Animal Plastics or Moonstruck Exotics Cages???

I plan to purchase a 6' Moonstruck or Animal Plastics cage. From the folks that have had experience with both, I need to know which one holds humidity the best. Moonstruck or Animal Plastics? Any and all replies will be appreciated.

Thank you.

David Rivers

The people at Moonstruck were very nice in answering my queries. They seem to make a nice cage.

You might wanna check out Boaphile, too. I understand that they make the best cages for large snakes. Period.

BARRS cages are also nice - I just bought 5 small ones from them. I am not sure about their large ones, though. Their service is excellent, too.

trust me you wont be sorry you did .... with that ill let the product tell the rest.

AP has some of the best customer service in the biz..Even when the owner had a death in the family they still were there to answer my questions. Now that devotion.
-Matt Graybeal

I guess you can tell I love these things. Great service, great cage and really GREEEEEAAAAAAT price. Ok maybe I am biased.

I inquired about the cages then I ordered 2 of them. I wanted to test drive them for awhile before I ordered more. One cage was going to have a divider installed. I sent money via Pay pal on Oct. 19 2003. After Moonstruck Exotics received my payment they said the would contact me on the progress. I inquired a few times after the 3 weeks time had elapsed. I was having a few e-mail issues (sometimes taking several days to receive e-mails) so it didn’t concern me that hadn’t heard from them.

I sent Neil and Lisa an e-mail on Nov. 21 asking if they had been sent and if so could I have the tracking number. Moonstruck sent a reply on Nov. 24 “I am switching to ups for my shipping ( from fedex) way to many losses. Ups is saying they will be better(we will see!) They have to come by and inspect my packaging for credit on a damage claim. Sorry for all of the delays, but will next week work?” I said next week would be great. I inquired again on Dec. 4 2003 about the cage status. They sent this response “Charles, one cage went out yesterday Ups tracking# 1zy71f450399182054 The one with the divider is going out monday...Thanks again for your patience.”

I didn’t receive my first cage till Dec. 16 2003. The cage had brown box tape on it which when removed left brown adhesive on the cage. Not a serious problem. It was also missing the heat tape (double checked their Kingsnake ad to make sure I wasn’t mistaken about it coming with heat tape). I e-mailed about my concerns. They responded the same day “Hi Chuck, I am sorry for the tape sticking. I tried a new kind, and apparently it’s not the one I want to use.Try a little rubbing alcohol on it, but make sure not to get any on the doors!! It will cloud them up. My heat just arrived yesterday, so I will send heat, cords and clips with the divider cage, which will go out thursday at the latest. Sorry for all these delays, I am ready to pull my hair out with all these problems, but it is getting much better (growing pains I guess) If you need other cages in the future, I will make sure it goes a lot smoother, and I will give you a discount for the trouble.” As of Dec. 28 2003 I am still waiting on the divided cage and the heat tape for the first cage.

Email received on Dec. 29, “Chuck, I will have a tracking# tomorrow for you. I feel horrible for the delay. Is there anything I can do to make things better for you? Do you need a thermostat for the cages? I have an extra, nothing high dollar , but one that would get you by? I didn’t forget about the other heat panel. Neil and Lisa Marie Moonstruck Exotics constrictor cages. I told them the thermostat would be appreciated.

Email I go on Jan. 3, “Chuck, just so you know. the heat for the cage you have now is taped to the bottom of the cage you are receiving, It is taoed with masking tape, so be carefull removing. Also included are clips,cords, and clear dowell pins (for stacking). I am shipping the thermostat separately, because I don't want it damaged. BTW, I used masking tape, so you should have no residue!!!”
thanks
Neil and Lisa Marie
Moonstruck Exotics
constrictor cages

Finally received my divided cage on Jan. 9 2004. With it was the heat tape for the first cage. There was a cracked corner right by the door.

The cages themselves are of ok construction. It would be nice to have a knob or something on the doors so you could open them (have to use the key to open). I wouldn’t have a problem doing more business with them if they could guarantee delivery times. Luckily I wasn’t in a real hurry to get these.

As of Jan 19 I am still waiting on my thermostat and glue to fix the cracked cage.

If your in a hurry to get new cages you might want to shop elsewhere.

After reading this thread I will NEVER purchase a cage from Moonstruck. EVER! There is absolutely no excuse to do business like this. If you cant deliver a quality product in a reasonable time frame, then DO NOT ADVERTIZE. PERIOD! Thank God for the BOI.

Mike

For my money, AP cages are the finest choice for large constrictors on the market today at a price point to be beat and there simply isn't better customer service to be had anywhere (and I can't stress that enough). They are far and away the strongest cages out there, virtually stain-proof, collapsible, conduct heat very evenly, and stack extremely tightly (no need of a rack).

As an aside, from everything I’ve read and from friends that have them – AP racks are the racks to beat in their market share. I’ll soon find out for myself…

For smaller snakes the criteria for which cage solution to choose is a bit different, though AP’s are still my choice, even then. I’ve used Barr’s (nice arboreal cages), Visions, Neos, and I attempted to get Boaphile cages at one time - but do to poor customer service, that never happened (and I’m now glad). Though I’ve never used Moonstruck personally, but I am familiar with their cage construction and it’s already been done; they are just a bit cheaper than like models from other manufacturers.

Did I mention the AP customer service

Randy May

I am not putting down any of the other companies, only tell you about what I have. I bought an animal plastics rack a few months ago and it works great. The customer service was wonderful and you can't beat their prices for the product you receive. I highly recommend them. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Steven Aguilar

I prefer, and would recommend Animal Plastics over any other cage currently on the market. Moonstruck cages also seem to be quality cages but here are some of the reasons I prefer AP cages:

1. They use half inch thick plastic, which has incredible insulating properties and holds humidity very well
2. The cage doors close by actually insetting into the front, creating a tight seal and making them virtually escape proof.
3. AP cages use an FDA approved plastic that is very easy to clean
4. I absolutely love the integrated radiant heat system, which I believe is the safest belly heat offered.
5. The prices are very reasonable and the shipping costs are incredibly low.
6. They are stackable without the need of a rack and don’t have the sagging problem other cages have.
7. I also think the look great – very professional looking.
8. Their customer service is incredible
9. The turnaround time on orders is usually less than 2 weeks

Again, you will likely be happy with either as they are both professional grade cages, but in my opinion Animal Plastics cages are the way to go