Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I've finally decided it's time to step up and buy the 4 foot long cages, now I just need to decide between a stack of Boaphile or Vision. The models I'm looking at are the Boaphile 421 and the Vision 400. Both offer the dimensions I'm looking for but I still want to know what other herpers have experienced using these two specific types of cages.

I can't tell if the Boaphile cages are ventilated from the pictures....are they? What's the best heat option to go with if you keep your collection in the house w/ ambient temps in the winter at 68-70 and in the summer at 75-78?

One major concern of mine with either cage is that the snakes don't have the option of rubbing their nose up against something sharp.

Thanks....and my pit collection thanks you too

Russ Bates

Hey Russ, I own a few Boaphiles...the 3 footers. I do like them but in my opinion they're not perfect. The ventilation is about a 1 eigth of an inch space around the perimeter of the glass door, there's no other holes in the entire cage. They claim that if you do the math and convert the measurements into a square if basically equals a small window....of maybe a few inches or so? I feel this affects the heat gradient bigtime. In other words if the hot side is 82, the far side seems to be 81 or 80. That is unless your snake room is downright cold...then I am sure it is different but I had to mention that. I also found that mold[not much just a super thin spotty film can develop on the roof of the cage. Be it from being above the water dish....or from a huge Pituophis poop....or even during breeding season when things can get sloppy. I chose black so I was pretty pissed when i shined a light in there and noticed it....which I also associate with less ventilation than I prefer. The cage is good for a non nose rub environment....only the backs of the screws that hold the door on pose any sort of threat and theyre rounded off. Matter of fact even during nest searching behavior form the females who cruise the cage along the entire perimeter never got a scratch. All in all I would buy more. I do feel opening the cage daily helps...even if it's only to fan some fresh air inside with your hand. I do feel if there was maybe some ventilation on the sides it would make a difference, I may put some holes on the side with no heat as an experiment this year. They're light and easy to clean. I had never used a cage without a removeable lid so I overlooked that thin layer of mildew or whatever it was. When your snake leaves a pile of you know what in there....it is really inhaling the cooties so to speak. When you open the door it is like WHOA!....So I feel there's a little more maintenance for that type of cage. Also think twice about having lights in them. I have had mine a year and put the lights on a few times to maybe check for eggs or something....the snakes seem to like the low light effect of only allowing the light from your room to come in through the door as opposed to the very [to a snake anyways] bright light from inside the cage. I love the hot spot and also the fire proof construction. You can also score the Thermostat cheaper than they offer it elsewhere but it is a great unit. Keep in mind though if you buy X amount of dollars worth they offer discounts so in that case you pay a little LESS for the thermostat. I liked the stackable design...and to sum it up there's only a little extra maintenece involved when using them. But the price,,and the floorspace for your snake will make both of you happy. I can see why they're popular. I was just bringin up a few points....I do feel they're good cages. The ventilation issue would not bother me if I were going away for a week or something....I would like to hear about the Visions. I am sure someone will chime in. Tom Stevens

I thought you had mentioned you got some boaphile cages in a preivous email. Sorry to hear about the mold and considering the intended type of snake I plan to use the cages for...humidity would not be a good thing.

Russ

Russ,

I have not used the Boaphile cages but he has a very good reputation, I can say only good things about the vision and Neodesha cages we work with I have them in 3', 4', 5', & 6' models and the neodesha's are over 7 years old and the visions are about 5 with no problems or complaints at all. I think the boaphile cages are a little more expensive also.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms
Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

from the pics on the website it doesn't look like the unit will sit flush if you put heat mats between them. What's your experience and how are you heating the vision cages you are using?
Thanks,
Russ

We heat the entire room to a constant 78 in one building and 84 in the other but for some of the animals we need more heat. In those cases we use 2 1X4 boards cut the length of the cage and place a heating pad or heat mat under the cages all the way up the stack. It works well and gives a hot spot for boas etc. on low or will raise the temps depending on the cage size 8 - 20 degrees on high.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms
Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

I had that problem with UTHs on my visions. The heaters included rubber stick ons to lift the cage slightly, I dont know if I like this but oh well. The bottom is not flat, so there is a spot where the UTH is not affixed to the cage. I decided I did not like this and now Im going to get models with heat lamp shrouds, but Im worried that the heat from the light may melt the plastic. I use a heat lamp off to the side of my cages to provide a little extra heat and some light, as it is kind of dim in the cages.

Just my preference. If you think you need more ventilation just drill some holes in a pattern near the top on one of the sides (cool side.) That way, as the warm air in the cage rises and exits the holes, fresh air will be drawn in the bottom gap of the door.

Russ................I am totally satisfied with my Boaphile 421's. That said, I drilled ventilation holes on one side of each cage, because that air gap around the front door that provides ventilation kept the humidity too high for my tastes. Pay for the upgraded hinges and latches. They add a quality touch. Also, that fluorescent cabinet light that Boaphile uses is the trimmest that I've seen. The bulb that comes with the light is OK, but you can order a cool bulb from the manufacturer that puts out a much nicer tint. I'd like to see the manufacturer come out with a grow-lux like tint to really show off the colors of my jani. The only drawback to these lights are that they use a proprietary bulb. I had one of those cool bulbs burn out before the advertised hourly guarantee, and when I called the manufacturer for a replacement, they sent me two at no charge. How's that for keeping a customer satisfied. I'm getting ready to order a couple more 421's.............regards..............Steve G.

When you drilled your cages did they crack at all? How big are the holes and did it make a huge difference? I brought some points up to go into detail what he may expect[Russ that is] but I do like mine and will buy more someday. Thanks Tom

Tom..........That expanded pvc is very easy to drill. I cut a piece of pegboard slightly smaller than the side of the cage to use as a template. Off the top of my head, I'd say the holes are 3/16". No problems with cracking whatsoever.

,

I was really concerned about the humidity issue and really didn't want to fork out $1000 bucks only to have to field modify the cage after I received it. The Vision does offer more access for free flowing air/ventilation and the sliding doors which I personally like compared to Boaphiles.

The only thing that concerns me is heating the 400s but I'm sure I'll resolve that just as soon as I get them. Hopefully my snakes will be moving into their new townhomes in the next two weeks.

I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences with both of these models. It's great to have a community to use as a sounding board prior to spending a chunk of change and hearing actual live / trustworthy feedback/recommendations.

Best of luck
P.S. Steve your Jani are awesome. Next time I'm headed down to Stuart I'll call in advance and maybe I can relieve you of a pair of those

Russ Bates