Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I currently have a yearling Cali. King and will be buying a Pueblan soon. I want a stackable cage that is sturdy, lightweight, and works well. I was planning on buying the 24x24x12 inch animal plastics inc. cages. does anyone have any pictures of their cages or info on these. I would also like to know how the heating works for these cages (is it necessary to buy a thermostat for the underbelly heat, ext...)

thanks in advance for your help...

i had AP's cages in the past but not anymore since i now use animal plastics racks. They make great cages and racks and i love them! i am planning on getting a 24x24x12 cage from them as well for my daughter's cornsnake. get the cages from them and you won't regret it!

so do you think I should invest in the thermostat to go with it?

Yes!!! I have eight of them. If you get the heat rope then you will most definitly need the thermostat. I tried using them without it and almost fried my snakes. I love the cages but almost learn the hard way to get a thermostat. Did I say that I love the cages? Well i do. Here are some pics of mine, they glass could be cleand I know and a pic of my florida in hers. I have the T10 model.

Miller

>>so do you think I should invest in the thermostat to go with it?
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.1 Black Milksnake
0.1 Honduran
1.1 Kankakee Bull Snakes
2.2 N. Pinesnake
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

What type of thermostat works best for these? I looked at the ones that AP Inc. suggest and they almost cost the same as the cages... ha I'm a college student and was wondering if maybe a rhenostat or if there is a cheaper thermostat that would be sufficient for these... without hurting my snake(s).
Thx again for all the input and awesome snake by the way.

Yea she is my oldest snake, got her in 2000 as a hatchling. The pic does not really capture her size. She's as big around at her biggest part as a paper towel tube. Anyway, can't help with the thermostat. I have mine on two herpstat pros and they cost me just over 300.00 each. Hopefully someone else will chime in on other options. These are the only thermostats I have ever had to purchase since I moved from Houston to Chicago. Good luck

Miller

>>What type of thermostat works best for these? I looked at the ones that AP Inc. suggest and they almost cost the same as the cages... ha I'm a college student and was wondering if maybe a rhenostat or if there is a cheaper thermostat that would be sufficient for these... without hurting my snake(s).
>>Thx again for all the input and awesome snake by the way.
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1.1 Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.1 Black Milksnake
0.1 Honduran
1.1 Kankakee Bull Snakes
2.2 N. Pinesnake
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

as for thermostat you can get a johnson control brand or a ranco they can be about $70 try check out this great site reptilebasics.com

I wouldn't go with Ranco's. I bought five, two years ago
and two have already failed on me. They keep giving E2 memory loss error readings, and re-setting the memory will not fix it.
I have not used the Johnson Controls model myself, so I'm not much help there. I use AP racks and do like them, but you do have to put them together, which after spending over $1,000 is kind of a drag, especially when parts do not fit exactly as they should. You also have to supply the tubs, which wouldn't
be an issue with cages. I also have some of Boaphiles racks, which did cost a little more, but came fully assembled and with tubs, and are far superior on craftsmanship. It's kind of like comparing IKEA furniture with Ethan Allen's. Both work fine, but you get what you pay for. Another thing you might want to consider is if you get a cage with sliding glass doors, a small
King Snake may be able to escape from between the pieces of glass. One thing I will say about AP is that their customer service is outstanding. If you have any questions, such as what size cage, and what type of cage is most appropriate for your snake, they will be very helpful. I hope this helps.
-Phil
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Work is the curse
of the drinking class!

sounds good... i planned to get the swing open doors just for that reason... these guys are escape artists, thinkin' bout naming the next on Houdini... anyway thank you guys for the input and I'll post toward the middle of the summer with pictures when i get which ever cage i decide on...

24x24x12 animal plastics cage only have swing door option anyway. i have never had ranco and thanks for the head up now i would not buy it in the future. also try herpcages.com i love their cages so much!

There are lighter-weight cages out there that are sized for colubrids. If you look on the classifieds (under Cages) look for Dragons-4-You for some excellent ABS plastic cages that are very suitable for colubrids.

Also check the following: www.herpcages.com
and www.precisioncaging.com

The reason I recommend the above cages is that they are escape-proof for tiny, active milksnakes. The cage material is light-weight. Why have a heavy cage for a small snake? They heat really nicely, and their cost is much less due to the reduced material cost.

I think AP cages and that type are best suited for boids rather than slim, squirmy colubrids.
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Mark