Ordered boaphiles & Herpstat, oh boy!

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 07:38 AM

I finally made up my mind on what kind of cages to buy for Malaki and Mario (burm and boa respectively). Malaki has been living in a 50 gallon rubbermaid rub and Mario is still in the rack with the ball pythons but is growing so quickly he'll need a new home fairly soon.

I elected to go with Boaphile coupe cages, the ones with two doors. I looked and looked at other manufacturers and by the time I have to pay shipping, buy & install heat, assemble & seal the boaphiles just made the most sense since they shipping is included in the price and they come ready to go. Plus the seams will be welded rather than caulked so it should be a better seal.

For Malaki I got the 422D which is 4'x'2'17.5. It's big enough for him now (certainly bigger than what he's in now) and if he outgrows it well let's just say I'll find something to go in it.

And for Mario the 421D which is 4'x'2'x1'. Again if he outgrows it down the line I can buy a bigger one. I'll always have a use for these cages.

I already have a reptile basics (VE-100) thermostat on my rack and while I'm pleased with it, the Spyder Robotics Herpstat1 Basic is only a bit more and offers proportional functionality. I did a lot of reading and for my application this seems like the best one. Of course I've thought that before and realized it was a mistake. LOL

Anyway, now begins the long, long wait while Boaphile builds my cages and ships them out. I hope the 3-5 week lead time shown on the web site is accurate, I've read some horror stories about people waiting 12+ weeks but I hope those are the exceptions rather than the rule.

alessia55 · 04-20-12, 08:08 AM

The wait should be accurate. Mine arrived right on time

I hope you like them!!

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 08:31 AM

That's good to know. Did you call and talk to someone or did you just order online?

alessia55 · 04-20-12, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm66

That's good to know. Did you call and talk to someone or did you just order online?

I ordered online, and then called to make sure they got the order and re-confirmed the estimated date of arrival.

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 10:06 AM

Thanks Alessia, I called and checked. About 5 weeks he says. Did they come FedEx or something like that?

alessia55 · 04-20-12, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm66

Thanks Alessia, I called and checked. About 5 weeks he says. Did they come FedEx or something like that?

I don't know what courier they used because I had it sent to Miami and my parents received it there. They came in two huge boxes. I opened the boxes and they were wrapped in bubble wrap. Everything was packaged really well and it arrived in mint condition.

KORBIN5895 · 04-20-12, 10:06 AM

Don't you think only 1ft high is a little low?

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Don't you think only 1ft high is a little low?

Well, the most commonly sold Boaphile cage for boas according to Jeff Ronne is the 421 which is what I bought. Like I said if Mario outgrows it I'll get a bigger one, I'll surely have something to go in this one. Mario's in a 28 qt. tub right now and he's perfectly fine so this will seem huge to him for a while at least.

MoreliAddict · 04-20-12, 10:24 AM

I have an arboreal boaphile for Spot. I'm pretty sure it took 5 weeks before they shipped it.

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 10:29 AM

Thanks Alessia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreliAddict

I have an arboreal boaphile for Spot. I'm pretty sure it took 5 weeks before they shipped it.

Which one did you get? I still need a cage for my JCP. Did you get a radiant heat panel? I wanted them but I thought for such short cages as I was getting bottom heat would be better. Besides, it's less than half the price.

MoreliAddict · 04-20-12, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm66

Thanks Alessia.

Which one did you get? I still need a cage for my JCP. Did you get a radiant heat panel? I wanted them but I thought for such short cages as I was getting bottom heat would be better. Besides, it's less than half the price.

It's 2X2X2 with the removable perch. When he starts out-growing it (he should be fine for over another year) I'll be moving him to the enclosure especially made for carpets from animal plastics.

The boaphile is great, I ordered with the florescent installed and it's awesome for viewing and for pictures. I installed a RHP myself from Reptile Basics, and hooked that up to a thermostat. I'm going to the White Plains show this weekend for some stuff for Spot to climb on, at the moment he just has a water bowl and a couple of hides.

Norm66 · 04-20-12, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreliAddict

It's 2X2X2 with the removable perch. When he starts out-growing it (he should be fine for over another year) I'll be moving him to the enclosure especially made for carpets from animal plastics.

The boaphile is great, I ordered with the florescent installed and it's awesome for viewing and for pictures. I installed a RHP myself from Reptile Basics, and hooked that up to a thermostat. I'm going to the White Plains show this weekend for some stuff for Spot to climb on, at the moment he just has a water bowl and a couple of hides.

Cool, thanks. You're going to get the AP custom Anthony Capionetto (sp?) one? I've looked at that one. I was figuring I'd make my own perches for Jerome out of branches or something to make it look more realistic. This is going to be my only display cage so I want it to look nice as it'll be in my living room. I think for an arboreal snake radiant heat panel is ideal, how do you like yours?

MoreliAddict · 04-20-12, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm66

Cool, thanks. You're going to get the AP custom Anthony Capionetto (sp?) one? I've looked at that one. I was figuring I'd make my own perches for Jerome out of branches or something to make it look more realistic. This is going to be my only display cage so I want it to look nice as it'll be in my living room. I think for an arboreal snake radiant heat panel is ideal, how do you like yours?

Yes, the Anthony Capionetto one, it looks great for an adult carpet (maybe a bit small for a coastal or a huge jungle, but Spot is 100% Irian Jaya)

I like the RHP alot, I'm sure you know that by using an RHP you avoid screen tops, so the cage is excellent for holding heat and humidity. Make sure you get a strong enough RHP because you want it to be enough heat, just control it with a thermostat. You'll be very happy with your boaphiles

hellosugaree · 04-20-12, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm66

I already have a reptile basics (VE-100) thermostat on my rack and while I'm pleased with it, the Spyder Robotics Herpstat1 Basic is only a bit more and offers proportional functionality. I did a lot of reading and for my application this seems like the best one. Of course I've thought that before and realized it was a mistake. LOL

The Herpstat 4 is only a few [hundred] dollars more than the 1 basic

Since you're upgrading everything anyway