Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have always used Visions in the past but am thinking about finding something else. What are some others' favorite cages besides Vision and Neodesha, who is obviously no longer in the picture? I called Boaphile Plastics and the guy was unfriendly and unhelpful.Any suggestions out there? Thanks,
Drew.

I just build my own. I find most caging is way over priced although the plastic type have their advantages.

Vision is still your best bet. There are companies making neodesha slant front knock-offs but i havent seen them first hand. As for Jeff "boaphile" there are a few other manufactures making the same style cage if you like them.

example "http://www.junglehabitatsplastics.com/webstore/"
This is not a sponsorship, I am not affiliated and have not even seen his cages first hand. I only give this for informational use

Dan S.
Crotalus & Company

Why get out of Vision? Their product and customer service is outstanding.

It's personal taste, but I hate sliding door cages for hot stuff. A hinged door can be opened or closed with a hook from a distance. Removable doors can be used as a shield.
If you choose sliders, make sure never to be lazy with your locks. I had a Ringed Python slide the door open on a Vision Cage and escape once. If a snake pushes it's nose along the glass, it can slide. I found the Ringed Python, but if it had been something venomous, my heart would have been in my throat.
Again, it's purely my perspective. Just something for you to consider when choosing your new cages.
Good Luck!
Steve B.

I use Neodesha, Vision, a polystyrene cage from PMHerps, and my own custom melamine cages. I prefer the Visions over all the other cages. The Neo’s are nice, however they aren’t being produced anymore and most don’t stack. Melamine cages are nice for retaining heat, but their weight is a huge hindrance when stacking. I have found that Visions are the best for disinfecting, moving, stacking, and overall appearance. They may be a few bucks more than others but they’re a quality product backed by a reputable company.

- Evan

Maybe a recap of vision flaws needs to be mentioned again. The lips above and below the doors can be a safety issue if forgotten. Cleaning these areas are also difficult. On the other hand as Rob pointed out this was beneficial for some snakes to have this hiding place available to them. Pipe insulation is a good, inexpensive, and easy fix for this. Ever try to dump water out of a vision cage after cleaning? Try drilling a small hole in one of the upper corners to allow the water to drain out when the cage is turned over. Don't get me wrong, I have a dozen of them.

Don't give up on Neos. I am still buying them used. They are frequently available online if you look for them. I still prefer them because of the visibility and ease of cleaning. I found an easy way to shelve them using restaurant bakers racks. I buy them from a local restaurant supply house. I am able to customize the size shelves and poles which leaves no wasted space. Check out the pic below with my 3ft Neos housing lepidus.

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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
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Conservation through Education

Tim,

I haven’t given up on the Neos. I actually have more of them than any other commercial cage. They are nice cages with many wonderful features. I actually use shelving nearly identical to yours with my 4-ft Neos, which is a huge space saver.

I do agree with you regarding the lips of the Visions, and they can be a pain to clean in some circumstances. For most folks it comes down to personal opinion, Visions just slightly edge out Neos for me (although I will continue to purchase and use Neos).

Oh, I ran into a very friendly gentleman (Caucasian, guessing 30-40 yrs old, glasses) at Hamburg last week. He said he used to live in Texas and knew you pretty well. He was selling a beautiful pair of Crotalus o. lutosus, a pair of Crotalus m. stephensi, and their offspring. We were talking about stephensi but something came up and I had to leave without getting his name. Any chance you know his name or have his contact info? Thanks.

- Evan

Evan,
Off hand I don't know. Where did you meet him?
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

Tim,

It was at the past show in Hamburg, PA on Feb. 24th. He was about 6', average weight, glasses, and was there with his son (roughly 12-13 years old). He only kept Crotalus and he was trying to sell 1.1 Great Basins, 1.1 Speckleds, and about 12 neonate Speckleds. We were talking and Crotalus l.klauberi and Crotalus l.lepidus came up. He mentioned that he knew you and you kept them. I wish I had gotten a name but it slipped my mind. No problem if you don't know, just wondering. Thanks.

- Evan

I picked up 4 used(like new) 48" slant fronts, 2 -36" and 2-24" slant fronts from a gentleman for $600!!!!

IMHO, Neos are still the nicest cages for hots, though I do have a few visions, its not because I prefer them, simply they were the only decent thing available. I like the slant fronts as they are nicer for public displays, allow more light to enter and don't have the lips to hide snakes, like Visions do.

As Randal and I have said before....Give us the old Ranger cages anyday!! THEY were fiberglass and rock solid, relative to the ABS plastic of Neos.

MH

I am using the exact same shelves Tim for my 3ft Neos. I am definitely liking them setup like that. You might find these a little less expensive at Target, Lowes or Home Depot rather then picking them up at a supply house. Just food for thought.

Anja

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Cheers!

Anja
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To James:

"If I had my way
We'd sleep every night
Wrapped around each other
Like hibernating rattlesnakes."
William S. Burroughs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clue me in here. I have always stayed away from front opening cages for the venomous reptiles. I much prefer top opening for safety sake. I know there is a stacking problem with top opening but isn't it worth the safety issue?

My opinion is that if the snakes have hiding places they are less likely to come out striking. With the proper handling tools, this should not be an issue either way. I have both top opening and front opening and I don't see any behaviorial differences in removing them or shielding them.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

I prefer building my own cages, but there are upsides and downsides that come with doing it this way. They can get expensive, are very heavy, and time consuming because of the build time. The upsides are I can build size specific, depending on space and needs at the time. I got this cage design when I visited Greg Maxwell's facility a few times.

My adult klauberi are housed in cages the are 49"L x 24"D x 20"H. I use MDF for the basic structure, select pine for the frame face, hunter green contact paper for the interior color, Knape & Vogt sliding glass tracks, 24" fluorescent light, Pro Products Heat Panel, Johnsons Control, and Midget Louvers for the venting. All in all, it can get expensive because each cage runs off it's own Johnsons Control. But, like I said I prefer the flexibility it gives me.

I do agree with Tim, and being able to visit his facility first hand I can say he has a great set up.

John Blume
Keeping l.klauberi & l.lepidus exclusively

My current caging pictures.
Top pic: klauberi colony cage
Bottom pic: klauberi yearling cage

Visions and Neodeshas work great and if you want something a step above, I would highly recommend Habitat Systems cages; they are some of the finest on the market and we just love them. They can even custom design and put in trap boxes as well.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>I have always used Visions in the past but am thinking about finding something else. What are some others' favorite cages besides Vision and Neodesha, who is obviously no longer in the picture? I called Boaphile Plastics and the guy was unfriendly and unhelpful.Any suggestions out there? Thanks,
>>Drew.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

A little late to the discussion but, I have heard really good things about precision cages. Does anyone have any experience with these? I don't own any first hand but like I said have heard some good feedback. Just my two cents.

Have a great day!!

Jeff

I'm always looking for good cages, where is the good feedback so I can check it out? Thanks

I have seen some things on fauna classifieds but mainly I have talked with people on www.venomous.org and most are really pleased with them.

I really like the boaphile cages. Check out the nice hardware on them, no cheap stuff. And with the heating option the whole stack keeps consistant temperatures. He has computerized machines that cut every piece perfect. I'm always happy with Jeff's service and I've never had a long wait for delivery. Between boas and cages, I've probably ordered from him 30 times!