Hey there, Glad to hear your thinking about getting some Ap cages. I have multiple and I absolutely love them. And whenever you call Ally who is there customer service rep is amazing with helping you out. Now on to your answers.

1. They offer heat tape as an addition. I've never used heat tape though. They mount there's on the bottom of the cage and I was worried about the heat gradient it would have. I went with Reptile Basics Radiant Heat panels. They were a little pricey but I think well worth it now.

2. I keep all of mine plugged into one thermostat. As long as the snakes require the same high/low temps you should be fine. But you also have to make sure you don't go over the wattage for the thermostat. I think my max is 1200watts and I have 4 65watt heat panels and have never had a single problem.

3. So far the only disadvantage I've had with mine is opening them with either wet or dirty/greasy hands. They're super easy to remove for cleaning. They're heavy enough so the snake won't be able to open them and they offer a great view for whoever is looking in

4. All the cages come precut with vent holes in the back. On mine I have vents on both sides as well as the back and they seem to work fine.

5. I would add lights to all your cages. I think they're 10-20 dollars extra to add but are totally worth it. I have all mine wired to a power strip so I just flip the switch and they all come on. The downfall to the lights they use is the on/off switch is located on the light so in order to turn them on/off you have to open and go into the cage.

6. Price wise I think AP is the best. I ordered through Boaphile before and cancelled because it took almost 5 months to hear that they were about to start my cages. I told them to pound sand and give me a refund. I hear good things about boa master but have never used them. Also, vision cages makes nice cages but I don't think they come in any color but grey.

All in all I love my Ap cages. Their customer service was incredible. Ally kept me up to date with everything and answered all my questions I had about the cages. They were crazy amounts of easy to assemble. Everything is pre-drilled and you just line the holes up and screw away. They are actually really light as well. I have all t8 cages so I'm assuming your's will be the same weight.