PVC cage? Exo Terra? What to get...

Lefitte · 03-10-15, 08:18 PM

It's been a few months now since I bought my first snake, a little baby Cal king, and it's about time to buy her adult enclosure. I've decided on a few things about what I want her adult enclosure to be, but I'm stuck and need some advice.

I already know that I want to use either shredded aspen or Sanichips for bedding. I'll be getting a new UTH and possibly a new thermostat to go along with it [I've heard good things about Hydrofarm's]. She'll need new hides and decor, a larger water dish, ect so I have all that figured out. I'll be getting a shelving unit that's 72H x 48W x 24D mainly for the cage and other supplies ect. I've also decided on 36" long for the cage after reading a lot of people recommending that for colubrids in general. Considering I'm going to have her for the next 15 years, I want to make sure I get her a nice set up. I also prefer front opening.

I have two main options:

Exo Terra's 36x18x18
or
Animal Plastic's T3 [36x24x12]

They're similarly priced, excluding AP's shipping. I just started college and ended up with a little less money than I planned for so price is a major concern here.

With the Exo Terra, I can afford more height for her. She does like to explore the top of the cage. However, there's less ground space. It also has a screen top which isn't a major concern since I can adjust the shelving to fit close to the top to prevent my cats from sitting on it, but it seemed pretty weak when I was checking it out at the store.

With AP's cage, she'll have more ground space but little vertical space. It's plastic so there will be less light and I might need to add artificial light. She's housed by a window and that area of the house gets a lot of light, especially in the morning, plus there's a light right above the area [dining room] but the plastic would block out a lot of light as well. I also have to assemble it, which I'm sure I could figure out just fine but I always worry about screwing something like that up. It's important and needs to last her whole life.

Another major factor is weight. I can't seem to get very accurate estimates on the weight for each cage. I know that the PVC cages are lighter than glass but I have no idea how much lighter since no one seems to have weights up on their sites. I'll be moving her cage, mostly, on my own. So if I ever want to move her cage, I'm going to have to call up a friend to help me [like if I'm moving] or figure something clever out. From what I could find, the Exoterra seems to be around 90lbs empty and there is no way I could get that thing to budge without some serious help. Anyone know how much a comparable PVC cage weighs?

Suggestions? Pros? Cons? Anything I missed? Any other similarly priced PVC cages that you'd recommend? I would really love to sit and pick your brains. So many people here have so many years of experience, it's really helpful! Thanks in advance.

trailblazer295 · 03-10-15, 08:39 PM

Personally I'd go with a larger PVC cage but that's my preference I'm of the mind go as big as you can and not stick to minimum sizes when all possible. I have a 48x24x16 pvc and it's very light. I haven't weighted it but easily moved by one person without effort. I also have kept fish and glass aquariums are a lot heavier the biggest I had was 35g and it was a lot heavier then my pvc cage, now you won't be moving it much and your size is manageable for one person but much heavier then a pvc. I would choose a larger cage just because of space and adult size to roam around. I wouldn't worry about weight if you can carry it, my low end dresser can hold a 10g aquarium weighing around 100lbs without issue.

**EL Ziggy** · 03-10-15, 08:45 PM

I'd go with a pvc enclosure as well but I'd opt for the AP T8 or T10 to have the extra foot of space (48x24x15). Your king will probably be 4-5 ft. full grown.

sharthun · 03-12-15, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I'd go with a pvc enclosure as well but I'd opt for the AP T8 or T10 to have the extra foot of space (48x24x15). Your king will probably be 4-5 ft. full grown.

I agree with ez. I have 3 Ap t10`s for my mbk,desert king and black milk snake. Plenty of room.

Lefitte · 03-10-15, 08:50 PM

The shelving unit I'm getting advertises 1000 lbs per shelf so I'd say that I could easily go up to 500lbs per shelf if I wanted to haha. I'm not concerned with the weight on the shelving unit. I was originally going to get a 30" long tank for her adult tank since that was the size that was coming up on care sheets. It was the comments here that lead me to 30-36" being a better idea. Isn't 36" more than adequate? I'm all for upgrading but if I were to go up to 48" I would have to change my shelving unit idea. The shelving unit is exactly 48x24 and while a 36x24 for fit okay, the bars would be in the way of a 48x24 cage and I don't think it would fit. The 36x24 worries me a little to because the tank would fit the exact depth of the cage with no room to spare.

jjhill001 · 03-11-15, 07:26 PM

I have 36x18x18 cage for my bairds from when they get older. I think it's plenty adequate for an adult bairds. Although for the set up I'm planning I'm considering getting a front opening aquarium 48x24x18. Just so the setup will be more impressive.

kwhitlock · 03-12-15, 03:53 AM

I would also be more for the recommendation of going up to a 48x12x12 or 48x24x? Odds are they will use every inch that you provide and being a king as active as they are will definitely use it all. If you are looking for a little less pricey caging line that's PVC I would look also into constrictors NW.

Lefitte · 03-12-15, 05:23 PM

That's just the thing though. The 48" length won't fit on what I have planned and I haven't found any other suitable ideas. I'm afraid the cage will be the exact size of the shelving unit and so the bars on each of the corners will be in the way of the cage fitting inside. When I did my initial research, everything I read kept saying 20g so I was originally planning on doing there. There are only a few places that say 36" or longer that I didn't find until later. She's currently a bit undersized so there's a good chance she won't reach the larger sizes however, if she does end up 5+ feet, I can always work something different out at that time to give her an upgrade and use the 36" for a smaller species. The money doesn't really factor into which size at this point, I just don't see how it's going to work.
I know that's going to potentially cost more in the long run but I can't see how else to do it at this time. I also take her out at least once a week, depending on weather and I live where it's summer 3 seasons out of the year, so she has that time to exercise and stretch out too.
After talking with a close friend, I think I'm going with the AP option. Although I found Constrictors NW last night and their prices are very similar so it's something to look into a little more.

Edit: I shot AP an email for the exact measurements since the size listed on the site is "roughly" the size of the unit.

IW17 · 03-14-15, 06:54 PM

36x24 is plenty of space for your snake. Will it use more if given? Sure, but you're not doing it a disservice with what you're looking at. That being said I like front opening pvc style enclosures. Looks nice, easy to heat, and easy at feeding time.