Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I presently have a Rhino rax from Boaphile. Does any one have any experience with the Animal plastics version as well to compare the two?

While I like the rhino Rax a few of the negatives have been:

While the sweater box size glides in and out nicely, when I remove the partition/columns to use the blanket box size( a nice concept by the way as your snakes age))some of the shelves sag a bit(not enough for an escape) but the blanket boxes drag and bind. Not at all smooth.(spilled water bowls and all).

When I was sliding the rack a few inches to position it, the rear bottom right side pulled out a bit from the groove and while the Boaphile folks got back to me in a timely fashion to help me,they suggested I whack it to get it back in the groove and I cracked the side panel a little. (still serviceable but a bit of a bummer)

Thanks for any help. BobS.

***Observations made on first generation racks from both companies and what I've heard about their most recent products.

The complaints you have with the Boaphile seem to be fairly common. They build with a pretty tight gap which causes these problems as far as I can tell.

The AP rack does have a larger gap and the boxes will slide better. With their first generation product the shelves would sag a bit and the levels were not secure enough for small colubrids. I have heard of Mandarin Ratsnakes escaping from them, for example.

I understand this has been resolved with their new version but have not seen one in person.

Only other comment on the AP racks is the weight - they are very heavy. I assume the Boaphile is still made of 1/4" HDPE so it should be half the weight of the AP. You should check that.

Lastly, the unassembled shipping of the AP is a very nice feature. Allows us to buy a 7 level rack which can't be shipped when assembled.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

n/m

I ahve had boaphile racks int the past and wouldent hit a dog in the butt with them.. I really like the animal plastics.. Like chris said I have alot of their larger cages for my female boas and there is no way I would pay the additional shipping for like a vision or what not.. Really nice to be able to break them down when not in use as well...
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies

n/m

Mine slid really smooth.. There is one of my ap racks that the second tub will stick on the slot for the heat rope... Thats about the only problem I have found with them.. And yeah they are pretty heavy...
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies

PVC (as in Rhino Rax) and polypropylene (as in AP racks) will flex. There isn't a whole lot that can be done to change that without making the rack more expensive. Because of this, rack mfgrs usually make a tight fit so that any flex will not result in an escape.

For boa constrictor and ball pythons, who cares if the gap is larger. I think Rhino Rax are sold with tight fits so that the colubrid market can use them too. He should make a less-tight-fit version for larger snakes.

Anyway, www.herpcages.com makes some excellent racks from a very rigid plastic, and their design is really innovative. PM Herps distributes them on the classifieds, or you can get them from herpcages.com. These racks hardly flex, and the boxes slide like butter. They feature under-box heat capability without snagging the Flexwatt, because the shelves are hollow. Awesome. The only other outfit that does this is .. oh now I forgot the name, but they make the best cages and racks out there, but they cost a fortune.. like double everyone else. Anyone know who I am speaking of?.. They use hollow-core PVC.
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Mark G

Thanks. I've glanced over at the herpcages white racks at some of the local shows. And to be honest the first thing I see is that $750.00 price tag and I move on.No insult intended, they must be good, I've seen other posts that are positive about them. They just don't "look" very sturdy and to put them together yourself.And install flexwatt etc.at that price.... What aspect of them warrants that price? I realize I'm ignorant about it and I don't mean any disrespect but it does warrant the honest question.At that price range the Freedom Breeders racks start coming into view and they look VERY nice and VERY well thought out.Thanks again.

Also, they come in 3-slot modules that easily fasten together to stack. Two 3-slot modules stacked gives 7 slots due to a spacer provided. Plenty sturdy for any snake. The breakdown feature makes moving them real easy. You can go 11-slots high if you wish.

The newer rack for larger Ball python boxes is $750. It is metal mostly.
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Mark G

Mark , Just wantedto clear up something in your last post .

"PVC (as in Rhino Rax)" these are made with 3/8 HDPE his regular racks are made with the PVCX aka Sintra.

And As you stated the PVC & HDPE does have a natural sag to it if you have to large a gap so there fore with racks you have to have a tight tolerance on the shelves normally myself i try to suit both needs and make a gap about 1/16" of a inch. But it also depends on the tub ( orientation of it front to back or sideways and the tub dims)double tub racks i use a divider to support the width of the long span of the shelf. I think you mentioned herpcage.com ( i think that was it hollow shelf racks) they are made with styrene i believe, which is in the acrylic family of plastics .
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....My Boa Can Kick Your Boas _ss!www.cheapcages.com

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edited sig file 2/8/05

I went to Boaphile's site.. and you are correct, the new racks - Rhino Racks - are indeed not PVCX. I have one of his older original PVCX racks. Thanks for catching the mistake.
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Mark G