Questions: PVC/plastic cages and heating.

[nori]

I'm not even sure that this is in the right place, but I'll give it a shot.

So, I've been a glass terrarium user for a few years now and have faced the struggle that all glass users have: heating and humidity maintenance. It's a real hassle. After some mental debate I have finally made the decision to spend the extra money on a PVC cage. PVC enclosures are a completely new animal to me, and I'm not quite sure how to go about using them. For starters, I've had a hard time figuring out exactly who to buy one from. I've looked at several possibilities-- boaphile, boamaster, animal plastics, and other producers. I've never used flexwatt heat tape before, and so I've got some paranoid concerns as to the use of them. Such as: will it melt the plastic of the cage? What surface am I able to safely put these on?

At the moment I place cages and terrariums on a large wooden table that I own, since I am not readily able to purchase an actual stand for this reason.

So I guess, TL;DR:

-PVC cages: Who is the most reputable and who is the best to buy from?
-Flexwatt: I understand that flexwatt is to be taped under the cage. What kind of surface is safe for the flexwatt/cage to rest on without a fire/burning/melting hazard?

[martin82531]

I like the PVC enclosures from animal plastics, I have the T8 setup currently and will be purchased as T70 for a boa later in the year. Here is a good thread abut the T8.

In terms of the flexwatt and what kind of surface you can put them on, you can always lay down some foil tape (same tape you will most likely use to adhere the tape to the bottom of the enclosure), this maybe overkill as the flexwatt will be regulated with a thermostat to keep the temps at the appropriate level it wont hurt especially if it gives you the added piece of mind. My T8 sits on top of the tv stand below from wal-mart, before putting the T8 on top I did go ahead and do what I just mentioned, placed some foil tape on top of the stand exactly where the flexwatt was going to be.

Hope this helps!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-...to-55/20666560

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures!

[ewaldrep]

http://www.deviantconstrictors.com/b...g-options.html

This is a link to a guy that summed up the pros and cons of different lines of PVC cages who has been in the business for a long time so it may be informative for you. I decided to go with proline because I wanted to keep the cages for a long time and I like the drop down windows compared to the sliding glass doors. I have heard a lot of good things about animal plastics too and a lot of people like the boaphiles. Happy hunting!