New Barr's Cages

[Taceas]

I just got these two lovely cages from Herpcages.com. And right after opening the box, I was instantly in love! Let me spread the love.

They come pre-assembled, no self-waterproofing. All you have to do is remove some masking tape and plastic protective film from the plexiglass, and a few screwings of plastic wing nuts and voila, you're good to go!

And I was amazed at how light-weight they are. I'd gander that each one of them, empty, weighs 2 lbs. Which feels a lot lighter than some of my Sterilites.

There's a good sized screen in the top, that is removable for easy access inside. And it's made from durable aluminum screen, something a snake couldn't break.

I also purchased one of their spacers to go between the cages. The cages stack easily enough on top of one another with enough space for an UTH, or they offer the spacers. It elevates it enough to fit an under cabinet light in between the cages. The heat being but off by the lamps is about the same as a UTH set on low, so hopefully that's all I'll need for this winter in our finished basement.

Too bad I didn't have enough money, I'd have bought more than two. But Rome wasn't built in a day...and neither is my snakeroom. =P

On to the pics...

The entire setup:

Hecate enjoying her new pad:

Echo's been a bad girl, so she's standing in the corner:

You know how funny kisses look through glass...

 

[Spirit]

WHERE did you get that Blair Witch looking piece of twisty wood?!?? I must have one.

 

[Taceas]

LOL

The one with the grey snake? That's a piece of sandblasted grape vine. I dug through a huge bin of them at a pet store to find just the RIGHT one I wanted.

You can find them at Petsmart or various other places. They're all unique and individual.

But be prepared...they can be pricey. This one cost me $20. =P

 

[WhiteLips]

Great looking set-up! I too have some of their cages and I really like them, they have worked out beautifully. btw- nice looking snakes! :cheers:

 

[Spirit]

LOL

The one with the grey snake? That's a piece of sandblasted grape vine. I dug through a huge bin of them at a pet store to find just the RIGHT one I wanted.

Grape vine... interesting! I thought for sure it was mopani. Off to the store I go! Though $20 in canada is... well, more than $20... :sidestep: hehe

 

[howiet4702]

Awesome cages! I just went on the site to look for a cage for myself. What size is that cage?

 

[Taceas]

Howie,

They are 24" x 12" x 12".

I got these cause they're the smallest terrestrial cages that would comfortably hold an adult corn. I mainly got them just as a tester to see if I liked them before making the commitment to buy the larger models. All of my adult snakes were in 36" long Sterilites, so for me thats what I could like for my adults. Good stretch room and whatnot.

 

[howiet4702]

They are awesome looking. I was hoping they would be going to the show in Philly to pick one up but they are not. If you don't mind me asking, what did it cost to ship them?

 

[Taceas]

Shipping was unbelievably cheap. It was like $9 for UPS Ground to my house. They're easy to contact, so I'd just give them a call or drop them an e-mail letting them know what you're interested in and give them your zip code for a shipping quote for your particular order. It may be more expensive since you're a farther distance.

And since they're in Tennessee, and I'm in Southern Indiana not too far away, they got here in 2 days time. Which surprised me. I was confused when UPS came all the way out here and I knew I hadn't ordered anything else. =P

 

[Spirit]

One thing I don't understand. I hear from just about everyone that a full size corn needs a minimum of a 20g tank to be comfortable, but so many people here use racks or homes such as this.

If a snake can be happy in "tupperware", then why do they need such a large tank?

NB. 24x12 is not THAT much smaller than my tank (30Lx13Wx16D - I think), but I know that some of the sterlite racks can be (if not L&W, then in depth).

 

[Taceas]

What exactly are you questioning? That most people say "a snake needs this specific container to be comfortable" and then turn around and keep them in a tiny container compared to what they just said was decent?

I agree to a certain extent. I DETEST Rubbermaids, Tupperware, Sterilite containers. They work in a pinch for me till I can afford better accomodations. I can't stand not being abke to see my snakes, and it just looks like storage boxes to me that should be filled with household decorations or whatnot, instead of live animals. So when I walk out to where I keep the bulk of my snakes and see the plastic containers, it just looks cheap and tacky. I'll use shoeboxes in a rack system for hatchlings, as it's more convenient and easier for cleanup. But that's not a long-term husbandry tool for me, not by any means.

If I could house all of my snakes in 20 gallon longs, I would! I just wouldn't have the space for anything else.

With regards to my adults and yearlings, I think everyone that's been to my house and has seen my snakes and their housing will agree that I buy the largest floor size plastic container I can find for that size snake. I don't want my snakes cramped up, hidden away in a cubby hole. I don't think it's healthy for any animal, whether they seem to tolerate it or not. I've found when one of my snakes is cramped in a cage that's theoretically too small for it...those snakes tend to be my nippiest. No small wonder, I'd be nippy too. But when moved into a mansion sized container, they calm down. Sometimes I think people downplay the emotional/behavioral aspect of reptiles too much. They are a living creature who has likes and dislikes...so just because they're more primitive doesn't make them any less conscious of their surroundings.

These cages are a little too cramped for my adults, I've said that. I just got these as "trial cages" to see what they're like before investing in larger ones, which I'll most definitely do. I've got long Sterilites my adults are in, and they are almost always stretched out completely, or slithering around and moving...instead of hiding in half the container because it's too small to move. This size I would use for yearlings and my smaller statured snakes. This size is definitely not going to work for my male snow, he's just too thick and long to be comfy in this. My females are more slender, so hence they got moved into the house first.

 

[Spirit]

Hmmm... well said. I agree with all of that.

I guess I just dont understand the idea of multiple snakes (as pets) being kept in racks. For hatchlings it makes sense, but the idea is to give them to good homes and keep the parents, no? When I hear that some people keep 10 or more snakes as pets I picture one whole room with nothing but shelves and aquariums. lol

 

[Shep151]

Taceas, was it difficult to contact the people at herpcages.com? I have a friend who is in TN and interested in their vivs, but can't seem to get in touch either by e-mail or telephone.
***Nevermind, she was contacted shortly after I posted this message.
Thanks!

 

[Jicin]

How do you get a temp gradient in these things? Doesn't the temperature drop to your room temp as soon as you open the lid? Is there anything in the top to prick some fake plants in? How insolated is it? I mean will it cool off quickly when i turn of the heat in the evening?

The look kinnda nice except for that big, ugly commercial inprinted on the back.

My snakes have outgrown their viv much faster then i exected them to. Pretty soon there as big as my others, who are about 2 months older And i currently don't have the money to buy them the big viv i already picked out for them. So i am looking for a cheap substitute for a month or 2. Oh well, there probably not available here in Holland :/

 

[xelda]

I've got 9 Barrs cages myself in both the 24x12x12 and 36x12x12 sizes. I like them above the other choices because they were designed to have under-tank heating, hence they allow airflow underneath the cages even without the spacers. They've also got some of the best ventilation you can find in a plastic cage if you order the screentop ones.

My first choice would be Boaphile cages which are pretty reasonably priced individually, but they're just so expensive when I need to order 10+ of them.

 

[Skye]

Do all these cages have seams at the side (where two pieces of plastic join) or are any of them one-piece moulding? I like vision cages because they are one-piece, but they don't make them as well as they used to IMHO, and I would like to look at a new manufacturer, but I am only willing to look at ones that don't have edges/cracks which are more difficult to disinfect.

 

[xelda]

Barrs cages aren't one-piece molding, but it seems like you get more trouble with Vision cages because of the lip where the cage opens. Not only does it make it harder to clean but some of the smaller snakes can actually wedge themselves in. I've also heard that the larger Visions have a tendency to sag.

I actually don't have any problems with cleaning and disinfecting the Barrs cages. The seams are melted together pretty solid. The only problem is that the white plastic stains pretty easily from strong urates, which may be a problem depending on what kind of substrate you use.

There are some extensive reviews about all the cages on the BOI.

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

I don't like how they drill their website into the back of the cage. I wouldn't buy them for that specific reason. I'm not going to advertise to anyone for them in that way (same as having dealership stickers on my cars - when I buy a car, it gets removed immediatly).

 

[Taceas]

Man, I take a break from the computer for a few days, and everyone starts replying. I'll try to answer everyone in turn here.

Shep,

They were extremely busy and it took maybe a day or so before I got a reply back from them via e-mail. I wasn't too terribly bothered by it, as it appears to be a small family sized operation. People do have other things at times in their lives. I've never tried to call them, but they were more prompt than other companies when e-mailing.


Jicin,

I've found using the under-cabinet lights for the cages, that they retain the heat pretty well. My basement runs around 68-69 during the daytime hours when the furnace is automatically set to run more, and when reaching my hand in it's warmer than the air outside the cage. Also, the lights create a "warm spot" on the floor of the cage on top of it, and it was around 74F on top of the subtstrate 77-78 directly on the bottom, so definitely acceptible for me. It's got some amazing ventilation. The back vent (while I don't like their website logo) is adequate and I've got the screen top, which is awesome.

The florescent under-cabinet lights aren't hot hot, like an incandescent bulb setup would be. They produce an even warmth not too unlike a UTH, just a bit cooler. So they make the whole cage somewhat warm, without being hot.

As Xelda said, they've already got a space from the cage floor to the bottom of the "feet" which is more than enough spacing to allow for a UTH. I don't like having to rig UTH's up to dimmer switches (not electrician-ly minded) and all that jazz. So I set my lights up on a timer, they come on at 7am and go off at 10pm. I think that gives more than enough warmth to get their digesting done, and then drop in temp to a reasonable night-time temp in the dark hours. And its not like most people's houses get that cold at night anyway. Most of us don't have our thermostats set up to 63. =P


Skye,

As Xelda said, the edges are melted together in a neat fashion. It's not some hodge-podge assembly, its very smooth to the touch and I haven't found any snags. So you might as well consider them one-piece design for that fact. I've only had the opprotunity to clean mine once since getting them (Hecate did a big nasty poo day after I put her in, figures eh?). And it cleaned amazingly well, and I think even easier than an aquarium. You just have to remember to not use ammonia based cleaners, as I'm guessing it has some sort of adverse reaction to the plastic. I used a mild bleach water solution and a drop of dish-soap in a warm spray bottle and it cleaned very well.

The Vision cages LOOK nice on a website and even in a really nice display. But when I had the opprotunity to actually see on in person, there'd be no way I would buy one. They just feel cheaply made to me. You can always seem to tell, ya know? Its just the way it feels and the material, it doesn't seem to be very well made. And I could definitely see the lip issue people would have. And the fact that when stacked, you have to take 7 off the top just to change a lightbulb. =P


Blckkat,

I totally agree with you on the logo. When we bought our brand new 2002 Toyota Camry a couple years ago...I asked them when they took it back to "spiffy" it up before we took it home, to take their logo off the back bumper. I practically had to argue with the service manager about it. When I buy a car, I buy for the vehicle, not the dealership and I don't like advertising that fact. So that was essentially the first thing to be removed. (Now they've got individual letters they stick on, instead of a sticker )

Back to the subject at hand, you CAN have them do custom logos. It costs a tad more, but you can have your own design, shape, webpage, etc done on them. I considered it, but for the first two, I didn't feel like spending the extra money at the time. So maybe if you ask real sweet with a cherry on top, you can just have them do a humdrum square shape for the vent in the back. I'd much rather that with a removeable sticker on the front area somewhere.


This is nice having a discussion about snake cages. I don't make it to the BOI or the Fauna website much, I don't really have that much interest besides corn snakes at the moment. So I stay around here mostly. But like I said earlier, I am definitely impressed with the all-around benefits of these cages for me. They're nice to look at (aside from the logo), they clean up easy, secure, good ventilation, good heat retention, customizable, stackable, easily lit, well made, and extremely lightweight. So for me, they encompass everything I look for in a snake cage. My snakes look awesome in them, and even my snake fearing mother thought they looked really nice and professionally done, pet-store display or zoo quality like you'd find in the reptile house. So when my mom likes em, I think they're good. =P

 

[So Pirate55]

How easy are they to clean? do you stack yours or are they to themselves. I'd love to get 36"x12"x12" to keep adults in, but i'm really having to shop around b/c of money restrictions. I believe i could live with herpcages across the back if it means i get to save some money. It's not like i'm going to be settin up for retail or anything. Also, how much was shipping? I've also heard they had really sharp edges, is that true?