Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I am a bit overwhelmed at all of the different PVC/Plastic cages on the market.

Neodesha, Vision, Boaphile, Animal Plastics and BoaMaster.

I am looking for cages that I can run heat tape underneath the enclosure, stackable, lights weight and have more than adequate visibility for viewing.

In the past I owned the melamine Enclosures but they were to heavy and required electrical wiring inside the cage if you stacked them. (Not a fan of that)

Any suggestions?

What are the pros using in their rooms?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Eric W.

For my smaller snakes I use Doug Barr's cages. www.herpcages.com
Doug is great to deal with and he designs and crafts wonderful cages. They are light, durable, stackable, and hold heat and humidity very well. Good visibility also and nice prices. He mainly builds cages with one large swing down door.

For my larger snakes that have an aggressive feeding response, retics, BCC boas, etc, I use Vision cages as I require dual, sliding tempered glass doors. The Visions are built like a tank and hold their resale value well. The Vision cages stack well and I have no issue heating them with Exoterra heat pads. They are one piece solid construction and heavier than most commercial plastic cages but much lighter than wood or melamine. Vision cages are not the best for holding humidity. I cover the vents with plexiglass to solve that. Some complain that the stacking index ribs on the cage floor interfere with cleaning but that is no problem for me. Animal Plastics are said to be good but I have no experience with them. It all depends on what reptiles you keep but even with their quirks I feel Vision is the best cages made. Bill
-----
...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

Thank you for the detailed response Bill.

It seems push come to shove Vision is at the top of everyone's list.

The dual door feature will definitely work nicely for me.

I worked with other cages in the past and wound up regretting my decision hence all of my questions/concerns.

I appreciate all of your advice.

Thank you,

Eric

I have to strongly suggest Boaphiles.

I use Boaphile cages and racks... love them.

Pros:
They come built and have heat already installed.
They look fantastic
The cages hold humidity very well.
viewing is top notch.
The are designed/built by a serious snake keeper/breeder that uses them for his snakes... you know they are quality.

Cons:
the black plastic does get stained by urates... some complain of them holding odor, but i've yet to see that problem, though I do take periodic cleaning seriously.

Thank you for your feedback.

I had similar issues with other cages in the past (staining etc.)

Became a big turn off for me.

It eventually will be a large investment...doing as much diligence as possible.

Thank you,

Eric

What kind of snakes? Is the room somewhat warm?

Do you prefer glass doors (double, sliding) or drop down doors (acrylic)?

The PVC cages are very similar in function because the material is the same. Specific features may be different, but the performance is similar. PVC cage mfgrs include:
> Dragons4You
> Boaphile
> Animal Plastics
> Boamaster

PVC cages are light-weight and stackable. They hold heat well. You can get slider doors on some models if desired. Corners are not rounded. If you drop a cage and crack a panel, it can be repaired with a piece of expanded PVC and regular old PVC glue.

Vision cages are polyethylene and/or probably polypropylene. Since that material cannot be glued, the cages are molded, and this means round corners making cleaning easy. Urates will not stick to the plastic very well, again meaning easy cleaning. The cages are indestructable for the most part. However, this material does not hold heat as well, and the glass doors don't help in that regard. If you are housing big constrictors in a cold room, consider this property. Otherwise, no problem. I like Visions as well. From a performance standpoint, these cages are some of the best.

Neodesha cages are made from ABS. ABS is a very good cage material. These cages are molded as well, meaning round corners. I believe they only have one stackable size at the moment? It is a nice cage, and it allows fluorescent lights between stacked cages. I have some Neos that are 10 yrs old and look great. I love the round corners and glass doors.

All of the above cages are functional! My personal favorites are Neos (I like the original non-stack design) and Visions. I bought a cheap wire shelf from Target and have a 2ft Neo on each shelf. Love that setup. Heat tape on the wire shelf works better than anything.

Thank you very much for your detailed response.

I am going to be housing L. Hoserae.

Since they have such a strong feeding response I am favoring the sliding two door option.

Based on my recent research and what you have concluded in your response I am favoring the Vision Cages. I cut corners on cages in the past and regretted the decision.

Not having corners is a big plus for me.

Again I appreciate your response.

Forking out the extra money seems to be the smart move.

Thank you,

Eric

Those pythons are neat. I see why double doors can be a benefit. Visions will work well for you.

I will add - if you were keeping venemous or have a particularly angry snake, Neodesha cages - especially the non-stack ones - afford you the best visibility and maneuverability with no obstacles. Visions have lips inside the cage, and a snake can roost on the top lip above the door sight unseen and nail you when you stick your hand in. Just never keep a hot in a Vision and blindly stick an arm in there.

I have a mean little Mexican boa that I moved to a rack because of his over the top defensive attitude. The only other cage where I can completely see his every move before going in is a Neodesha. I love boas, but mean boas suck.