Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is there any way to get the bow out of a vision cage? I think the guy i got this 4' foot vision from stored a refrigerator on top of it lol.

This really depends on many factors, but some things like that can be straightened out by clamping both ends of the cage down to a VERY solid flat surface, and forcing a precisely cut piece, or pieces of spacer wood strategically placed where they are needed to maintain the proper dimension. Sometimes if very gradual heat is applied to a given area while the spacer(s) are in place, the original shape can come back as it basically was before. Also, sometimes you have to OVER-space it slightly, so when the spacer shim is removed, the material doesn't tend to spring back a bit too far due to what is known as material "memory".

This can sometimes be very tricky. If you shim it and simply leave it that way for a very long period of time, the material will gradually be forced back just like it took a long period of time to be forced OUT of original shape(many months even), but if you use heat (such as a torch) over certain areas, and do it too quickly, it can also end up melting portions as well and not slowly heating the correct area that really needed it to relax the tension.

A large oven under a low heat would probably work well, but commercial/industrial ovens are probably the only types the cage will fit into.

Being a professional carpenter myself, there are several ways this can be done, but you have to really think about physics and the best ways to go about it.

Actually, leaving the cage out in the hot summer sun with spacers shims in the right area could even work. But being the dead of winter in most of the country, this wouldn't work too well now..LOL!. Also, as long as they were not placed too close, and allowed to heat things up very slowly, one or two strong heat bulbs placed in the right area(s) could also do the job. However, you must be VERY careful with whatever you do with heat, because you do not want to go doing other things and forget about heat lamps and have a fire hazard either..LOL!

I would use some good common sense and a TIMER so you don't forget about the heat lamps if you choose to do this, and check on the way the cage feels in the given area now and then, and you just might be able to pull this off successfully. When the shim material you forced into place starts feeling very loose, you know things are working well. Then simply let it cool very well before removing the shim(s), and BINGO!......done deal!

Good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

As Doug suggested, I would just use something to push against the bow in the direction you want. I am sure you could get a nice piece of plywood and attach to the inside of the cage where the bow is, then place supports on the corners to push the bow out too. May not look pretty, but it would work. I have a double sliding door cage I bought from another manufacturer that must be warping and the doors are sticking badly even after I clean out the tracks. I think as more and more of these PVC and other plastic cages stay on the market, more and more "problems" with long term use will occur. The old neodesha slant cages looked pretty hardy and not prone to warp or bow. The vision cages look hardy too and I the person must have had ALOT of weight on it to cause this. As a precaution I always place spacer boards along the front and back of my pvc cages and racks I stack on top of one another. You can even tell that extra weight on the racks designed to be stackabable may cause the boxes to stick.

Yeah. I think ill wait until summer and try the heat method in the sun. Ive heard people complain that visions bow but i think any plastic cage of significant length would bow. I am extremely happy with the quality of vision cages. They are near bullet proof and this guy happened to use his for target practice. It is still very functional with the exception of the bow in the middle and a rivet popped out that holds the vent down. I have never used neodesha cages but the fact that they are not stack able is an absolute deal breaker for me. I have been considering buying from Repti racks but there is a long lead time and also i prefer to buy things used and save a fortune.

Flip cage upside down. Use a hair dryer to warm up the inside warped plastic. Place bricks or barbell weights on the warp area to flatten it. Might take a heck of alot of weight to do anything. Let the plastic cool. Keep repeating.

I had a Vision that I could not remove the glass because of a slight warp. I did the above and it worked well enough to get the glass out. I happened to have bricks in the backyard.. I probably wouldn't have bought them just for this.
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Mark