Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello there,

I am hoping for some insight. Currently I house my snakes in the 4’ boaphile plastic cages. I have a boa constrictor, 3 blood pythons, and 3 ball pythons. If I remember correctly, they are 11.5” high.

The cages are mostly what I wanted: they’re aesthetically pleasing, lightweight, easy to heat, stackable, and clean up isn’t that much of a problem (it would be nice if I ordered the taller ones though, so that I could reach all the way in the back more easily).

However, I wish the ventilation was better as the heat and moisture builds up too quickly, causing fungus if I’m away for a week. I’d also like to start housing them in more naturalistic setups, which may require UV lights.

Glass vivariums don’t readily stack, melamine ones are too heavy, so I was thinking of biting the bullet and replacing the boaphile plastics caging with Vision cages. (Unless someone knows of a better solution?) Does anyone have experience with them? Do they allow proper ventilation? Would keeping a bio active substrate be difficult- or rather, are the bottoms deep enough to accommodate a 2-3” thick layer of substrate?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jackie

Boaphile cages are made from expanded PVC. This is likely the easiest plastic to work with. It cuts nicely, and you can glue pieces with ordinary PVC cement from the hardware plumbing section. Point is, you can drill ventilation holes or cut out a small panel and rivet screen for more ventilation. You don't need to buy different cages.

For the best holes ever, use a Uni-Bit.

Mark

>>Hello there,
>>
>>I am hoping for some insight. Currently I house my snakes in the 4’ boaphile plastic cages. I have a boa constrictor, 3 blood pythons, and 3 ball pythons. If I remember correctly, they are 11.5” high.
>>
>>The cages are mostly what I wanted: they’re aesthetically pleasing, lightweight, easy to heat, stackable, and clean up isn’t that much of a problem (it would be nice if I ordered the taller ones though, so that I could reach all the way in the back more easily).
>>
>>However, I wish the ventilation was better as the heat and moisture builds up too quickly, causing fungus if I’m away for a week. I’d also like to start housing them in more naturalistic setups, which may require UV lights.
>>
>>Glass vivariums don’t readily stack, melamine ones are too heavy, so I was thinking of biting the bullet and replacing the boaphile plastics caging with Vision cages. (Unless someone knows of a better solution?) Does anyone have experience with them? Do they allow proper ventilation? Would keeping a bio active substrate be difficult- or rather, are the bottoms deep enough to accommodate a 2-3” thick layer of substrate?
>>
>>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Jackie
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Mark G

"Sweaterboxes are boring"

np

For as much as this Forum likes to banter back and forth regarding which manufacture is better its good to see some constructive critisism.
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

No Cage is perfect.That being said:

I happen to like the Vision cages, the simplicity and ruggedness of the one peice construction appeals to me.

I like the #400 cage. It is 4' long x 26" deep and 14" high. I wish it were a little taller but at least it doesn't have that ugly middle support like alot of their other large cages.

Ventilation is very good without home made mods and you can cover some of the ventilation area if you need to.

Lighting is simple, you just lay an aquarium flr. fixture on top of the vent and it's nicely sheilded so you don't get nasty eye glare when checking on your animals

The granite/ grey color is sort of neutral and looks good.

The plastic cleans up very well/easily. Although I am considering a bead of aquarium sealant under the front dam to eliminate crud.

Litter dam is 2" allowing for some bedding but for a naturalistic set up I would consider on of their taller models.

I think it's big bang for the buck for all that floor space at a reasonable cost. there are a number of others. All have their drawbacks, such as cost, weight and ease of maintenance. I like them.Maybe you should get one to check them out before going the whole route. Good luck>

Bob Stranzenbach.

I forgot to mention that I like the glass, which is lockable ( and a good idea for the calm of the people that know you keep animals, as well as preventing escapes) because it doesn't scratch like plastic will.

I do think that the black cages may offer a more calming effect for your snakes though mine seem fine as long as they have some good secure feeling hides.

All in all very proffessonal and smart looking in my oinion and I think they should last a long time.

Thanks so much for the opinions. I think as a quick solution to the ventilation problem I will be drilling holes into the black cages. (& thanks for the UNIBIT suggestion, I will definitely be looking for it)

I forgot just one last thing, has anyone experienced any warping with the visions?

Thanks for the opinions on the vision, I will definitely be looking for one to get hands-on with.

Also, anybody see those other molded plastic cages?? I saw them at the last IRBA show I went to in Pomona and never could find a person to ask who they were made by. I remember they came in different colors, and looked almost formal with crown-molding kind of edges. They looked like someone's spin off of a vision cage.

Thanks!
-Jackie

You can find a UNI-BIT drill bit at Home Depot. The cages you are thinking of are Showcase cages. They are on Kingsnke. Good luck.

I went IRBA in Pomona as well I think they were Showcase Cages.
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

Ok who is using the Showcase Cages? I wish I had seen these before! I have made a few mods to my Vision 221 and this would have been a much easier cage out of the box for me. I'd be interested in a long term use opinion of them for my future projects.

No experience with The Showcase cages here. I do seem to remember someone posting about not liking the lighting(?).

They look like a close, possibly refined version of the Visions. I did check out the site and they seemed more expensive than the comprable #400 Vision, and while taller, the glass did not seem much higher. I'd also be interested in hearing from someone who has them. Animal Plastics also look good with the option of a swing down door if you like (again plastic that will scratch). Lots of good options out there, I just happen to like the Visions. good luck with whatever you go with.

Yes, It was the showcase cages I saw. Personally, I was on the fence about them. The lighting, while easy to get to in this design, seems to take up a lot of interior space (though it doesn't look too bad in the pictures, probably due to the angle).

While I only liked one color out of the three, I liked the fact they had exterior molding. Gives it a more finished look, almost like furniture.

I'm really glad to see there is someone else out there making molded plastic caging, though.

Thanks for the input!