anyone have problems with AP acrylic doors bowing?

[Miranda2]

I have a stack of 4 APS and the one on the bottom (a T10) acrylic sliding doors are bowing out. I can hardly open and close them anymore without scraping them up or they pop off the track. Im kind of ticked as the oldest cage is only a year old. I moved that cage to the top of the stack to see if that would help and it hasnt straightened out yet.I put the two with glass on the bottom of the stack.

Its bad enough that they forgot the holes to stack them in one and in another they didnt give me any of those stick on handle things(not sure what they are called). All these little problems are starting to add up.

[SDA]

Did you talk to them about this issue? Acrylic is not set like glass and with heat, humidity and pressure all acrylic panels regardless of manufacturer will flex and bow. Just look at acrylic tops on aquariums if you want to see extreme cases of flexing due to conditions. Animal Plastics can't prevent a limitation of a material. 4 cages stacked with substrate, water, decor, hides, and reptile, weight is also going to put quite a bit of weight down upon the bottom cage and cdpvc isn't exactly a load bearing material. I think you did the right thing by placing the sturdiest material on the bottom but if your acrylic panels are bowed, they may not bow back without intervention.

I want to express my sympathy for your frustration. You should reach out to them for advice but you have to realize that what you are describing is not necessarily a defect of the manufacturer but exceeding the limitations of the materials utilized.

Also realize that I am not defending AP at all but if you go to them with the tone of blame on their part they will most likely frustrate you with their response. Caveat Emptor. You may be able to negotiate some means to swap the acrylic for glass on the bowed tank.

Edit: You may also want to think about putting a stud vertically on the lowest cage for bracing. A cut piece of PVC should bear the load sufficiently to brace the doorway. This is not different than a house with a door inside a load bearing wall.

[Miranda2]

I realize that acrylic has some give but the weight of 3 cages shouldnt be a problem for "stackable" cages.Maybe over years of use but all my cages are under a year old. Im just curious if others have had this problem with their acrylic doors or if its just a malfunction/defect in the one cage.

[KWAddict]

Have your checked your floor to see if it’s level by chance? Are these on carpet or wood flooring?

Even if the enclosures are just slightly out of level, over time, that can cause huge issues.

I know this isn’t reptile related but I know of a gentleman who parked a camper for a couple years but didn’t level it when doing so. Door frames and things are so out of whack now.


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[Sauzo]

Like SDA said, acrylic will warp from heat and moisture. I had a Constrictor NW cage which had a one piece drop acrylic door and it warped too. Thats why i dont do acrylic for cages anymore. I order all my Ap cages with sliding glass doors. Acrylic scratches, fogs and warps over time.

AP does put a center brace in the front which is another reason i like them. I personally dont think the weight had anything to do with it as i have AP T10s that have been on the bottom of 4 stack cages for over a year and nothing has changed.

Unfortunately, you should have done more research on acrylic. I dont know why any cage companies bother using it. Maybe call Ali and tell her your issue. She is awesome and i had all my lights except my T25s, although i have one of those where the lights are dimming on me, burn out and Ali sent me new lights every time with no issues. After we talked and i told her I'm using the cages for boas and keep humidity around 70%, she sent me a set of their prototype waterproof lights to try. Maybe ask her to replace the doors with sliding glass. Probably will cost you a little maybe in shipping or something but imo, glass doors are so much better than acrylic.

Oh and I forgot to mention, the part where you said they didn't drill out guide pin holes in the top of one of your cages, I had the same issue and I called Ali and told her the guys in the shop were slacking. She told me sometimes, the top of the hole gets covered by a piece of the PVC. Use the guide pin and push down where the hole should be and the little piece will pop out. It worked for me. The holes were there, just covered up by material but they were drilled and everything. Give that a try.

[Regius_049]

I have a stack of 4 APS and the one on the bottom (a T10) acrylic sliding doors are bowing out. I can hardly open and close them anymore without scraping them up or they pop off the track. Im kind of ticked as the oldest cage is only a year old. I moved that cage to the top of the stack to see if that would help and it hasnt straightened out yet.I put the two with glass on the bottom of the stack.

Its bad enough that they forgot the holes to stack them in one and in another they didnt give me any of those stick on handle things(not sure what they are called). All these little problems are starting to add up.

Do you happen to know if the acrylic AP uses is extruded or cell cast? All acrylic can warp, but cell cast is more resistant to it. When using acrylic, I have stuck to caging with plastic material "lining" the acrylic doors. This gives you something to use as a brace for the acrylic and greatly reduces or eliminates warping.

Something like this, but with acrylic instead of mesh:



On the bright side, all those issues are fixable without compromising the cage.