Impressions of my new AP cages

[MDT]

Well, after YEARS of struggling to find the "right" cages..(trust me, in the 70's and 80's, you knew the struggle of the aquarium or converted bookcase enclosure)...I took the plunge and for my birthday ordered some Animal Plastics cages. I got 9 total, 5 of the Carpet Cages and 4 of the T-3 cages.

My impression thus far: the material is really nice, strong, but very lightweight. The fit/machining of the material is outstanding. Every single screw hole lined up...freakishly well. The assembly was a breeze. I put 9 cages together in about 4 hours. I got the recessed LED lighting, which is an exceptionally nice feature. The acrylic sliding doors are thick and sturdy (more about that later)...I do wish they would route a place for the heat tape rather than just aluminum taping to the bottom of the enclosure though.

The customer service was good. I had great communication w Ali at AP, and she walked me through the whole process, even when I made a couple of changes in my order. The time to ship was a little rough (mostly because I really just wanted my cages!)...The 8 weeks turned into a little longer, but in the end, the order was completed and arrived via freight completely intact.

Here are a couple of pics so far. The cages are sparse, I haven't completely furnished them yet. There is a nice gradient (based of IR temp gun) achieved just with the heat tape. Unclear if I'll add RHP or not.

You can see the shims I've used in the sliding doors...That is one weakness I can really have concern about. The doors do not seem secure. With the way the relics rub, I can see them nudging open the door and escaping. I tried the trophy case locks, but the center piece prevents it from working well. The shims are effective and cheap!

[EL Ziggy]

Very nice MDT. I like the new enclosures. What are the dimensions on the carpet cages? Will those be used for adults? I'm adding a carpet soon that I'll probably start in a tub but move to a larger enclosure in a year or so. I'm also ordering a T-10 for my bull snake. Her 40g tank is getting a little snug.

[Wingbeats]

Thanks for the pics and the review! I am planning on getting an Animal Plastics T5 cage for my rainbow boa when she outgrows the Ziplock weathertight tub she is in now. It looks like these ought to hold humidity pretty darn well.

Interesting note on the doors - I'll probably spend the bit of extra to add the lock.

[MDT]

@El-Ziggy...the dimensions are 36"x24"x18"....it gives a lot of crawl space.

@Wingbeats...I hope you can find a display lock that works. That centerpiece prohibited the secure attachment of the standard trophy case lock. I bought $60 worth of them at Lowes and had to take them all back 😕...
As far as humidity goes, I'm just experimenting with that now. There is plenty of ventilation and I'm thinking I'll need to block off some if the humidity becomes an issue.

[Wingbeats]

@MDT - huh, good to know! I may go for the swing doors - those look like they come with a lock.

And let me know how the humidity goes! Humidity is super important for BRBs, so that's a concern of mine. Of course, I could always block ventilation.

[Albert Clark]

Wow! Impressions are that its impressive. Great choice, and I love the recessed lighting. I thought I was in a store showroom for reptiles. Really nice. Cleaning looks like it will be easy also.

[jossh27]

Does it not bother you that you have to shim the doors?

I feel that if you are buying a product for the amount of money that one costs that it shouldn't need a piece ofwpod jammed in it to stay secure. Does AP sell them with locks built in also?

Aside from that i think they look great and the lighting is superb

[MDT]

jossh, good question...i think that with the swinging doors and drop down, they have locks built in. and really, this is mostly for my peace of mind. i doubt that they could "open" the sliding doors, but again, the way retics push sometimes, and in the event i was careless and didn't slide shut completely, this lets me sleep better at night.

[Mikoh4792]

Looking good! Really liking the white color. Have you tried the locks that ap puts on their sliding glass doors? I have them installed on my cage doors and they seem to hold up well.

[SnoopySnake]

They look great! How thick are those pieces of wood?

[MDT]

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

Looking good! Really liking the white color. Have you tried the locks that ap puts on their sliding glass doors? I have them installed on my cage doors and they seem to hold up well.

Geez...I just looked those up on their website after I read your comment. Those look great! I may message them and pick some up. Aesthetically, much better!!!

Thanks for the heads up

[MDT]

They are just standard shims that you get at Lowes or Home Depot. About 1/4" at its thickest

[sharthun]

Great choice! I wished I would have ordered mine with the recessed lighting option.And the white looks very clean and cool.

[psychocircus]

one of my boas really pushes, and the doors have not budged in the slightest. (although she is probably only a little under six feet right now.)

The swing doors have several little latches that you put over them, so it is even less of an issue.

Love my ap cages..

[Ouroboros]

Love mine too! I can't seem to find anywhere on their sight about recessed LED lights. I would've definitely gotten those, as right now I'm actually in the hunt for a decent LED fixture.

And I'll second the locks! I have a VERY strong BP that loves to push up against the glass when he gets hungry, and the locks and glass have held up extremely well.

The wait was definitely the hardest part, but you're right about Ali. She nailed customer service for sure. I plan on getting a third T3 to stack atop my first top, but with the divider, half for my sand boa and half for another smaller species (thinking hognose or rubber boa).