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New boa cage, advice and opinions

E

EPTSchris

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I'm getting ready to move my 5 month albino female boa from a iris 41 qt. tub to a 4 ft plastic cage that will hopefully last her a few years. I recently put a wanted ad on craigslist, hoping to save on shipping costs, without much luck. So I'm getting ready to buy a new cage. I've narrowed it down to three. The repti rack model for around 183 shipped, the animal plastic t8 on sale and quick ship item for 195 shipped, and the boaphile 421 for 209 shipped. The repti rack and boaphile have the one big drop down door and the t8 has the sliding glass doors. I'm just looking for other peoples experiences with these cages, pros and cons, and some experience/preferences for the door types, as well as color too. I've read the white cages have a more natural light cycle but stain easy? and the black IMO look better but don't do as good of a job creating a natural light cycle. Any help, advice, opinions much appreciated to make my decision easier. Thanks!
 
I own boaphiles and Repti rack cages. I like them both but If I had to choose one it would be repti rack. Nothing against the boaphile they both work great I just prefer the repti rack. Also, my boaphiles are gray and not black. As of now neither have failed me.

As for putting a 5 month old boa in a 4ft cage, I once put a yearling boa (3.5 ft) in a 4ft cage and she went off feed for a while. To much space can stress them out. My big boas all sit in the hide box in the corner of the cage. They love the security. I'm not saying keep the boa in the 41qt tub forever by anymeans i'm just saying I wouldn't rush into the four footer yet.
 
I have Neodeshas, Animal Plastics, Boaphiles, and RBI cages (link below) and to be honest, I wish Neodesha still made their rectangular ones. They are by far my favorite. I'm happy with my Animal Plastics cages, never had any issues with them. I really like the RBI's I have. They work great, and are reasonably priced, and Rich is a great guy to do business with too. And they're well made. I like my Boaphiles, but I don't like that they don't ventilate well. I'm going to have to remedy that by making some slots in the sides.

$250 shipped from RBI...
http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x4-cage-with_permanent-divider.html
 
I see what your saying about moving her in too soon. She has such a strong feeding response, the thought of her not eating never crossed my mind, but I'm not doubting you and don't want to risk anything so I will wait a while before I move her. As for the cage purchase, I still plan on buying one now while I have the extra money. Who knows what kind of other projects I'll have around the house when the weather gets nice. I'll just set it in the basement and I'll have it when I'm ready...
I like those reptile basic ones as well, defiantly will have to add that to the consideration list.
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.
 
No problem. Like I said it could have just been my boa but I know they love security. Also, about what Richard said, I dont own any of reptile basics 4ft cages but I own a rack and have gotten many tstats and heat panels and other misc reptile supplies from him. He is great to deal with.
 
Hey Chris, I saw this post today but had an exam at 5 so couldn't further elaborate. I just finished paying for my cage this week. Ed was nice enough to allow me to pay in 3 increments (college student money is tight :) ). I looked at R-R, AP, and NW. I did not look at Boaphiles (don't like their design) and seemed overpriced. AP was well designed and looked clean but I heard few accounts of bending/bowing. Also as a college student I don't have power tools to put the cage together. R-R was second choice and almost went with them, the prices are great and more importantly cages look so clean. Plus, on a recent "BadGuy" thread R-R proved themselves with great character and exceptional customer service. I also had an opportunity to talk to them via emails and they always responded within 24hrs but most of time a lot sooner. The only downside for me personally I can not take it apart. As a college student I move around every year so I need a cage I can break down. On another forum I ran into Ed. We started talking about his cage. His cage is a modular design so it only takes 6 screws to build the cage. Plus the material is a lot better that both AP and R-R. Ed was nice enough to answer all my question and work with me to build a customize size cage (48x30x20) for an AWESOME price(shipped). I hope this helps in your search for a new cage, hopefully I'll receive mine in few weeks and I'll post some pics up. Good luck bud.
 
Payara said:
Hey Chris, I saw this post today but had an exam at 5 so couldn't further elaborate. I just finished paying for my cage this week. Ed was nice enough to allow me to pay in 3 increments (college student money is tight :) ). I looked at R-R, AP, and NW. I did not look at Boaphiles (don't like their design) and seemed overpriced. AP was well designed and looked clean but I heard few accounts of bending/bowing. Also as a college student I don't have power tools to put the cage together. R-R was second choice and almost went with them, the prices are great and more importantly cages look so clean. Plus, on a recent "BadGuy" thread R-R proved themselves with great character and exceptional customer service. I also had an opportunity to talk to them via emails and they always responded within 24hrs but most of time a lot sooner. The only downside for me personally I can not take it apart. As a college student I move around every year so I need a cage I can break down. On another forum I ran into Ed. We started talking about his cage. His cage is a modular design so it only takes 6 screws to build the cage. Plus the material is a lot better that both AP and R-R. Ed was nice enough to answer all my question and work with me to build a customize size cage (48x30x20) for an AWESOME price(shipped). I hope this helps in your search for a new cage, hopefully I'll receive mine in few weeks and I'll post some pics up. Good luck bud.
Click to expand...

It'd be great to see some pics of yours when you receive it!
 
I'll put in a word for Boaphile, as no one seems to have done so yet. Jeff has been great to deal with every time I've spoken with him. The cages are sturdy, light, and have great little touches like the alignment holes/pins. I've never had an issue with ventilation, but then I keep Brazilian Rainbows, where low air exchange is a benefit to preserve humidity. I give them a solid thumbs up.
 
I've got a variety of enclosures--Boaphiles, Vision, RBI, and several melamine that I built myself. The ones I built myself were great starters, but TOO heavy to move around and, despite being sealed well, they still don't mix well with water (whether it be from the animal tipping a water bowl, urinating, cleaning, etc). All of the others have worked very nicely for me. They all have their pros & cons, but ultimately seem to be somewhat equal overall--IMO.

My only advice about moving your boa would be to let it get bigger, OR fill that extra space with snake-friendly "stuff" to keep it from being in such an open space. It sounds like you're definitely on the right track. Good luck with whatever decision you make!!
 
I love my boaphiles, but I agree with the person above when saying a 4' cage is too large for a 5 month old. Personally, I think the 41 qt is too large for a basically neonate boa. I keep boas in a sweater box for the first year of their life, then move them up to 28 qt blanket box and eventually the 4' cage.

Your boa will doubtfully ever need anything larger than a 4' cage. A snake's natural instinct is to hide, they rarely come out of hiding. When boas are caught in the wild, it's normally scrunched up in a tree stump or something.

Chris
 
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