors separately. Partly so they could be packed more securely and partly so people are sure to give the sealant time to cure before putting animals in the enclosure.


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I think this goes to show the quality you get from AP. I'm very new to keeping BPs, and even though I see post after post like yours with people waiting forever to get one, the number one recommended enclosure to me was AP. I do wonder though, at what point do leads times get so long that we stop recommending them for awhile? Or are the really good enough that you'd be willing to wait however long it takes to get them?

Also just to add, I didn't take your comment as complaining about them, I just wanted to get some opinions on this.

A few updates here. I spoke with AP and they are going to send all new glass doors and new bottom tracks in case I need them too. They looked at the picture above and immediately said they'd send them out ASAP (today or tomorrow). She said they had outsourced some of the glass work and were supposed to be inspecting them all for quality control, but some badly cut ones must have made it through.

For those curious, it took just over 20 weeks for my cages to arrive and another 1 week for the bad glass to arrive. This was against a roughly 18 week, early COVID estimate.

For the cage - more hides and greenery will be added.

Substrate - any strong opinions? Newspaper in there now, but I've been using cypress mulch with my corn snake. I have more cypress, but considering trying one of the coconut husk products.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick_MD

A few updates here. I spoke with AP and they are going to send all new glass doors and new bottom tracks in case I need them too. They looked at the picture above and immediately said they'd send them out ASAP (today or tomorrow). She said they had outsourced some of the glass work and were supposed to be inspecting them all for quality control, but some badly cut ones must have made it through.

For those curious, it took just over 20 weeks for my cages to arrive and another 1 week for the bad glass to arrive. This was against a roughly 18 week, early COVID estimate.

For the cage - more hides and greenery will be added.

Substrate - any strong opinions? Newspaper in there now, but I've been using cypress mulch with my corn snake. I have more cypress, but considering trying one of the coconut husk products.

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Glad to hear they sorted that out so quickly. Their customer service is outstanding in spite of their crazy lead times.

As for substrate, whatever works best for you honestly. I'm a big fan of coco husk chips but haven't used it for a couple years because my humidity generally does fine with aspen, as I live in Mississippi. I'll switch back and forth on occasion. Coco husk looks nicer than aspen, but it's easier for me to spot waste on aspen. I'd try a few options and see what works best for you and your critters.

This is why I love AP. Their customer service is absolutely amazing. With that said, a 6 month lead time is quite a long time so I completely understand why someone would go with someone else. When I ordered mine some years ago, lead was 6-8 weeks.

Regarding substrate, I personally use Prococo coconut husk which gives me the humidity that I'm looking for but as jmcrook pointed out, all depends what works best for you.

Agreed about the AP customer service. The new glass arrived on Friday and it works great.

I think I'm just about done with this setup:

• Maybe some more plant clutter over time.
• Maybe trying different substrates as she does NOT like the cypress and it's driving the humidity way too high (90% max). I'm letting it air out whenever possible, but if she doesn't take to it, then I'll try something else.
• Maybe figure out a way to fix a hide on to the shelf. She loves the one up there, but it's just loosely sitting there now.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Zdxq8TY.jpg