Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that this probably isn't an original question, but its that time again. Time to move the growing snakes into bigger cages. I was wondering what the most popular make of cage is out there among keepers of larger indigos and what the pros and cons are. I've seen a lot of pictures of indigos in the larger Vision cages, but...all the people I know with larger Visions near where I live have had problems with bowing and warping...do you guys have the same problem or no? Have you been able to remedy it if you have? Does anyone use Boaphile cages? Somebody I know near me uses Boaphiles for his pythons, and they work pretty well for them, but I'm worried that they might not have enough ventilation. I've put some thought into building my own larger cages, but I'm not exactly a craftsman, nor do I have equipment for bending or molding plastic.
Any thoughts?
Robert

i build my own cages as i like them big & it's much, much cheaper per square foot as opposed to buying them from a manufacturer. lately i've taken to incorporating the use of screening as it lets natural air & light in, makes them light in weight and actually reduces stinkiness because fecal matter dries quickly instead of laying there fermenting. here are some i've completed lately.......

Really nice cages. How did you do the doors - are those hinges ? I'm just about to build some big dry cages myself and am looking around for ideas and plans.

craig, i basically just built a open fronted box using 1'' x 3'' framing, 1/4'' screening & a 3/4'' stryofoam on the bottom. i put a 4'' aluminum curb all the way around to keep the 'crap from creeping' out. they seem to like that little wall as they think they're outta sight while crawling along it. the 2 plexi doors, which i did last kinda dictated what was needed to conform w/ the rest. the actual inside measurements are 8' x 2' x 18'' high & can very easily be carried by 2 guys. it's pretty light. it took me about 2 days & less than $120 to build & was well worth the effort!

Dan, that's pretty cool! You don't ever get problems with nose rubbing?
Bob.

hey bob, no nose rubbing. everyone asks that. they are cb [except for male yt] and well adjusted. i think the roominess helps too. right now, i hardly ever see the cribos as it's still unseasonably chilly in [philly] but the spilotes are high up & warm. they just cruise around in the branches, 'looking down on us' & keeping a close eye on things. lol!

Neat Dan,

How are those Spilotes to work around? Angry, easy going,nippy? What mainstream colubrid would you compare them to?

bob, i'd say their mean rep is overrated though individual wc's can be quite nasty. mine are both cb, mature & have settled in nicely over the years. they were a little nervous as babies, a far cry from how they are now. super alert, they used to view everything w/ suspicion. now they just seem curious often coming down to check out what's is going on or to signal that they're hungry. i was 'head-butted' once by the male a couple years ago. he didn't bite but the strike was from about 3' away & i never saw it coming! i guess that was a warning & i got the message.....:>/

they remind me of 'arboreal coachwhips', if there is such a thing.

Thanks Dan

I have some Boaphile cages and have been very happy with them. They seem to have just about the right amount of ventilation.
The air in socal is usually too dry for my couperi so I add a extra water bowl over the floor heat. Any more ventilation would thwart my attempts to bump up the average humidity.
I have heard the same warping complaints about Visions but have no first-hand knowledge. The Boaphiles seem a little more space effecient too. My only complaint with the Boaphiles was the long wait for their delivery.

I use Visions for all snakes now. When stacking, I place laminated particle board sheets between cages without covering air vents in back. No complaints. Newspaper substrate.

some plastic caging from my friend Ed Lilley, Constrictor's NorthWest. I have been bugging him to make some 6' cages and I believe he is soon. His 4' cages are awesome and have seen them in person. His prices are great and it won't take 2 months to get them to you. I would check his line out...Here are some of my own HEAVY melamine caging I built......I plan on converting all my animals to plastic shortly. I do keep some Boas in Visions and they are OK.....

nice looking cages brett! speaking of heavy, when i was a kid, the 1rst cage i built was w/ 2''x 12''s & such out in the backyard. it was REAL sturdy...... but we couldn't budge it & it never made it into the house. :>/ we later converted that one into a dog house much to the relief of both the dog & my mom who definitely didn't want 'that ark in her house'!