Opinions on Vision cages

Relayer · #1 (**permalink**) 09-12-2002, 03:21 PM

I realize Boaphile seems to be the cage of choice here, but I have to look at all the options. Visions has a 72" X 36" x 17" cage for $379. Any opinions on Vision cages.
Also would that size be large enough when it comes time to mate 2 boas?
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MacGyver · #2 (**permalink**) 09-12-2002, 05:40 PM

We bought a vision cage that will eventually be used for our ETB when it gets bigger. The cage is great. Light and sturdy and really easy to clean. We bought the model 222 cage which is more for arboreal snakes. The size of cage you're talking about would most likely be much cheaper to build yourself if. It isn't hard at all. We went with a vision cage instead of a boaphile because it was a bit cheaper and we didn't like the way the door was on the boaphile.

Will
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NYCSpeedcore · #3 (**permalink**) 09-12-2002, 06:46 PM

Vision cages are personally my favorite cages out there, with a few exceptions. I would think twice before buying a Vision tank past the 422 (4' x 2' x1.5') esspecially if you want to stack them. Once you go past the 422 they tend to sag in the middle, not horribly but it bothers me. If you are planning to have just the one tank it will not really be an issue, as I have the 432 not stacked with no problems. Just something to think of, but again I love them. They are easy to control the humidity in, heat, and drill through (I like to top mount heat pannels in them and put purches in for my aboreals).
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telefrag · #4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2002, 07:49 PM

Vision cages stand up well to heating too,
they have the recessed light port on most of them,
but if you stack, you have to move all of them to replace light bulbs (ack!)

but I had 2 of the 48x24x18's ( I think that was the size) and I really liked them.
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StaticKaos · #5 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 03:07 AM

well your asking for opinion's so here is mine.. I think Boaphile (sorry Morti!) and Vision cages are rip offs.. They are VERY nice enclosures, do not get me wrong.. with 379 bucks you could build your own enclosure the size of a small bedroom!
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morti · #6 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 03:43 AM

That is a good price on a cage that long. How much is shipping going to cost though?
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Bryan · #7 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 04:03 AM

He could get it from Russ L. and pay $399 no shipping since he is in NY jsut pick it up.. I agree that the cages are expensive. But after having spoken with many breeders I know the cost is worth it. When you use wood and are breeding boas you need to change your cages every couple of years due to the moisture of birth. I am looking at both of these cages to see waht one works best for me. I must admit that if they were still avail. I would go with Neodesha.
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Karen · #8 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 04:10 AM

I have tried quite a few cages over the years and they all have their drawbacks. So far I have not found THE perfect cage, I've had to make adjustments to all of them. My favorite out of the group is unfortunately out of business now. Lets see.... Visions, the drawback I had with those were they bow in the middle,heat panels have to be mounted front to back instead of side to side and make thermal gradient impossible, oh and they look like cargo.
Neodeshas...... great cages, they tend to warp and crack from heat panels over a couple years time. Work great and with heating pads though. Boaphiles..... I really love the price and look of these cages. Drawback for Boaphiles though is the door. Not only are they NOT ESCAPE PROOF AT ALL, but offer no protection from big,hungry snakes. haha Homemade cages, I'm sorry but all the ones I've ever had have been the biggest pain in my arse. Too many drawbacks to list and I will never again have a homemade wooden cage. Sorry for the long post but being that Ive tried some of these and had to learn the hard way on all of them.
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joerissa · #9 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 04:37 AM

We have both Vision and Boaphile cages. They are both well worth the money. But if we where buying again it would have to be the Boaphiles. Here are a few things I do not like about vision.
First we are using model #221. We have 12 cages stacked 6 high where in lies the problem. The wieght of the 5 cages puts to much pressure on the bottom one making it almost impossible to remove the glass for cleaning. If the snake sprays on the track, the doors stick making it more difficult to slide open and harder to get out of the track. The floor has a few ripples that make it hard to sweep out the bedding, etc. I just prefer a flat bottom I guess. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img] There is also a ledge above the doors that the snakes really enjoy wedging themselves into, making it a pain in the A** to remove them. This probably wouldn't be a problem with the larger animals though. I have not had any problem with this, but I do know a few people that have had them for years and say over time the Visions tend to hold odor really bad. Anyway thats my 2 cents. Hope it helps. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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morti · #10 (**permalink**) 09-13-2002, 04:43 AM

I agree with brian... If you are going to get a vision, get it from Russ. He buys a lot of boas with that money. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

-Your Sick Uncle Morti.
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NYCSpeedcore · #11 (**permalink**) 09-17-2002, 04:43 PM

On the subject of odor... I had a similar problem but was able to find out a way to beat it. Big Apple sells a disifectant called quat plus, i find that after using that it almost eliminates any odor left over from the urates and poo. Plus it kills EVERYTHING! If you are using paper you never have to worry about sweeping out the cage litter, but when my snakes where smaller they did wedge themselves in that gap at the front door a few times [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] .
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Raven · #12 (**permalink**) 09-17-2002, 05:53 PM

Well, I've used Neodesha and hated them because of the discoloring of the plastic from the heat source as well as cracking and warping. Essentially you would have to replace these fairly often, about the same as you would a wooden enclosure IMO. I've looked at the Boaphile plastics and Barr's cages, both look nice enough in appearance but neither look especially secure - at least not enough for my tastes. I've used homemade cages in the past and they need to be rebuilt/replaced because the wood absorbs liquid wastes and retains the odors. Glass tanks work okay for some species and I still use a few glass tanks for certain animals. I also use a few rubbermaid style tubs for small or juvenile animals.

Overall though, my personal choice is the Vision cages. I have 2 small Visions (#221 28"X22"X12&quot

, 1 medium Vision (#332 36"X28"X18&quot

, 2 large Visions (#432 54"X36"X18&quot

and 3 arboreal Visions (#433 48"X28"X28&quot

. They are expensive compared to homemade cages and the like, but they last much much longer. The two smalls and two larges I've had over 5 years, the others over 2 years. They all look like brand new. They are also easy to heat, easy to maintain humidity in, easy to clean and I've had no problems with them holding odors. Perhaps that could be because I clean them as soon as I see wastes and use a mild bleach solution or dish detergent. I am very finicky about the cleanliness of my cages and animals. Regarding stacking, the ONLY problem I ever had with stacking was with the first large cage. When I purchased the 2nd cage, I stacked it on top and then placed a glass table top on both (I was in a 500 sq ft apartment and the 2 cages replaced my dining table). The older cage did buckle under the COMBINED weight of the 2nd cage with the glass table top, preventing me from lifting out the glass doors. However, I was still able to slide them easily. Once I removed the glass table top and placed the older cage on top, I had no more problems. All of the newer cages I have seen of the 432 model or larger have a plastic brace reinforced with an aluminum strip in the middle of the front to help prevent bowing. It is also my understanding that they are not designed to be stacked higher than 3 or 4 cages high. Anything stacked higher can cause problems. As for how easily the glass doors slide, that isn't just a Vision issue. Any display case with large glass doors is going to have some sliding difficulties if the tracks aren't kept spotlessly clean (I have non-reptile display cases and they all do it). A way to make them slide easier is to rub either a candle or a bar of soap along the bottom of the glass door. They'll slide more easily that way.

All in all, I suggest you look at as many in person as you can and determine for yourself if they look like they'll work for your purposes.

Good luck in making your decision!

Raven
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Tom · #13 (**permalink**) 09-17-2002, 08:11 PM

I have never found a cage I like so that is why I make my own cages & sell them now.

Vision cages:
I have seen some of them melt from the heat light and warp.
They also do not have flat bottom so it makes cleaning harder.

Neodesha cage:
I have seen them discolor and crack after some use. Also when they warp the glass dose not slide open very easy anymore.

Boaphile plastics:
I have never used them so I can not say much about them.
I have seen Boaphile plastics and they seem very well made. If I was to buy plastic type cages I would more than likely go with Jeff's cages. The only thing I do not like is the door, It seems like a big boa or python could push them open or squeeze out between the cage and door. I have made cages with Plexiglas doors and if you do not use reinforced Plexiglas doors
I have seen boas squeeze out of them.

Barr's cages:
I have never used them or seen them so I have nothing good or bad to say about them.

Now my cages are more expensive than most cages on the market but they will last a lifetime and come with more standard equipment . So you can buy 3 or 4 MELAMINE CAGES
( particleboard ) for the life time of your reptile or one of mine. You do the math now which is more cost effective? To see more picture and info just go to my website.
As you can see my cages will not warp. I am 6' 2" tall & 260 lbs. This cage is also 5 years old now and still looks new.

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BadKarma · #14 (**permalink**) 09-22-2002, 09:20 AM

Just a few things to add to what joerissa said. We have both visions and boaphiles. I personally am not that fond of the visions. Mostly for the reasons Joe said. As for the boas pushing out of them (boaphiles) I don't see it personally. We currently have 2 big boas in one of our cages. We have had some pretty hard strikes made on the doors with no problems. We've had 2 12" each boas pushing against them during breeding with no problems. a lot of people don't like the fact that they only have the one door. Personally I consider this a godsent. I hate having to shift a biggin around a partial door like on a vision. We like them so much that we are getting ready to order another rack of them. (boaphiles) Is there a perfect cage? No but it is a step in the right direction. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
Oh and as far as the neodoshas go our friend Denis makes a killing repairing and rebuilding them for people.
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Genius begets insanity. Atleast that's my excuse.

Ritchie · #15 (**permalink**) 10-25-2002, 06:30 AM

Able to withstand drops (good thing)
1. Vision
2. Precision Cages and Barrs cages
3. Boaphile
neodesha untested.

Cracks easily when dropped. (bad thing)
1. Boaphile
2. Precision Cages and Barrs cages
3. Vision cages
neodesha untested

Stackability (good thing)
1. Boaphile
2. Presicion / Barrs
3. Vision
neodisha untested

Sold by good people (good thing)
1. Barrs / Boaphile / Precision / Vision

Stains easily (bad thing)
1. Barrs/ Precision
2. Vision
3. Boaphile

Weight from the lightest to the heaviest. (?)
1. Barrs / Precision
2. Vision
3. Boaphile

Cheapest in terms of money
1. Barrs and Precision
2. Boaphile (Drastic plastic brand)
3. Vision

What do I own?
Precision Cages.
Barrs Cages
Boaphile RACKS
6 foot Vision will be coming next year when I acquire another albino burm.

Picture of Precicion cage picture by precision
http://www.precisioncaging.com/caging.htm

Picture of my BARRS cage
http://www.barrs.com/

Picture of an 18 hole rack picture by the boaphile
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/racks.html

Picture of a blanket box rack picture by the boaphile
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/racks.html

All cages and racks have their pros and cons.
You just gotta weigh in all the pros and cons.
The ultimate decision is up to you.

Future Plans.
Cages - Almost all my cages will come from Precision.
I only have one Barrs cage. And I prefer the look of the precision.
I am also gonna buy one or two 6 foot visions....but that is it. The rest will be Precision cages.

Racks - All the Racks are gonna be from either Barrs or Boaphile. Right now I am tending towards boaphile. I already have two of them.

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