Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's my problem, my office that I keep my Ball Pythons, etc... in really can't fit the couple of cages I wanted to get for a few Red Tails. I live in New York, and have a nicely finished basement, which stays pretty much 68 degrees year round. I wanted to get the ARS-9506 Rack System for them, but if they were to be kept in the finished basement I don't think that type of a set up can keep the heat or humidity in.

So here's the question, is there a cage that would be able to maintain the proper temps in that envirement. If so, what kind would you recomend. Does anybody in here currently have a cage set up in a finished basement. Lastly would a rack system like the ARS-9506 work in that setting?

Thanks for any replys...

I keep my collection in a similar finished basement that maintains the same temps you are describing. I walled off a section for the reptile room. Currently I have an ARS 8018 7030 combo rack that I use for my collection.

My issue is even in the separate heated room that sees temps around 80°F on average, the bottom tub is still to cold for the animals ideally. I'm working on a modification to alleviate this problem but nothing finished yet.

I think ARS racks are awesome but like most open racks they don't heat very well. I can't imagine my rack being successful at keeping boas at temps as low as 68°F.

If you can supplement the basement heat or wall off a dedicated area you'll have much more success.

I'd recommend cross posting this to the caging forum for a varied set of results...
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
0.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.2 Normal

1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

what part of NY are you from? I'm out in Eastern Suffolk County. If your basement is anything like mine(and it sounds identical) I would stick with four foot cages with belly heat. They hold heat and humidity better than the freedom/vision/Ars type systems. What about lights? Take care. Mike Panichi
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Honesty is my only policy
www.mikepanicreptiles.com

Here are a few pics. My Whole basement is heated already for my family room, so I converted 1/2, and use an oil filled space heater to Raise temps. But I keep my home thermostat heat at 70. Added a few sinks, some lighting, tiled the floor,and have been good with this set up for a few years. Now the problem is figuring out which caging I like best. Still can't make up my mind about how I would like to re-cage everything?

That's an awesome setup, my wife and I are wanting to one day be able to do something similar, instead of a basement since here in Texas you'd be underwater if you had one, We are wanting to extend the foundation from our garage and create another room behind it that's about 50x20-30 for the snakes, put an ac in there for summer and heater for winter, and then at the very end block it off for about 10' and have a rat colony back there, not sure how that would work tho with the snakes, might have to completely block it off and have a walkway to get to it. well that's plans for the future, as of right now they seem out of reach as money is very tight, lol
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Zack Greens Reptiles

Very nice setup...very nice. I love Vision cages and racks.

take care,

Kevin

Wow..thats alot of time right there.very clean.

thanks for sharing the pics.

I live in Western New York and my boas are kept in a finished basement. All of them are kept in Boaphile 421D cages with under cage heat X2 options and a pedestal to elevate the cages off the basement floor. I think the heating option X2 and the pedestal are the key to keeping the temps and humidity where it needs to be. I have never had any problems maintaining the temps where they need to be year round with this set up. I hope this helps.

vision makes a nice rack and it seems to hold temp very well depending on bedding i love em got a few buddies that use them the other option would be boaphile on a 18 inch or better pedestal with a good herpistat