Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am in the process of changing my old cages for new. I want plastics.
I was going to go with Boaphile,due to their ease of use with the belly heating, and the size they have because my burms need the biggest size there is.
However, I have seena ds for Monster Cages. HUGE!
I want something higher and deeper than Boaphiles,
they are only 18" high, and 24 deep.
I was hoping for 24 high, and 30 deep. At 8' long, the 6" depth difference is 4'sq. A big difference when a 15ft snake is coiled across it.
I want the height just for ease of reaching in, and display purposes.
Has anyone dealt with either one of these manufacturers? And if so, who do we prefer?
Or does anyone have any other ideas for a cage 8'L x30"D x24"H,
short of building my own?
I'm not even sure I like the heat tape thing, mainly because I have never used it. I use undertank heaters. This type of heat was another plus with Boaphile.
Suggestions?

Thanks
Bob

I'm not sure if I understand what you're getting regarding the under tank heaters used by Boaphile. I believe their UTH's are made from flexwatt sandwiched between pieces of PVCX.

From your post you seem to suggest that Boaphile uses something other than Flexwatt. I know for sure they used to use flexwatt for their UTH's but I'm not sure if they still do.

I stumbled across some comments on Monster Cages on one of the forums. I remember them being positive. I don't know how long they've been around, however, and long-term durability will be a primary concern with large plastic cages.

Does Monster Cages use 1/2" or 1/4" PVCX?

If I were to build a large PVC cage for a burmese I would probably go with 1/2" even though there is a significant weight penalty. That way the joints can be reinforced with screws or rivets. Much harder to do with the 1/4", IMO. But Boaphile and Monster Cages have much more practice at it than I do.

What are you mainly looking for from the plastic? Weight, ease of cleaning, long-term durability?

I just went to the classifieds and looked at an add from Monster Cages. They imply they use 1/4".

If it were me I'd probably by the knock-down 8' cage and then reinforce it myself. You can order 1"x1" PVC corner angle and solvent-weld it into all the corners. I say that not knowing exactly how they put the knock-down cages together. That might be overkill depending on their design.

But the corner angle will make the joint virtually indestructable. It essentially duplicates a surface to surface bond which is unbelievably strong with expanded PVC.

They also offer the option of custom dimensions which sounds like something you'd like.

Boaphile does the heat tape for me, sandwiched between layers. Belly heat like I'm used to having.I've no experience with heat tape at all, although I have better than average knowledge of electricity. I guess its that fear of the unknown.
I feel like a rookie at herps because I dont use heat tape.
I'm looking at plastics for ease of cleaning, longivity, and because I wont have to build tha cage myself.
I have the skills, I dont have the time.
I like the custom size thing from Monster Cages, and they're cages while looking more utilitarian, look stronger.

The owner is a regular poster on this forum. He thermal welds HDPE and will do custom work from what I understand.

The cage will be heavy, but it will fit your other criteria (cleaning, longevity). If weight were a significant concern I'd steer you towards the Monster Cages - the 1/4" PVCX is super light.

You might also see if any companies are in your area. Might save a lot on shipping.

Hey chris well i appreciate your kind words , but i must correct you .. lol at this time i am not thermal welding the hdpp mainly due to being able to break them down for shipping .
As to the flexwatt useage IMHO its a safe viable way to heat a cage , and i think you are right the UTH are simply a heat tape system byt i think they have a thicker coating on them .As far as the comparisons made i wont comment indepth on either but i will offer my opinions on the 1/4" pvcx materials .

PROS on PVCX:
Lightweight
easily moved

CONS on PVCX:
Lightweight ( a large snake could hook a tail and drag the cage when removed )

From cages i have seen depending on colors they stain easily
Brittle material if dropped ,banged can crack ( can be fixed with solvents)

On a cage over 24"deep you have to contend with saging /flexing binding of doors

on a cage that would be 8 ft long just ) mu thoughts) you would have to make sure that the surface it sits on would be totally flat/level or i would think the cage would bind doors or cause issues

PROS on 1/2HDPP:
Holds heat better then 1/4" materials

virtualy indestructable can be hit with a sledgehammer w/out fear of cracking it but may make a mark on it

easily cleans and doesnt stain

larger & deeper cages are more stable

can be shipped flat to save on shipping

can be dissaseembled for moving or storage or resell

CONS of 1/2"hdpp:
Heavier then 1/4 materials

Shipping is a little more

Cages are heavier due to materials used

As with anything with cages there are pros & cons of all materials used in todays cage market and methods to build them.what you have to look at IMHO is the longterm useage of the cage , the animals in them and enviroment they will be subjected to Burms etc can deposit HUGEamounts of urinates that can as stated cause staining on on PVC materials .

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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....Creating better ideas today then the day before while i dont claim to have invented the wheel... im just making that wheel roll a little better ... Edit this !www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

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edited signature file to remove advertising slogan. Please update accordingly. [phw 3/25/04]

Looks like the King Cage has been added to the list of finalists.
But why $100 for the glass? Is glass less expensive here in CT.
And local pickup 10 hours away...well...hmmm
3/4 ton pickup, 9mpg...1.99 per gal.
900 miles.And a couple of days off from work.
I think shipping is the option for me, unless you are at the WhitePlains NY shows
I like the dimensions, the price is right in line with the others, I like the 1/2 material.
When ordering time comes, I'll have to discuss options.
I will also need 2, 6' cages.
Also...I have aJCP in an 80 glass tank...he needs the height.
Weight is under 100 lbs...can this be put atop one of these heavyweight units?

the reason for the glass charge is that the glass itself is not cheap on a large cage i wont use anything less the 1/4" tempered/safety glass. Then when it comes to shipping glass 18"x48" or 24"x48" ... well to be honest its like walkinginto a bears den with raw meat in ur hand lol so the glass is crated insulated with foam packing bubblewrap & packing peanuts to be shipped seperate from the cage itself i reccomend to get glass local on a large unit as the shipping of the glass itself at 3.0lbs per sf on a 2x4 pc of glass times 2 is around 50lbs so by the time shipping is paid and crating is paid they ussaly break even on a local glass cost even if its expensive in the location you are in ..

As for any more questions you have Burmaboy as to not violate TOS contact me via email thanks .
Alan
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....Creating better ideas today then the day before while i dont claim to have invented the wheel... im just making that wheel roll a little better ... Edit this !www.junglehabitats.com and www.junglehabitats.com/forums/portal.php

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edited signature file to remove advertising slogan. Please update accordingly. [phw 3/25/04]

Your comparisons of HDPE to PVCX is what I would have assumed. Nice to hear them from someone with experience, though.

A friend of mine has a PVCX cage on top of a large stack of other cages. I was helping him clean and pulled out a normal sized Jungle Carpet Python. I had the snake 2/3 out and it started to pull the cage off of the rack even though I had stopped pulling. It was a squirrely situation given I was standing on a short ladder. Definately someting one should prepare for with any light cage.