Trying to decide.

I am trying to decide on a Boaphile cage like this one: Here

or a vision cage like this one: Here

I have heard ups and downs for both of these. They will be for RTBs and Dums. I have heard the visions don't hold the heat as well, but boaphiles do. Any truth to this? Any advice on either (bad or good) would be great.

Thanks,
Jimi

i think either cage will work. alot is preference. the visions have larger vent areas, so they could lose more heat on the flip side they could vent more too. with the proper heat setup either would be fine. i'd give a slight edge to boaphile and they can come setup with heat options. i also like the black cage look. :confuzd:



vaughn

Go Animal Plastics! ... You won't be disappointed. ;)

-adam

I second the Animals Plastics.
You will love it!

Wow, those are pretty cool too. Hmmm...

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Go Animal Plastics! ... You won't be disappointed. ;)

-adam

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On their site, which type of belly heat would be flexwatt? I think I'm sold on these. The problem I had with Boaphile is that the bigger cages were plain ugly and looked to be pieced together. I wasn't impressed with them much. Visions look to be made out of egg crates...kind of ugly. Thanks.

AP uses heat cable not flexwatt for heat. I have had mine going on two years and it works good. Just need a good T-stat hooked to it, same as flexwatt.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Go Animal Plastics! ... You won't be disappointed. ;)

-adam

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I have two APs and the first one ended up warping making it impossible to slide the drawers in and out. They replaced it for me and its pretty good. Just bulky and they dont stack very well...Good luck!

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AP uses heat cable not flexwatt for heat. I have had mine going on two years and it works good. Just need a good T-stat hooked to it, same as flexwatt.

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Cool, what type tstat do you use? My house has a very stable heating system, so I have always used dimmers with no problems, but when I purchase these I am going to get a good t-stat for them too. Do you have multiple APs? If so, Do you monitor them all with the same tstat, or do they all have their own. I will be buying six APs (most likely AP, still not 100% decided as of yet) and I will have them stacked up...so I don't see a problem with 1 tstat for the whole deal, is it?

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I have two APs and the first one ended up warping making it impossible to slide the drawers in and out. They replaced it for me and its pretty good. Just bulky and they dont stack very well...Good luck!

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Racks, right? What about their cages? 4 and 6 ft ones.

The cages are awesome! I have 2 of them. a T3 and a T-something (four foot I think). They are quite solid. I would get the sliding glass doors or flip top acrylic. The sliding acrylic tend to start sticking after a while due to warping.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

making it impossible to slide the drawers in and out.

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I thought he was asking about cages??? :confuzd:

-adam

Its Sunday and my brain works less than usual! :) I didnt even see that

Haha, well that happens! T-stats? One for six stacked cages good or no?

Flexwatt or heat cable? If flexwatt than yes, but I dont know the wattage of the heat cable. As long as it doesn't exceed the wattage allowance of the tstat and they are identical heat sources you shouldnt have a problem. Obviously due to hot air rising, I always have a slight difference between the bottom and top (racks in my case). Will they be stacked directly on top of each other? Will you use a pedestal at the bottom or will they be directly on the floor?

Probably using some sort of pedestal. They will be stacked on top of each other.

Well that will keep the temperature difference between bottom and top a lot closer. I think it'll be some trial to get it right. Especially if you are using the heat cable. That takes quite some time to stabilize the temps but once there it works pretty well. I had some problems with them in the past but between getting a replacement and Mark at AP giving me some guidance on setting it up right, it is working.

I am bending towards boaphile, so flexwatt. The reason being: they are expandable. If a four foot cage is outgrown I won't need to buy a whole new cage, I can just buy an attachment. Plus, flexwatt is what I'm used to. I don't shizzola about heat cables. hmmm, so many decisions to make!

I love the look of the boaphiles. I have heard bad things about their customer service. I dont know if it has been remedied.

I have just one a T-11 with a Helix 1000.
The heat cable is 49 watts. I just asked them again like a month ago.
That is the heat cable on a T-11 which is 48"x24"x18"

Like I said I have had mine almost 2 ys and no problems at all.
There customer service for me has been second to none.

I've used AP T3s in the past and currently use an AP 2221 rack. Both use heat cable as discussed before. I liked the T3's, held heat very well and consistently in a room that was anywhere from 65-75 degrees depending on the day. I've used an analog stat, on/off stat, and a proportional stat with the heat cable. By FAR, the proportional worked the best. The on/off stat worked OK, but didn't provide consistent temps if the room temp suddenly changed. The analog stat (ZooMed 500R) was a piece of crap and I probably adjusted it twice a day.

AP cages are great, I did also have the issue with the sliding acrylic doors warping slightly. Go with the glass doors, its worth it! Just remember...keeping snakes is a flippin' addiction and you WILL get more if you get into it. Try to think a few steps ahead (RACK RACK RACK) and life will be much easier and less expensive. Besides, Ball Pythons love it in racks- much like what they are made for- tight, dark, humid underground burrows.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

I am bending towards boaphile, so flexwatt. The reason being: they are expandable. If a four foot cage is outgrown I won't need to buy a whole new cage, I can just buy an attachment. Plus, flexwatt is what I'm used to. I don't shizzola about heat cables. hmmm, so many decisions to make!

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EXPANDABLE! I never put that together, but I bet you're right!

I look at larger cages frequently since I know that I'll most likely need to move Carmen into something bigger within the next year or so...I really like the expandable thing: 4' now, 6 or 8' later, when she needs it.

I think the Vision cages are nice - LLL Reptile has all of their animals (safe deli cut kids and spideys, etc.) in Vision cages in their stores, set up really nicely with logs, silk plants, hides, etc. But based purely on aesthic, I want black cages. =P Gray pebble plastic really turns me off.

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Just remember...keeping snakes is a flippin' addiction and you WILL get more if you get into it. Try to think a few steps ahead (RACK RACK RACK) and life will be much easier and less expensive. Besides, Ball Pythons love it in racks- much like what they are made for- tight, dark, humid underground burrows.

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Umm, yeah. I don't think they make racks big enough for boas. Can you imagine how big the rack would have to be? Wow! These are just for the boas that will reach over 6 ft. I have a rack I built that works great for the smaller snakes (rosys, rubbers, etc.). Thanks though.

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I think the Vision cages are nice ... But based purely on aesthic

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Yeah, I don't think they are for me either. Plus, a friend has a bunch and he says they heat really badly...you need two heat sources to maintain the temps...pita.

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Originally Posted by cassandra

(safe deli cut kids and spideys, etc.)

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Meh! I meant "SAVE* deli CUP* kids"....I can't type. =P

freedom breeder makes racks big enough for boas. it's worth a phone call to see if other will make a custom rack. or just get the cages you like best! i don't think you could go wrong with ap or boaphile.:juggle:


vaughn

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freedom breeder makes racks big enough for boas

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You're right, they do....BUT THEY ARE $2500.00!!! LOL sorry man, wowza. I'll bet they are worth every penny. Being Freedom Breeders and all, they are the best. Just a whole lot o cash. :absolut:

Anyone use radiant heat panels? How do they work with a tstat? Do you put it on the bottom of the cage? I'd think they would be best for ambient temps and basking. Not sure cause I have never used them though.

i don't have personal knowledge with them. but i know alot of chondro guys use them in arboreal setups and they highly recommend them! i've seen them used at the top of the cage and radiate heat down and they are safe to the touch. check out www.pro-products.com


vaughn

Go With Boaphiles !!!!

Other looks like a winner, second is Boaphile. Tough choice...Boaphile or any other. Animal plastics looks to be the same as Boaphile but slightly cheaper considering that they are taller...hmmmm.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

Other looks like a winner, second is Boaphile. Tough choice...Boaphile or any other. Animal plastics looks to be the same as Boaphile but slightly cheaper considering that they are taller...hmmmm.

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i think most of the "other" is ap. good luck with your choice.https://ball-pythons.net/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

Just got my Animal Plastics T-10 and so far I love it. It looks very nice and is very well constructed. As said earlier, their customer service is second to none.

I would also check out Constrictors northwest. I got instant emails from my questions. When I called Boaphile I was hung up on and I also emailed them a question three weeks ago and have heard no response, but I think no matter which cage you will be happy. I just think Customer service is very important incase you have any problems.

I have to co-sign Adam...Animal Plastics all the way! I have a AP T-3 with a Herpstat 2 and both a Pro-Products Radiant Heat Panel and AP Belly Heat. It works phenomonal. My BP has never refused a meal nor ever had any digestive or health problems. Works great for me and hold a consistent 82-84 on the cool side and 92-94 on the warm side.

I love mine!

I went Boaphile and got two 421d's. Jeff is one of the coolest guys I have ever dealt with. He isn't the best with emails, but he'll admit that lol. I'd recommend them to anyone. Very nice cages. Thanks all for the help! I really appreciated it!