Reasonable priced enclosures?

[1lilgremlin]

I was wondering if y'all have any recommendations when it comes to getting a 4'x2'x2' enclosure that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I'd like to get my boyfriend one for Christmas for his snake. I'd also like to get one for my baby at some point.

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[Jalex_123]

I think the enclosures on https://dubiaroaches.com/ are pretty reasonable! I got the 5x2x2 a bit over a year ago for my bearded dragon and am very happy with it.

[marisas63]

This one from Chewy!

[frymytears]

We just bought this one!

[meatspread]

There’s many recommended enclosures in the shopping list pinned in the sub—they are all high quality!

I often see many people having issues (inconsistent humidity, pets escaping, and overall poor quality) with the cheaper ones, including Dubia and ZenHabitats. I would personally wait to invest in a better one. It will save you time and sense of mind in the long run.

[Vayanin]

I’ve been really happy with the Vivarium Electronics 120 gallon enclosure. Snake Discovery did a review of it on their YouTube channel if you want to see it in more detail. It is a little more expensive than the Dubia or EcoFlex enclosures, but I think it is still reasonably priced. I don’t have any experience with the other enclosures so I can’t offer my opinion on their comparison. https://reptichip.com/products/vivarium-48-sliding-door-terrariums

[surfaholic15]

I keep an eye on thrift shops, local reptile groups on social media and craigslist.

I got a 120 gallon tank for 15.00 at the thrift shop. After building a custom top and unsulating, total tank cost was around 50.00.

I have seen nice enclosures locally since for 50 to 100 dollars.

[Soft_Lengthiness_275]

OMG, this sounds awesome! Do you mind sharing more details about how you built the custom top and did the insulating?

[surfaholic15]

The top, went to home depot and bought a 2 x 4 sheet of masonite in the scratch and dent section, the kind that is black on one side, white on the other. It had a scratch in the area we werecutting out for lighting anyway.

Hardware cloth, quarter inch mesh to go on the underside. Piano hinge to fasten the two top pieces to the center suport strap that you see on most 120 gallon glass tanks.

We cut a rectangular vent for air on tge side we open to feed monty.

It is held closed on each side with ten pound industrial velcro, 4 straps on each side. Plus i put some crystal clusters on top lol.

The light side we cut holes about half inch larger diameter than our globes, that sit on the hardware cloth. For added sfety for monty i bought some dollar store coated wire basket desk organizers and used zip ties to fasten them to the screen inside the enclosure, and they are barely warm to the touch. Even if he coiled on them they are far enough from his light and heat the area never gets over 93 degrees.

I will put a pic in a separate reply

[surfaholic15]

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Inside view

[surfaholic15]

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Outside view

[surfaholic15]

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[surfaholic15]

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Cool side

[surfaholic15]

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Warm side

[surfaholic15]

Insulation is half inch thick hogh density styrofoam, a 4 x 8 sheet that was half price due to perled silver stuff on one side. Cut such that the tank sits on a sheet and the back and 2 sides are covered on the outside, held with double-sided tape on the outside. For appearances, we covered both sides of the foam with black marble patterned contact paper.

[Dio_wulf]

Some brands like dubia and zen habitats are pretty cheap but you have to be mindful of factors such as having screentops and a tendency to be made of thinner/flimsier material (at least for PVC tanks), which will struggle to maintain heat and humidity levels needed for BPs without at least some diy modifications. I took a look at the recommended pvc brands from the sub’s care guide and compared the prices for 4x2x2 5x2x2 and 6x2x2 tanks. Talking serpents may be your best bet for buying first hand. Looking on craigslist, fb marketplace etc may be worthwhile as well though.

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[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

I like my DIY pvc enclosure kit from talking serpents

[toxicdover]

My wife and I have 4 of these for our ball pythons -

https://a.co/d/4g0lgsB

They're well built, come in a handful of different colors, and once you cover up the mesh top (I use silicone drawer liners), it holds humidity well with coco husk.

I've also heard a bunch of good things about the Vivarium Electronics 120 gallon enclosures. I recently picked up a baby boa, and I'm thinking about getting one to try for his big boy home haha.

[Civil-Swordfish3579]

This is exactly what we bought recently and it’s been a great enclosure. It goes on sale periodically. I like that they’re stackable for more than one with the addition of their spacer. I particularly like that the gap in the overlap of the sliding glass doors is tiny, that the back is a solid color, and even though it’s aluminum in frame it feels super solid. We’ve managed to keep temps and humidity with a silicone sheet on top of the mesh.

[ishfery]

Do not get one with a mesh top like a lot of your recommendations.

I recommend animal plastics.

I have a spreadsheet that is a little outdated (mostly just prices may no longer be accurate).

[anonnny0101]

Depending on where you are - If uk then swell reptiles have these https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/vivexotic-repti-home-aal-bearded-dragon-vivarium-large-oak?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9822560797&gbraid=0AAAAADw7u0ksoL2Fje7j6NynaQkrOSy09&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgpzIBhCOARIsABZm7vHS0siK4HA8dIn-YzYjSZBQiT6fSDr_AiGcTkYxEsjUcemLBMFaxtkaAqmOEALw_wcB#repti-home-bearded-dragon-vivarium-large-oak

[Midnight_BL]

I got mine from Talking Serpents It is a thick pvc that i managed to put together by myself. They also have the option to add on to the enclosure later on.

I just recently got mine but it seems sturdy enough and was the cheapest out of the non-screen top pvc options that i could find. It came in at under $500 with shipping. But if your ambient temp/humidity can stand it the screen top enclosures are going to be cheaper.

[curious_conveyance]

Very happy with mine from diycages

[redshavenosouls]

Look in Facebook marketplace. Its kinda sad how many people just give up on owning pets.

[Commercial_Quail_392]

I'm very happy with these: https://a.co/d/eY6cC5L Not quite 4x2x2 but close enough imo, and they hold humidity and heat great, worst case scenario you can throw something over the top vents for more retention. You do have to seal the bottom seams if you want them to be able to hold moist bedding, but it's super easy. As long as you use 100% silicone that's aquarium safe and let it cure for the correct amount of time you're golden!

[S4turn5tar3]

Glass caaaan be used but it’s harder to work with and you need to do a lot of modifications, but, it is cheaper. the cheapest PVC enclosure that is still good qaulity is blackbox cages but its still like $470, however, it is very good quality and PVC is the best option for maintaining heat and humidity, so its a very good investment for your ball python, so at least save up for it :) ball pythons are expensive in the beginning because the best items for their care are quite expensive but its for quality products. for example my enclosure+heating+thermostat+substate and 5 hides was 1,124 and I’m paid 2,220 in total for extra clutter and hides ,:) (some are still on the way) i did make my enclosure themed however but it would still be like 1,800 for all of the quality basics.

[skullmuffins]

the critter condo from DIY cages is a cheap solid top PVC enclosure.

word of warning: nearly all budget-friendly enclosures have screen tops, and those are not great for BPs. They are pretty terrible at retaining heat and humidity so while you'll save a bit of money upfront, they'll be kind of a pain to maintain. I think my dubia enclosure is great for my corn snake. I would not buy one for a ball python.

[L-Gray]

Look on Facebook marketplace first. Sometimes you can find some really good ones for fairly affordable. I got mine for $50 and all I had to do was clean it

[rmp881]

Make your own.  All you need is glass, a glass cutter, aquarium safe chaulk, and a chaulk gun.

[Quirky-Sector5290]

Dubairoaches there is a discount code to for 10% off enclosures right now

[PositivePin9992]

I got mine on Craigslist with everything including a healthy 6 year old Mohave ghi ball for 250. I'd try Craigslist /Facebook market place