Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a small collection and a limited budget - about $400-$600 to spend. All of my scale babies need an upgrade in space as well as cage quality - I have an adult female BP, an adult female Savu python, and a baby Brazilian Rainbow Boa. I need something that will allow room for growth as well as maintaining good humidity for my BRB. Would it be best to get Vision cages, Boaphile, or have something custom-made? They don't have to be fancy, I just want have my snakes' needs met. Currently the BP and Savu are housed in locking screen-top aquaria with overhead heat and the BRB in a modified gecko aquarium. I'm afraid to spend a big chunk of change on something that won't work out, and I want to upgrade the heating and lighting as well as thermostats and gauges. It would also be nice to have a set-up that will allow for add-ons later. I've looked into a few different types of cages, but I'm just not sure which would be best! Any opinions and feedback are appreciated!

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~Cynthia

Cynthia,there are alot of good cages out there, everyone has his or hers favorites, google reptile cages and review the links. I have vision and overall they seem to work for me but they are expensive as most cages are. Hope this helps. Clark

I've done plenty of googling - not very helpful since of course the brands aren't going to tell you what their shortcomings are. I'll probably end up with something custom, just wanted to see if anyone had any specific advice.
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~Cynthia

Assuming your collection is what it is and will not grow too large on you I would recommend using caging by Repti-Racks. They are economical to purchase and you can stack them easily enough. They hold humidity very well and you can easily heat them using belly heat i.e. flexwat or uth with a thermostat.

For cages, I personally use some from Vision, Repti-Racks, and some melamine type. They are all good and have their cons as well. It really just depends on the type of animals being housed.

The visions will not hold the humidity as much for you, the melamine types are great but heavy and can be costly unless you can find some used locally. The Repti-Racks may hold too much humidity and more air holes may need to be applied. They come completely fabricated though and are very light weight.

If your collection is going to grow as they tend to do then you may consider a rack.

Hope this helps a little. Best of luck!

Thank you, that definitely helps! Unless I can finally get the husband interested, it's unlikely that I'll have too many more animals joining me (I've almost got him into black bloods, cross your fingers!). Sounds like maybe Vision for my bp and Savu and repti-rack for the boa. Good deal, and I know I can pick up the Vision tanks locally.
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~Cynthia

Cynthia,
It basically comes down to materials science really. The manufacturing on Boaphile, Repti-Racks, Northwest Constrictors, etc is top notch - no worries there. You can drop Visions from a truck and they'll survive. Again, no worries on quality. Any cage will work.

It is all about material.

For example, the closed cell plastic on Boaphiles tends to hold in heat just a bit better than cages made from harder plastic. And the doors are plastic, not glass, which helps there too. So if your room is cold, a Boaphile cage is a good choice compared to say a Vision when keeping warm-climate reptiles. And the integrated heating option is very nice - better than taping on your own Flexwatt.

I own Repti-Racks cages too, and they are great as well. I really like the various sizes they offer.

I own Visions. I do like glass doors alot. The drawback for a cold room is that glass loses heat. Again, for a boa, if the room temp is cold, it takes more heating on a Vision. I deal with it but it is a fact nonetheless. I can buy Visions locally with no shipping, so that is what led me to have them.

So all of the cages can meet the needs of the snakes. You may have to adjust heating depending on your ambient conditions for particular species, but that is part of the fun of this hobby.
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Mark

Thank you Mark! I live in San Diego, so no extreme temps to worry about. I'm leaning toward Critter Condos at the moment, they seem to be the best fit for my budget and space requirements
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~Cynthia