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Need opinions- exo terra terrariums vs. boaphile terrariums

G

grneyereptilekeeper

New member
So I am going to be adding to my corn snake family in the near future. I love having my snakes on display so racks are out of the question. I want a cage that is accessible from the front for cleaning and getting the snakes out. I love the look of the exotic terra cages and they even come with a free background. I've looked into boaphile cages and other cages similar to them. The thing I don't like is the colors. Things show up better in the white ones but I don't want white on the outside. Yes I am picky about it matching my decor lol Another thing I don't like is you have to buy a background which isn't cheap. I've been told that regulating the heat in cages like the boaphile is easier. So I guess I'm wanting peoples opinions. Do you have these types of cages? Why do you like them or not like them? Would you recommend them? The price on the size of either one of them is comparable. Most likely I would build a nice shelving unit for the exotic terra cages and maybe something to cover the front of any type of pvc cage I would decide to buy, obviously there would be openings for the doors. Thanks for your input.
 
One of my corns is in an exo terra. I like it very much with a few minor issues. The background has two slits along the bottom, which are nice for you to run thermometer/thermostat wires through. But the snakes also find these slits, and then love to squeeze in behind the background and curl up. I used styrofoam to plug up the slits and now it's great.

I'm also looking into the boaphile type, since I have a baby Dumerils boa. lots of people love them because of their ease of cleaning and keeping humidity better than glass vivs. One thing I don't like is their lack of height. The Vision cages are higher, but more $$.
 
Thank you for your input. I looked at boaphiles and cages similar to them from constrictors northwest. I stumbled upon a thread in a forum discussing the pros and cons of both. I even emailed the guy at constrictors northwest. He was very helpful and answered all my questions. I know what you mean by the lack of height and I don't really like the idea of a light fixture taking up space in the cage. Constrictors northwest had cages with different heights, maybe you could check them out. http://www.constrictorsnw.com/ I also don't know if I can get past the clinical look of the cages. I have a vision cage I've used for beardies and other reptiles but I don't like the lighting. The more I talk about it the more I lean toward the exo terra terrariums. Oh well on with the research lol what we do for our snakes.
 
I love the Exo Terras, but they aren't really great set ups for most snakes. Maybe a vine snake, or other tree dwelling species, but there's a lot of vertical height that will go unused (or at best, under-used) by a corn. That said, I have several and like them.
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Also, I should point out that Boaphiles are top of the line. I have used both their racks and cages over the years. With a radiant heat panel, you could make a sweet set up for one snake. I have thought about something like this for my shop to display a scaleless or palmetto maybe.
 
I'm aware, and have one of those too. At least a 36" seems long compared to the vertical enclosures. There is still unused vertical space, the enclosure is still glass -so they still aren't as insulated as a boaphile, the tops don't allow a radiant panel, etc. Without a question, the Boaphile is better suited for a corn snake. If you like the looks that much, the Exo Terra can certainly be made to work. My 2 cents, I will never choose glass for colubrid snakes.
 
Ok so if I decide to go with a pvc style cage, what are some different brands I can research? I was looking into the boaphiles and read that the pvc isn't USDA or FDA approved. And might not be safe for the reptiles. What is your opinion on this? Also I looked up radiant heat. Would you suggest this over an UTH? I have had corn snakes for years but have always kept them in aquarium. I never liked using them but its what I had and all I knew of. That is until I started doing research a couple years ago before I started getting back into corn snakes. I want to keep my snakes in something that looks nice and that I can decorate to look natural as possible. But I also want the temps to be at what the snakes need. Thanks for your help Chip
 
We use a exo terra 30g for our yearling Hog Island Boa. It is great to access in the front instead of the sliding screens of some display tanks. We are actually ordering a 40g breeder exo terra for our bearded dragon. Right now she is in a zilla sliding top breeder and it is a pain to take all the lights off the top to get into the tank. Our ball pythons are in 20g longs that are half screen and have glass top. My husband really likes those because they keep in the humidity.
 
Nevermind on the PVC issue. I actually went to the boaphile site and he did address the issue since the pastime I visited the site. I would still like peoples opinions on radiant heat vs. UTH but Ill start a new thread for that.
 
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