12" vs 14/16"+H on Boa Cage

[TalismanK9]

I been building melamine cages for myself and others @48"Lx24"Wx18"H but as you all know they are heavy, so I been looking at the various PVC cages on the market and noticed that the 48Lx12" high go cheap..$210 shipped but the price for one thats 14,16 and in some cases 18"H jumps considerably shipped. Whats the general opinion on cage ceiling height for a boa? I like the idea of the money and space saved with a 12"H but not if its going to be at the snakes well being. Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[ioctoberdrums]

while boas do enjoy the occasional climb, larger adults will fare just fine with little head space. i have one of my boas in a 4*2*1 and he seems quite happy, while my 7 foot boa is in a 5*2*2 and never ever ever climbs. i would have to say it depends on the snake and weather or not the snake in question is a climber or not.

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[Stargazer]

I went overboard and got 6X2X2's for my two boas, thinking they would use the extra vertical space. They really don't. However, I'm of the belief that if you give them some serious vertical space, like 4 or 5 feet, with a tree to climb on and lots of shelves, they would probably use it.

That being said, I find the only advantage to having the 2' high cages is that when they are stacked and on a pedestal, the cat can't jump on them.

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[96Blacksunshine]

double posty oops

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[96Blacksunshine]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

I went overboard and got 6X2X2's for my two boas, thinking they would use the extra vertical space. They really don't. However, I'm of the belief that if you give them some serious vertical space, like 4 or 5 feet, with a tree to climb on and lots of shelves, they would probably use it.
That being said, I find the only advantage to having the 2' high cages is that when they are stacked and on a pedestal, the cat can't jump on them.

Ditto. Not having the cat on them is a big relief here too. This alone is worth the extra height. But I also just like the looks of the larger cages. Were I to have more than my soon to be three cages total, I would go with less height for extra cage room. But what I have suits me fine and the snakes don't seem to mind either. I have a 4x2x1 ordered for my male to put on the 6x2x2's. Morti made me feel better about this as they house a lot of their boas in boaphile 4x2x1's without any problems.

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[Aaron-Insular]

2-4 inches just really isn't going to make much of a difference in hight!

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[KaiYudSai]

I like my cages to be at least 18" high...... I've started putting a large climbing limb on all my adult cages. Of course I keep BCC, and they are very arboreal as adults.... They spend alot more time climbing than I thought..... I noticed an almost immediate change in muscle tone with the boas with climbing structures..... Quite a few friends of mine have started doing this as well..... In the end, you will have a much healthier boa if you give them the opportunity to exercise frequently.... they will be better breeders and live MUCH longer......

the extra 2 inches really gives you that bit of headroom needed to put a limb in..... but I actually prefer 24"... which is what I use in my showcages....

I see all this talk that boas are terrestrial as adults... but I'm starting to think that's all BS after seeing their behaviour first hand...... Especially when it comes to amazonian boas..... where much of the realestate is vertical... as well as their primary food sources (birds and primates)


Late edit............... I just realized this was for you Talisman...... since you do keep Brazilians and Suris... I definitely suggest a taller cage.... alot of us on RI have started using taller cages with our BCC......

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

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	Respiratory Infection Respiratory Infection

	Arboreal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.<br> In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.

[BlackLava]

i like the extra few inches, even if you dont give them anything to climb on, its just easier on me to go in there and clean and stuff.

i have also noticed that my bigger ones will climb on their branches if given the chance, although mine wont sit on the branches, they just climb on them at night time when they are out roaming...

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[TalismanK9]

Thanks, these last 2 posts are the exact reasons why I was asking. I too have found them to be very arboreal compared to what most say and wasn't sure if it was just my snakes personal quirks or just a general trait, now that I'm hearing its just a general trait all the more reason to spend the extra $25 to $50 per cage and I'm going for the 18 to 24" height.

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	Arboreal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.<br> In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.

[KaiYudSai]

Originally Posted by TalismanK9

Thanks, these last 2 posts are the exact reasons why I was asking. I too have found them to be very arboreal compared to what most say and wasn't sure if it was just my snakes personal quirks or just a general trait, now that I'm hearing its just a general trait all the more reason to spend the extra $25 to $50 per cage and I'm going for the 18 to 24" height.

It will make a huge difference.... I was shocked at how drastic the change in their build was... when given exercise... in 2-3 weeks the boas were hard as a rock.... one of them lost her grip while I had her out and she squeezed my wrist so hard to catch herself that she left a bruise(4 foot boa BTW)... I feel guilty for not having them all set up like this..... the bad thing is tall cages take up alot more vertical space.. and limits the amount of cages you can stack....... I will have to build a small building in the back soon

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	Arboreal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.<br> In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.

[timesender]

Perhaps 2 inches pushes the cage into an odd shipping or manufacturing charge. If more cages are 12" then manufactuer can have an econmies of scale. Also the post office probably has its limitations. For example shipping a 1 pound square box probably costs less than shipping a 1 pound round package.

The only advantage to height is that they are easier to clean for some. If you are husky like myself the extra couple of inches makes reaching in to clean easier.

As far as climbling, my boas like the ledge. But they were just fine without it. Floor space is more important than height.

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[YB_L8_GO_K]

i build all my cages at a min of 2 ft high.. i rather them have the extra room and not use it then not have and want to use it... plus like said before i love the look of big cages and in most cases u can stack atleast 3 of them and make a killer looking wall of cage

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[Stargazer]

They do look rather nice stacked, especially on a pedestal.

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[gottabsleeved]

It depends on your space and your future plans of snake numbers.If you plan to have 4 boas and not breed and hold back.Why not give them some room.Females need more head room to raise there big head.Males can have a climbing limb or shelf with less floor space.males 4x2x18- females 6x2x18 are great if you got the space?vision sells these sizes.

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[TalismanK9]

[QUOTE=Stargazer;790178]They do look rather nice stacked, especially on a pedestal.
[/QUOTE

I think my snakes are jealous now that they seen you and the nice condo's you built for your snakes...mine got camp style cages and a fat old hairy guy taking care of them, I can hear them gosssssiping now I think.

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[Stargazer]

[QUOTE=TalismanK9;790695]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

They do look rather nice stacked, especially on a pedestal.
[/QUOTE
I think my snakes are jealous now that they seen you and the nice condo's you built for your snakes...mine got camp style cages and a fat old hairy guy taking care of them, I can hear them gosssssiping now I think.

Thanks, but I did not build them. They came completely assembled, because I am challenged in this way. BTW, get that appostrophe out of "condos". You don't need an appostrophe to make a plural.
Love,
The Spelling Nazi

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