NPI or AP cage?

[zina10]

I'm not going to convince you one way or another, because I feel both options are nice ones. I have not had a AP cage, so I can't say to much about that. But they are very popular.

AP's are easily stack-able. However, they are harder to get into for cleaning, esp. the T8. I think I would prefer the T10, for ease of maintenance as well as more of a "display".

Some people worry about PVC being used for animals. The NPI is supposed to be a safer option in that regard. However...PVC caging has been used extensively and I it has not been established that any animals had issues because of them.

What I don't like about AP is the wait time, esp. for a cage like the T10. I understand patience is a virtue, but some of those wait times seemed excessive. On top of that I don't like the fact that they have to be assembled and sealed. Not that I'm lazy, I have assembled many pieces of furniture and don't mind. But I don't like that there are seams that have the potential to leak eventually. Just not something I like. I prefer the "one piece" construction of the NPI.

I also find the NPI having much more appeal as a true "display" cage. The slanted large front really gives a lot of visibility. Also very easy to maintain and clean. The price is right and the time until you receive it is very acceptable. The 3 foot cages have one large glass door, the 4 foot cages have 2 smaller glass doors that slide. Either option gives you full visibility, which I like. I preferred the 2 glass doors in the 4 foot cage, since you could open each side by sliding the door "inwards" rather then outwards to the side. But either option is easy to lock.

The NPI can NOT easily be stacked. You have to have a shelf rack in order to get a few cages on top of one another. I used to have 6 of the 4 foot cages, and I did have 2 of their racks. It worked nicely, but the racks add to the price.

Now I only have the one 3 foot cage. Set up on a cabinet. I'm thinking about getting a 4 ft. cage because the Ball Python I have in there is quite large. While he still stays in his hide most of the time (and makes himself surprisingly small then) I would like to have more room for him to stretch out when he does come out.

I use under tank heaters, but I don't see why it should be a problem to use a RHP with the NPI. You could ask them about it, but it should work fine. Since I like to put a home-made shelf of some sort into those tanks, to offer an additional level plus a hiding spot underneath, I don't use RHP. They heat what is underneath of them, and a shelf would probably get to close and to hot therefor. If you opt for the shelf in the AP T10 you may also consider this.

Long story short, both have their good points. Just depends on what you prefer aesthetically, how much patience you have and how many cages you may want to stack!