Reptile & Amphibian Forums

anyone have an AP or Showcase cage? I am thinking of buying but I am not sure how to equip it.I usually build my own but I am sure these cages will hold heat better, so I am betting I will need less lights or it will be too hot. How would a 4x2 with megaray 160 watt be set up? How about a 6x2 or 72"x30"? I want a hotspot up to 145ish hottest point.Any help appreciated. Which is better-AP or Showcase? I really like the swing out doors on AP.Not really liking Vision. Don't want junk either.Won't be stacking, are cutouts good or will they melt? Last but not least how hard or easy is it to install a fixture?Thank you for your time filling out this survey.(haha)seriously, looking into this type of cage.

Oh yeah, what can you do about wider mesh (for UV)in Showcase?

I have two of the Showcase 4x2 cages. They really aren't worth the effort needed to make them usable. They're too short to use a Mega Ray, so the UV situation is difficult in the best of circumstances. They have the built-in dome lamp alcove that's basically worthless for a uro. Might be great for snakes, but it's too low to use with a uro. You get a tiny hot spot (even with a low watt lamp) and the rest of the cage is cold.

What I did was install three ceramic sockets down the length of the cage and use low watt basking and halogen lights (depending on the time of year - I have to watch it very carefully). Then the UV is an Arcadia coil fluorescent mounted partway up the back wall in the Arcadia reflector made for them. Not ideal.

From what I hear, the AP cages are much better as long as your ambient house temperatures can be controlled. They hold heat extremely well. You can get a closed top model or screen top. The screen top would be much easier to manage temps. If you get the closed top, you can ask for whatever number sockets you need.

I don't have direct experience with the AP cages yet - I'm planning a purchase as soon as I can catch them on the phone. But word on the street is AP is much easier to work with.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

I'm in the process of having AP give me a quote for two Uromastyx cages. They have a "Uro Cage" that is 4' x 30" x 18", but in speaking with other who have this, they all have recommended going for 24" tall. The reason for this is that I really want to use a MegaRay in each enclosure, but with the length of the bulb itself and the cage at 18" tall, the basking spot is going to be way too hot and the UV bulb closer than the recommended 12".

Since I'm going to be stacking two cages, I'm having more venting installed on the back (they come with side wall venting already), and some sort of a spacer between the two enclosures. Also will have three light sockets installed.

They are supposed to get back to me any day now on a quote for this, since it's a custom size. They are wonderful in the customer service area, and are very willing to customize or help out with any questions. Give them a call

Andi

I am using cages from Dragons4U for my bearded dragon and plated lizard, but not for my uro. They come prewired with a fluorescent and regular bulb socket inside the cage. However, you do need to add more ventilation because I find they do get HOT real quick, even the side farthest from the light source. I can only use a 50-65 watt bulb max. That gets it hot enough for the bearded and plated in the basking area, but still allows a cooler area on the other side. There is no way I could use a 160W sunbulb in my four x two cage that is about 1.5 feet tall. It would be way too hot. You also need to check what wattage max is recommended for any cage. I believe Showcase does provide that info on their website. Anything higher than suggested could damage the cage, and they may not be able to get the uro basking spot hot enough at the suggested wattage max. Also, I would suggest using a rock or ceramic tile under the hot basking spot to make sure the plastic at the bottom of the cage doesnt melt a uro temps.

thanks for the advice, I think I will stick to building for now.I like to give multiple basking spots using low watt halogens and rheostats plus the uv spot.couldn't figure out if/how that would be possible while shopping around. thanks again.

i had a hard time ordering from ap in the past i was tryn to make a purchase for a few items and couldnt nail them down to answer a few questions so i went with rbi instead and used there infared heat panels thats less than 2 inches thick on each end of the cage and installed a double 24" flourescent inside myself and it seems to be working just fine. i couldn't work out using the power sun type bulbs because they are so big. maybe a fixture mounted in the corner on a 45 degree angle that would aim the basking spot into the center not straight down? good luck

I've ordered two of the AP Uromastyx cages, but 24" tall instead of the normal 18". That way I'll have plenty of room for the MegaRay SB100 bulbs that I have, and I can adjust the height of the basking area to get the correct temps. They are going to also add in another light socket for me (3 instead of 2) and are going to put in additional venting on the upper back wall, and send along the cutouts so that I can cover the vents or open them as needed depending on season.

They took a while to get back to me, but they were absolutely wonderful on the phone and in answering my dozens of questions and helping me customize so that I can get exactly what I want for my Uros. Now I have to patiently wait a month to get them, but I think it's going to be such a great improvement from the current aquariums/screen tops that I'm using now.

Andi