Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well my CRB is about a year old now and i've been looking into getting her a new viv this summer when i have some money. the question i'm posing to you is what kind of cages are the best for CRBs or would you have any recommended brands that i should look into?
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Tim

0.1 Colombian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Albino Motley Corn
1.0 Black cat

I would recommend a cage purpose built for snakes. There are several decent brands available. Good cages will make taking care of your CRB easier. Humidity and temps will be easier to maintain.

Here is my new set-up - I am already over-crowded with more cages on order.

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Mike

1.1 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

Hey Mike, it looks like you keep your snakes in the dining room. I keep mine in the living room (that's where they live)
Nice dining room set! Is that circa 1930's-40's?
Who makes the black snake tanks you've got stacked up there? Are they expensive?
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Renee

2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.0 BRB (Loki)

Renee.. There are several companies that make pvc cages.. I think those are boaphiles.. animal plastics is another that makes great cages.

There are a lot of the manufacturers listed here..
www.kingsnake.com/breeder.html
Just scroll to the bottom and look under "cages/supplies" in the middle column.

Price will vary greatly depending on who is making them, and how big they are. All of the cages are certainly not created equally..

>>Who makes the black snake tanks you've got stacked up there? Are they expensive?
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>>Renee
>>
>>2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
>>1.0 BRB (Loki)
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Tim, given that all cages "are not created equal," what do you recommend? Does anyone out there have horror stories about a particular manufacturer---or does anyone love a particular brand? Why?

(I'll need to get a new cage for my young BRB when he gets a little bigger, and it would actually save me the time currently required to frequently mist his temporary tank if I did it sooner vs. later...)
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Renee

2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.0 BRB (Loki)

Well I can't speak for many brands but I do have various Boaphile cages and they work great for me. However, I do believe the plastic cages work best in a heated room or one that retains heat such that the room itself is warm. The point being, plastic cages lack thermal mass so may not heat well in a colder room or area of the house.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
20.28 BRB
16.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I am a fan of the animal plastics cages. I also know alot of people w/ the boaphiles.. and they are great cages too! The only problem I have with either company is turn around time (so order it before you need it). They are both very busy, and will take an average of 1 months to get a cage..

Habitat Systems is another that makes top notch caging, they are really the "cadillacs" or the cage world and go above and beyond w/ material, construction and design.

That is certainly not to say their aren't others that are great, I just haven't dealt w/ any others that I would recommend.

There are also some nice cages, that I don't like for BRB's.. Vision for example makes great cages, but I have always had a tough time keeping humidity in them, so I would not use them for a snake like a brb.

BTW.. for rainbow, you always have the plastic tub option too.. until the snake is around 2 years old or so, you can keep it in a rubbermaid 31 qt tub (or something similiar.. and it will be very happy

I don't want to turn this into a "board of inquiry" or anything along those lines (as alot of the information available is simply opinions and the mfg's aren't here to tell their side of things), but if you want to email me I can send you some more information (links, reviews, pros/cons etc.. ) that may help you decide. Just click on my name above and it will let you email me.
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

How about somebody recomend the cheapest cages i can buy! i dont have the kinda $$$$ to buy the high class stuff!
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Russ
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Salmon Red-Tail Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)

Melbourne, Fl

rubbermaid and sterilite..

>>How about somebody recomend the cheapest cages i can buy! i dont have the kinda $$$$ to buy the high class stuff!
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
>>1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
>>1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
>>0.1 Salmon Red-Tail Boa (Minerva)
>>0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
>>
>>Melbourne, Fl
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

go with tubs in racks you build. Sterilite and rubbermaid like Tim said for juvies and you can even get larger tubs like Iris CB110 that will hold up to typical sized adult. Then build racks around them something like:

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
20.28 BRB
16.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

yea . . Kinda also Keep BCC's and BCI's. . . I have 1 guyana and 1 salmon . . so they get kinda large :-/

I'd also like something that displays better. Something with a nice clear side i can look into. I was refering to something like the BoaPhile but . . . cheaper. .

am i asking to much?
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Russ
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Salmon Red-Tail Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)

Melbourne, Fl

Relatively speaking you can't get much cheaper than a boaphile. Not for a cage that works and is secure!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
20.28 BRB
16.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

It sounds like Boaphile or Animal Plastics may be the way to go. I'll look into those further...

In the meantime, I bought some moss for Loki's hide; we'll see how he likes it.
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Renee

2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.0 BRB (Loki)

IRIS VE175's are plenty big enough to house those big guys.. and still alot cheaper then getting cages. (the are like 52x20x15 or something like that.. w/ the top on they are 52x20x18 or so.. )

Long and short of it though, and to be blunt.. Keeping the bigger boids is not cheap.. and not something to skimp on. Spend the money and get a quality cage or build one.. it is a good investment for the long term.

>>yea . . Kinda also Keep BCC's and BCI's. . . I have 1 guyana and 1 salmon . . so they get kinda large :-/
>>
>>I'd also like something that displays better. Something with a nice clear side i can look into. I was refering to something like the BoaPhile but . . . cheaper. .
>>
>>am i asking to much?
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
>>1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
>>1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
>>0.1 Salmon Red-Tail Boa (Minerva)
>>0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
>>
>>Melbourne, Fl
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Totally agreed with your "blunt" statement and would add for any and all reading this thread. Not directed at anyone specific, just my $0.02

This is not a "inexpensive" hobby. If you can't afford to keep them correctly, then you should not keep them at all. That includes $ for animal, housing, feed AND vet if/when necessary. Also means time as well, daily poop patrol and cage cleaning as required.

Of course there are different levels of housing and you don't have to have the caddilac of cages but there are minimal requirements.

ONE of which is IF you plan on breeding (duh, don't we all?) then your female will have to be in a cage (NOT A TUB) that is not only large for her but should have a bit of extra room for her suitor. Remember, mating can go on for months and they need enough space so they can seperate when desired.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Yup Yup,

unfortunatly im in love with the medium-large boas Rainbows and Redtails!

I need to start building my own cages. . . . thats the bottom line

anyone know where i can get some bulk plastic board?
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Russ
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Salmon Red-Tail Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)

Melbourne, Fl

Some sign shops will order sheets of PVC and other plastics for you in whatever thickness that you want. Be forwarned though, they are not cheap. I think 1/4 inch is about $100 a sheet. Factor in time, heating, glass doors and tracks, your probably not saving a whole lot.
All my homemade cages are out of wood and they add can add up too when you factor everything else in. Not to mention that they are heavy to move around.
I am considering boaphiles for my future cages, seems like most people have nothing but good to say about them.
Like Dave though I utilize homemade racks for all my young and subadults, they can't be beat for the space they save.

I think 1/4" is higher then that now.. I think it is about 150-175 now.. the expanded 1/4" sheets are around $100. (which helps to explain why the cages cost so much).

Another option is look into melamine.. not the best for brb's.. but for the humidity requirements of most bcc's and bci's it will work just fine. It is crazy heavy.. but you can get 3/4" sheets for around $30-$35 each. If you have a cabinet maker supply shop (or counter top supply warehouse) sometimes you can get a heavier grade (and in 1/4 and 1/2 inch sheets.. ).

You can also sometimes find the pvc sheets on ebay.. just an option.

(BTW, if you can't find any at the local sign shops, google either US Plastics or Piedmont Plastics.. Piedmont is scattered all of the eastern half of the country, so if you are on this side of the country, you may have one local.. check their site for locations).

>>Some sign shops will order sheets of PVC and other plastics for you in whatever thickness that you want. Be forwarned though, they are not cheap. I think 1/4 inch is about $100 a sheet. Factor in time, heating, glass doors and tracks, your probably not saving a whole lot.
>>All my homemade cages are out of wood and they add can add up too when you factor everything else in. Not to mention that they are heavy to move around.
>>I am considering boaphiles for my future cages, seems like most people have nothing but good to say about them.
>>Like Dave though I utilize homemade racks for all my young and subadults, they can't be beat for the space they save.
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Thanks for all the information about housing BRB's Tim! I really appreciate it!
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Renee

2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.0 BRB (Loki)

you all gave me some good ideas as to what to look for. thanks for all the suggestions.
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Tim

0.1 Colombian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Albino Motley Corn
1.0 Black cat