Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am the owner of an African grey parrot and have two baby ball pyhtons. What kind of caging is the most secure to keep them in for the safety of my birds. They are small now but I nned to know the best type of secure caging for adults. How strong does the cage need to be to keep them in. I would be really devastated if due to my lack of knowledge something happened to either the bird or snake. I have cats too so the snakes really have to stay in their enclosure for their own safety also.

since you dont have much there's no need for a rack....how about a nice vision cage?? you can grab that new boa one for 200 i believe & i think they either come with a locking front glass sliding window or you can add it as an extra option for a couple more bucks.. sorry i dont know for certain but I have too many snakes to go without rack type units. in all honesty something like that's prob a reallt good move... or you can build your own out of melamine or something if you want to spend a little less.

What should the cage dimensions be for an adult ball python.
Actually a rack is sounding good to me because I have some young corn snakes too that will be breeding next year. They are all in a store fixture that was given to me 2when a pet store closed it's doors but is really for younger snakes and I need to make a rack that will hold bigger snakes.
Also I am using light bulbs now but want to heat the cages with heat tape. I know nothing about how to use or set it up but would like to learn. Is there a good site with instructions on how to use it and set it up. Also do you need a thermostat with it?
Otherwise I am pretty handy when it comes to building things and have lots of tools since I own a frame shop. Is there a site for how to work with the pvc. I am interested in learning how to build those types of cages and where to get the materials. They would be cool for my other herps too.
PS I love your user name!

k well then some type of rack idea dfoesn't sound bad at all

here's a link to a common homemade rack that i have seen many people recommend for do it yourself...
http://www.dozierstudio.com/ladderrack.html

you can also buy pre-made racks but to be honest I after purchasing a level i feel it's worth it to build it yourself .. the amount of money you spend on one level for 3 snakes through a rack dealer is usually the same amount of money it costs you to build a 10 container rack if you click on the pic of the container label it will give you the specs (WxLxD) of the container size. anything you build i would not use less than that...so that size or bigger is acceptable for adult ball pythons

It kind of scares me a bit that they just slide in and out with no lids.
Should I put some kind of safety latch to keep the tubs securely in. I can build something like that really easily.
Thanks so much for the information! I am not too sure how to do the wiring but I am sure I can ask whoever I buy it from how it works. It seems to just clip in place.

i will have to honestly say yes I have had a snake escape from a piece of garabage i made before I knew what i was doing..lol but that was totally me not building it right... I have purchased 1 level from freedom breeder at a show & nothing has escaped that. sometimes the tubs would come off track but sliding it out & in again easily corrected that... from one such as that design suggest it should be completely escape proof but if you want to throw locks on there for extra security it doesn't sound like a bad idea. in order for the snake to get out of that it seems they would have to somehow anchor their body at the front end of the tub & somehow grip the ceiling & push away with it's body & I just dont think the snake would be capable of that. if your cats or birds are really good at gettin into things then i would def put locks for the safety of the snakes. the wiring I believe is explained somwhere on that site...if not try the forum for caging i have seen wiring demonstations there before.

hey there what happened that some of this thread got taken off??