Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Who makes the best plastic cage? Animal Plastics or The Boaphile? Or possibly Moonstruck? Anyone who has experience with these cages please let us know. Thanks

Vision by far.

And I hear they will soon have a new 4 foot cage specifically designed for breeding boas.

Vision cages are far more durable and will last longer than anything made out of sheet foamed plastic.

Hi tomas - Is it possible that you are employed by Vision? Or perhaps you are a reseller of their products? Not trying to pick a fight. Just curious.

-Joan

No offense to you tomas ,

I have to beg to differ with you on this statement.

"Vision cages are far more durable and will last longer than anything made out of sheet foamed plastic"

I would ask you to take your vision cage and push it off your kitchen table , then take a cage like mine made with 1/2" HDPP or even an AP cage and do the same and see which on you have to repair when it hits.Chances are both mine & the AP cage will just have to be picked up and then put the stuff back in ( snakes water bowl) and shut the door and keep trucking while the vision will have a busted corner . i respect your opinion but i think you are terribly wrong.in saying they will last far longer then any sheet formed plastic like the ones we make
these are just my opinions and to be taken as such.

I would offer to MBreily to add a new name to there list
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

I recently ordered my first AP cage--the small one, 24W x 24D x 12H.

My main concern is heating. I'm hoping (really hoping) that AP's routered in heat cable will be able to give me a controlled basking area of about 95 degrees AND provide enough heat for a cool end temp of 80-plus. The "AND" is my main concern.

My cages are in a normal room temperature environment of 68 - 70 degrees. I use radiant heat panels exclusively, which do the job very well. I haven't had good results with flex-watt type heating; no matter what the cage size it just gives me a cold cage with a hot spot. Useless for my applications.

If the routered heat cable combined with the heat-holding capability of the 1/2-inch plastic works, I'll be very pleased.

Bill

I guarantee that with ambient air temps of 68 deg, bottom heat in ANY cage will give you a warm spot in an otherwise cold cage. You need heat panels, CHEs or lamps. Yes, 1/2" thick material will help a little, but most likely not enough in a cage with lots of volume. I'm talking for exotic animals that in nature see temps that rarely fall below 75 deg. Temperate snakes like cornsnakes do fine with just bottom heat.

For people that have warm rooms of 78-80 deg, bottom heat works great. For us that have cold rooms, a strip of heat tape or a few runs of heat cable won't cut it. Stick with the heat panels and get the heat cable option too if you want, but stick with heat panels in cold rooms. In summer, you can unplug the heat panel and just use the bottom heat if you want.

This is my opinion after trying many methods and types of heating for exotics in cold rooms like yours: Simple is best, and floor heat doesn't keep the air warm enough.
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Mark

Thanks, Mark.

That's what I'm expecting, too, but I just wanted to try it since I asked around a while back and was told that the cable heat works better then mats. In fact, someone told me they had a 4-foot AP cage with the heat cable that keeps the temps pretty good in a mid 60s room. I have to try this for myself, but I have an extra 6 x 12" heat panel all ready to be installed in that 24 x 24 x 12 cage after I experiment.

I, too, have tried different heating options over the years. I finally switched from inside the cage red heat bulbs to radiant heat panels about 10 years ago, and IMO nothing matches the panels' performance for heating tropical herp cages in normal temp rooms. I can be comfortable in my house with central air conditioning in the summer while my herps feel right at home with the heat panels.

But like you, I like to try out the new stuff once in a while; part of the fun of this hobby I guess.

Regards,

Bill

Hi Bill –

I haven’t had my 3 foot AP cage long enough for a good evaluation, but I tend to agree with Mark in general. In addition, one thing I had not realized about the routered-in heat cable – it is not the 7/16 inch wide part that contacts the cage; it is routered in on edge, so there is less surface in contact with the cage bottom than I had anticipated.

A few positives about the AP cages. That ½ inch material is strong and sturdy – no bowing with THESE cages (unlike some other well-known cages!). Assembly was very easy; good materials and workmanship; everything lined up perfectly. Customer service with this outfit was out of sight terrific! I can’t say enough good things about the way they responded to a shipping problem I had. Very professional. In an industry with a growing number of tiny start up ventures (not a knock, just a fact), service after the sale is critical. Word does get around.

-Joan

Hi Joan.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't know that the heat cable was on the edge; I figured it was routered underneath one end, the way you'd position a heat mat. Hmmm ... looks like I'll be using that radiant heat panel sooner than I thought (see my reply to Mark).

I'm looking forward to getting the AP cage. If I like it I may get a few more later in the year. I'm very glad AP will be offering sliding glass doors on all cages soon; my tegu would destroy a plexi door.

Regards,

Bill

"I didn't know that the heat cable was on the edge; I figured it was routered underneath one end, the way you'd position a heat mat."

Guess I didn’t express myself very clearly. Yes, the heat cable is installed under the cage floor and at one end. The cable itself is approximately 7/16 inch wide by 1/8 inch thick. It is the 1/8 inch dimension that is installed “facing” the top of the cage. Hope that is clearer.

BTW, the 3’w x 2’d x 1’h cage weighs 38 pounds, and that’s with plexi, not glass, doors.

-Joan

Weight of cage with sliding glass doors .3x2x1

We are currently manufacturing the 1/2" HDPP cages with glass doors.The weight of the cage w/o glass is 39lbs The glass i have not weighed but can friday when i goto the shop
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

Oh, OK. I got ya. I wonder why it touches on the edge -- maybe to spread heat outwardly into the floor panel as well as up?

Bill

I've never seen a Moonstruck cage other than the pictures.

Regarding Boaphile and AP, they are slightly different cages. The AP cage will be about twice as heavy as the boaphile provided the measurements are the same. Possibly even more than twice as heavy. It will come unassembled and you'll have to put it together yourself (dozens of drywall screws). I believe AP primarily used circular vents where heat lamps are placed. The panels of the AP cage will be extremely strong since it's 1/2" HDPE. I'm not sure how well the joints will hold up since there is no weld of any type.

The Boaphile will come preassembled (solvent welded) and will likely have fancier cage hardware. Boaphile used heat tape sandwiched underneath the cage to provide heat. I believe this installment in permanent. The cage walls won't be nearly as durable as the AP, but they will be fairly easy to repair with readily available matierals. The joints of the Boaphile cage will be pretty strong. Jeff has a nice design where he bends a lot of the pieces to decrease the number of joints, especially edge to surface joints which are not always strong with solvent welded PVCX.

When you compare costs make sure to compare costs with shipping included. The AP will be heavier but take up less space since it is collapsed. I'm not sure how this will affect cost anymore having not shipped any cages in a while.

Now with all that said, I would make my decision based on cost first and weight second.

I also would look into Jungle Habitats who's already posted in this thread. I'm more of a wood guy and know he was very good with that material. I'm sure he's brought some great ideas to the world of plastic.

I would say it will depend on your preference for the door design more then anything else.
Animal Plastics is a double door design hinged on the outside, which is nice for so you don't have to open the entire length of the enclosure, but bad because the doors swing fairly far out.

Boaphile have a single door but it swings down so you have the benefit of a door that doesn't get in the way.

Moonstruck has a double door system that swings down, so you have the bonus of the short swinging doors and also the double doors so the entire front is not open to allow for an irritated animal to reach you as easily.

Each of the 3 have good points each have bad points.

Good luck on making your final decision.
Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

You never experience life until you have kids..then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

Good point. I had that on my mental list but forgot.

Now these cages would sit in a room somewhere with a reptile in it maybe not moved much at all. My question is when some say for instance boaphile is less durable but can be patched what would these cages go through to get some hole that has to be patched up, I would think that some of the light cages should be able to stand up to some punishment

Damage is most likely to occur during shipping. I understand Jeff (Boaphile) is now packing his cages and racks extremely tight and they are more likely to arrive in perfect condition. But given the number of cages he sells it's not surprising that some still arrive cracked. Even then the fault likely lies with UPS or USPS, whichever he uses.

Once you have one I think you would have to drop one to crack it or drop something on it.

But I have no doubt that Boaphile cages can withstand being moved, dragged, etc - normal abuse. The 1/4" PVCX makes for a very light and easy to heat cage and his design really does maximize the strength of this material.

But for ultimately bullet-proof durability, nothing beats 1/2" HDPE. At least for cages. Racks are a different story.

One other note to keep in mind on doors we have incorperated slding glass doors on our cages BUt we also can do fold down doors , and do sliding plexi doors if thats your choice of doors nothing is limited . As far as the question "what would casue a hole or danage to a 1/4" plastic cage ?

My friend was moving some of his boaphile cages in his garage at home as he doesnt keep them in his shop. With a concrete floor while moving a cage it dropped and inturn it busted the seam along the bottom of the side panled in the cage like a fracture crack and also busted the bottom of the cage in the same fashion. He was able to patch the cage to a pretty good degree but with his cages he has them stacked about 7 high , the lower cages have started showing the result of this as the doors have bowed out on the corners and there is a noticeable "sag" in the center causing the doors on the bottom three cages to somtimes stick when opened.All cages have there good perks and bad all depends on the users needs so i would say think of the use of any cage before you leap and think of the longterm use of the cage , and if the cage will be a "snake" only cage keep in mind that if you have substrate in the cage that a snake that is a pusher in time will marr the plexi doors and if the proper cleaning isnt done the doors will "haze over" if a lizard/ monitor is kept in the cage if so plexi & lexan acrylic will be toast in a matter of months depending on the species of lizard/ monitor kept in them . I built a huge argus cage from my friends shop w/ glass all around as the old cage he had was plexit and looked frosted on the bottom 1/3 of the cage from the continuois dif=gging / [awing the argus does . theres ALOT to look at when buying a cage that will be a longterm investment while plexi doors etc can be replace doy you really wantto have to possibly replace them annually depending on the animals kept in them?

I look at cages like buying a car , i wouldnt buy a car cause it " looked cool" so why buy a cages because it looks cool" its the long term useablilty of that cage in one yr -3 yrs -5 yrs and longer that should also influence the cage you purcahse
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
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wow those are some good points whenever im ready to buy a cage I will think of this. I didnt know boaphile would sag from being stacked and as far as the glass for the doors I didnt think about that.

Let me say thgis so i dont get BLASTED lol

The scenerio i listed with my friends Boaphiles DID happen , i cant say that its the case for ALL boaphiles but that was his experience with them he also has had them for about 4 yrs i think not real sure , but he is replacing them this summer with the 1/2hdpp cages so please dont come slinging critiscisim at me for posting what happened to his boaphiles your experience may be totally different and not the same but each use will dictate the outcome of how they could react.
ok just wanted to explain so no one came bashing at me for posting that on what happened to his cages lol
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
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If you want light-weight cages, then you want acrylic doors. But acrylic doors can scratch badly. See? One great aspect of a cage (light weight) can be a bad point for some applications (i.e. keeping lizards with sharp claws.)

Figure out what you need in terms of door type. Decide on the plastic material of the cage. HDPE is strong and cleans easy but looks like a cargo container. Expanded PVC (aka Boaphile) comes in colors and looks nice but isn't as tough if dropped (repairs easily though.) Do you want glass doors? Do you want bottom-hinged? Do you want colors? What about price?

What do you want? What do you need? Asking what is the best cage is like asking what is the best vehicle. It depends on usage and price. Heck, a $5.00 sweater box is perfect for many applications. Is that the best cage? In many cases it is.

.

n/m
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Mark

lol ok in a FAIR defense of 1/2" hdpe/hdpp its like skittles and available in a variety of rainbow colors lol But its a small upcharge for the colors so i will say yes they can be got in other then white / black / grey its up to the user and if they want to pay for a color of there choice . I am awaiting color samples from the supplier i use and and hope to have that soon , my rep is currently in Miami doing the boat show (lucky badword inserts here ) lol but he will be back the 24th
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

Hey,

I was debating between the same caging companies. I was checking out the Boaphile website today and was REAL excited to potentially purchase a 4 foot cage for $199 shipped!!

After doing some research, I'm not impressed. I think some of their options are totally bogus. They charge for black latches instead of the standard silver. Considering the majority of the cages they sell are black it should be standard (just a way to "up" the price). Purchasing 3 black latches cost $12...
Obviously, they purchase items in bulk and I just don't understand how that price is justified. Go to home depot and see if black latches resale for 10-12 times the cost of silver latches...it's the principal

Even the keyed locks are an option. Nowadays, that is standard on many cages out there.

Once you add up a few options you're back at their original price of $229 (if not more).

Just my opinion...

VJ

"well I think they are too expensive $325 for a 4' cage wow. I just dont see why anyone would consider these when you can get say a boaphile or barrs 4' for $199-225 heated shipPED"
comment posted by BigDee ( im not mad about your comment BigDee just pointing out the actual cost of there cage VS mine with equal options )

I did a calculation of the 421D cage after i recieved a comment of how my 4 ft cage was way to expensive when boaphile cages were $199.00 shipped . As you stated the cage is $199 shipped BUT when the options are added up to equal what is included in my 4 ft cage this is what i came up with

Boaphile
421D $199.00 delivered
Incage double heat ( 2 ft ) $50.00
3 Black hinges $12.00
2 Keyed locks vs. Latches*** $10.00
Add Center Latch . ** $10.00
Florescent Light Installed $30.00

Total price with these options $331.00 shipped

JungleHabitats cage
JHC-48 48"x24"x12" 1/2" HDPP cage
1/4" glass doors
2 20w Halogen lights
2 ft 20w 11" flexwatt heat tape
showcase lock.
$325.00 shipped

Now with those posted id like to state that first my cage is 1/2" hdpp and has much better insulating values , Has sliding glass doors , Is a more durable plastic as far as the abuse it can take without comprimising the cage or its construction .It is a heavier cage due to plastic & glass construction but you wont have to worry about the glass hazing . scracthing due to the wrong cleaner being used on the plexi or with a lizard being housed in it .

I am not knocking Boaphiles cages or there pricing but merely felt that since a statement was made as to the expense of my cage compared to his was to expensaive i would show a actual cost comparison ofthe two cages in realtime with as equal options as can be compared being there cage uses plexi doors and not glass

thanks for reading
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

I know it’s just human nature, but it never fails to amaze me how we want the maximum amount of money to be paid to us for our own labor, yet disparage what someone else has set as their own “going price.” Hey, that’s what the marketplace is all about. So the price versus benefits equation doesn’t work here for you? Fine, don’t buy from the guy. But “Boaphile = Bogus”? That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?

Now march right into your boss's office tomorrow and demand a reduction in pay starting immediately, okay?

-Joan

The above post was high by $20.oo should have been $311.00
my apologies
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

I honestly don't think the post is harsh at all...

I'm not trying to disparage their labor or effort they put into their cages.
I just think it is ridiculous to have black latches as an option. It doesn't make any sense, but simply a ploy to charge more for their product. If there was any effort involved with assembling or painting (for their color cages) the product than "Yes" the price scheme would be justified. I know that everyone tries to maximize their profit margin, but their black latch option is ridiculous.

There is NO added effort involved. It's simply picking up a different color latch and screwing it in. As stated before there is no way in hell that black latches warrant the cost of $12 (3 latches). Maybe they using "fuzzy" math logic.

VJ

IMO the latch color should be an option that doesn't cost anything, unless the black latches are more expensive, then the option should cost the exact difference of the 2. again just my opinion..

Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

You never experience life until you have kids..then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

>>There is NO added effort involved. It's simply picking up a different color latch and screwing it in. As stated before there is no way in hell that black latches warrant the cost of $12 (3 latches). Maybe they using "fuzzy" math logic.

Who said there was any additional labor involved? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the hinges just cost more money?

Look closely at the construction: the black hinge is a more complex piece of metal to machine than their standard hinges. Look at the attachment mechanism: the black hinges have built-in posts, while the zinc hinges use a separate screw placed through a hole in the hinge. In addition, the more expensive hinge has been painted or anodized or powder-coated or whatever in order to appear black. None of that stuff comes for free, even if you're buying in bulk (and I suspect that The Boaphile probably isn't buying in large enough quantities to get a huge discount).

Did it ever occur to you that maybe they are trying to make their money back after having to drop their prices in order to remain competitive...

Hmmm is that a phenomena you haven't considered...

Funny how their locks are an option, while their competitors have it standard. Hmmmm funny how adding those two options bring the price close to what they were originally charging...

Did it ever occur to you that during their scheme to lower their price to remain competitive, they needed to find ways to off set their loss, hence the ridiculous black latch option, and the lock mechanism option.

VJ

>>Funny how their locks are an option, while their competitors have it standard. Hmmmm funny how adding those two options bring the price close to what they were originally charging...

And you point is...what? That The Boaphile shouldn't be allowed to charge a fair price for their cages? When I bought my Vision cages, locks were an $6-8 option. Same went for Neodesha at the time, I believe. You going to bust on those guys, too?

>>Did it ever occur to you that during their scheme to lower their price to remain competitive, they needed to find ways to off set their loss, hence the ridiculous black latch option, and the lock mechanism option.

Scheme? What scheme? You want the highest-quality hardware, you've got to pay for it. You don't want it? You can get the cage for a bit less, but you'll get the same cheap hardware that their competitors use. What's wrong with that?!?

BTW, are you really whining about an eight-dollar difference in price? That's pretty sad...

Honestly, you just not getting the point...

1) You mentioned that you had to purchase a lock for you vision and neo cages...they were additions to your cage! The latches aren't additions, they are substitutes that shouldn't be a $8-12 option.

2) The same thing applies for their locks.

3) I'm not whining over $8-12. I'm stating what I find ridiculous. You may find it justified, which is fine. But you know I'm not the only one who finds it ridiculous. As stated before, I was excited to check out their product, but once I saw their pricing scheme it's obnoxious. In addition, it's the principal behind it.

I'm done with this thread...

Scheme? What scheme? You want the highest-quality hardware, you've got to pay for it. You don't want it? You can get the cage for a bit less, but you'll get the same cheap hardware that their competitors use. What's wrong with that?!?

Ok i would say that is a unfair opinion without asking what someone else uses as one of a FEW STANDARD style hinges when they provide a hinged door.With a Plexiglas door these are a few of the intended hinges we plan to use , we just havent decided which one to go with ALL of these are a poloymer hinge and rated for heavy use and run in range from $6-$12 each hinge

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poloypropolene hinge we are considering to use this would be mounted with black nylon bolts

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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

last hinge we are considering to use this is a nylon hinge this has "self positoing detents " to hold the dor at various open positons. we are still making our descision on the hinges to what will be the best look and function for the price. Also we will be offering for arboreal cages to have hinges for glass doors with locks available to those as well. we are making every effort to provide a diversified range of door options to suit the needs .

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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

"scheme" was not the correct word, but I don't agree with their pricing?n/p

Just thought I'd thank all of you for responding to my post. I've recieved a ton of good information from them. Also, the funny part is in my opinion of the best plastic cage was not one I had included in the competition (because I had not heard of Jungle Habitats before this post) but ultimately they seem the best for my needs. I'm a hobbyist who only needs 1 or 2 cages so breeders or people who are concerned about moving a cage a zillion times might care about weight and other things because they have different needs. Anyway, thank you again because I might have made a bad choice if not for this forum.

You might want to look into the BARRS cages a little further, I personally own quite a few and am very impressed with the quality. I like the fact that they are made from a different material than the other brands mentioned (styrene). Not to mention they have been around in the caging business longer. Their material does not yellow with time and is a better insulator (its like compressed styrofoam.) I have seen all of the brands mentioned and all are great cages- I just like the BARRS the best.

the hdpp & hdpp are UV stablized and 1/2 " thick so i can tell you they do insulate better the any thing made of 1/4" plastics. also they have a solid mass not ( foam core) they may weigh a lil more then 1/4" plastics but you cant expect a SUV to weigh the same as a compact car .. lol no offense
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....
Check out the new website at www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php