Screen Tops / Top Opening Cages

Stormyva · #1 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 09:02 PM

Who uses them?

I am trying to make a point with someone and am trying to find out who uses screen tops or a top opening cage....

Do you use screen tops?

Do you breed reptiles in these cages?

Thank you for your input [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
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gibson · #2 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 09:07 PM

I use screen tops on both of my boas cages. Sorry I don't breed them though. What did u want to know about the tops?
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telefrag · #3 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 09:59 PM

I only use screen tops on aquariums [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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Stormyva · #4 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 10:32 PM

Ok so we have three screen top users so far [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] (Including myself)

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reptilemama · #5 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 10:38 PM

I have a few of both. Personally, I don't like top opening cages for larger snakes. It's just easier to lift them out of a front opening cage. For the smaller ones, screen tops are ok, but I prefer front opening cages.

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Ti · #6 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 10:39 PM

My friend has one cage with a screen top, and one Neodesha that uses screen material to cover the top openings. The only thing that I use that has screening is the vent covers for the back of my wooden cages.
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LdyDrgn · #7 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 10:51 PM

I also have screen tops. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] For now, anyway..... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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#8 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 10:52 PM

got 4 snakes (colubrids), longest is 45", all in screen top terrariums. No breeding going on unless the corn snake has secretly figured out how to get it on with the bullsnake...
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faze · #9 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 11:15 PM

screen top cages at home and at the shop [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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C. hortulanus bites · #10 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 11:17 PM

Screen tops suck! Any reptile that requires hummidity and is in a screen top enclosure requires more engineering on your part. We have our little BCI and BRB in 20 gal. aquariums with a screen tops and we had to engineer methods just to keep 55% hummidity in the BCI cage and I live in FL, don't get me started on the rainbow. I hate them (screen tops). It's (like mentioned above) much harder to get snakes in and out of a top opening cage (boids that is, colubrids don't really do that tail grabbing thing). So to fully answer your question, I have 3 snakes and all of them have screen tops, but they're only good for my king snake.
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pincess_wy · #11 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 11:21 PM

I don't really breed snakes, but I used to use screen tops. Recently I've switched all my snakes except one to front opening enclosures... the new cages hold humidity better, are easier to clean, and easier to get the snakes in/out of.

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Voodoo · #12 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 11:28 PM

I have 3 cages. Two screen-tops, one front-opener. I don't have any problems with humidity, but I think that hasta do with my substrate.

I don't try to breed my BPs, but they've boinked in the old screen-top, and in the new Plywood.

What're you trying to find out?
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pjmartin · #13 (**permalink**) 11-20-2002, 11:36 PM

I have a 75 gal aquarium and a 30 gal aquarium, both with screen tops, and let me tell you, do they ever suck -- especially on the 75 gal. I've never had a security problem with them, but maintaining temperature and humidity is a pain in the Don't muck with the curse filter, and it is difficult to get my snakes out as well. I wish I would have known about Vision, or Boaphile, or some other cage manufacturer (because I have no carpentry skills) when I first got into this hobby, that way I could spend more time with my snakes, and less time misting thier cages [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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cj · #14 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 12:41 AM

I hate screen tops myself just because I find it hard to maintain heat and humidity. The last two tanks I made myself and they open from either the front or the top. I find it easier if one of my boys are in a bad mood to just put him in the top. For getting them out and cleaning the front is the best way to go.
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Kim · #15 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 01:14 AM

I use screen tops on my lizard cages and my snakes are in Vision cages. My adult beardies have six by three by three wood cages so I had to make the screen tops but my uromastyx, baby beardies, and geckos are in glass tanks with just store bought screen tops and locks.
My chameleons are in all screen reptariums. I never have a problem with humidity --though most of them are desert species anyway. I do have a bunch of tricks to solve the humidity problem (as I am sure we all do) should I need it .

I have heard that crickets can chew through some of the softer screen like that of the reptariums but I have never had this problem. One should not leave crickets roaming around a cage long enough for them to chew through anyway.
Kim
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Kim · #16 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 01:16 AM

Oh-- and I do breed in my screen cages but I don't let the females incubate in the cages.
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JuliusSqueezer · #17 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 10:16 AM

Exactly how much engineering does it take to glue or tape plastic or plexi to the top of a scren top? It really isn't as hard as people make it out to be. This photo was shot 3 days after misting...notice the fogged sides of the emerald cages and they were on newspaper at the time! Now they have cypress and the humidity stays up much longer with little to no effort on my part. All I did was glue down plexi cut to size leaving 2 inches on one end. The cages are heated with heating pads and no lamps....don't need em....if I did...I would leave a bigger gap.

What does breeding have to do with anything? I don't really think a horny pair of snakes care how the cage opens.
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Ed_r · #18 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 02:32 PM

I use screen tops on my aquarium cages and my neodesha has a screen section as does my vision cage. Just be careful what you keep in there with the lids. My baby Boas quickly learned to push the locking lid up and escape, as did my BPs.
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Stormyva · #19 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 04:26 PM

Ok now that I have some responses.... here is an explanation.
There has been some debating on another site about screen tops.
The debate being started by some comments similar to these.....
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Awesome!! Great to see that you DON'T have a screen top!! Very smart. I like it. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Aquarium with NO SCREEN LID!! I never understood why people used screen lids for cages! You might as well put your snake in a food dehydrater!!!</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
When asked what was wrong with screen tops these are some of the responses.....
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Snakes don't like being kept in food dehydrators. Actually, no reptiles do.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
and finally it came to the following challenge......
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Err.....could you show me a setup where at least ONE successful breeder (something more than a Leopard Gecko) is using screen tops in his collection? I'd be veerrrry interested to see that.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Show me a professional breeder using screen top cages for boids.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Originally the debate was about keeping snakes in cages with screen tops because it was not possilble to maintain the proper husbandry requirements.... they were finally cconvinced that it is possible to maintain proper humidity and temperature with a screen top with a little engenuity. The debate ended coming down to simply show them a successful breeder that uses cages with screen tops. So that is what lead to this post.
Am I being stubborn, of course, but it sure is fun [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Are there easier ways to maintain humidity and temps in cages, yes, but for the general population it seems that screen tops are what is the most popular due to the fact that the are inexpensive and easy to acquire.

Here are the links to the full posts that started the debates......
Post 1
Post 2
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JuliusSqueezer · #20 (**permalink**) 11-21-2002, 05:19 PM

LOL...and then there is the other problem...sometimes front opening cages hold too much humidity....No one setup is perfect for all reptiles. I went to that site once to check out another debate going on....I wasn't impressed and frankly...I was overwhelmed by all the morons so I never bothered to sign up or go back. Please keep in mind that just because someone is smart enough to figure out how to start a website/forum about something...doesn't make them an expert on the subjectmatter. Nor can every other site be expected to be as outstanding as this one LOL
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