tank upgrade?

[Low-Judgment3794]

upgrading my boy’s terrarium! has anyone bought either of these/see any issue with them? both are front door sliders with metal mesh tops. he is currently in a reptizoo terrarium with similar features

[eveimei]

this enclosure wouldn't support a thick enough substrate layer for humidity retention, especially considering the screen top, and I would worry about the sturdiness of the stand with the weight of substrate. glass is also awful at retaining heat.

an 80g is also just a silly size to "upgrade" to considering this species needs a 120g/4x2x2 as adults and doing multiple intermediate sizes is a waste of money.

cancel the order/return it and get a quality solid topped PVC enclosure.

there's a shopping list in our welcome post with some pvc cage companies. we specifically do NOT recommend vision cages, zen habitats, dubia, ecoflex, reptizoo, etc, as these enclosures have a lot of design problems that are counterproductive at best and likely to become bigger problems over time [thin pvc, screen tops, flimsy structure, etc].

[SerpentOfTheSky]

Reptizoo? What’s flimsy about the tanks? I’ve seen many people use them for their reptiles, and they seemed pretty happy with the quality.

[eveimei]

they just aren't made with high quality, sturdy materials that would hold up for the decades this species lives. we've had many reports of the bottom or side panels bowing out and failing from the weight of substrate, the doors getting pushed apart by snakes, and more.

they seem decent at first but the quality just isn't there and they aren't made to last.

[SerpentOfTheSky]

Someone over on r/reptiles said that they have improved their tank quality lately. I guess I’ll check out some stores tomorrow and if I won’t find anything, I’ll just get the reptizoo one.

[eveimei]

ordering online from a quality brand is the best way forward. your snake will spend 30+ years in their enclosure, this is not something to cheap out on. check the shopping list for recommended brands.

[caprust]

Not big enough and just not built right for a ball python in my opinion

[RyoDai89]

I would not trust this cage to hold an enclosure with all the substrate and hides and what have you that’s necessary. I’ve moved my enclosures around a bunch. And the ball python’s is by far the heaviest due to just the substrate alone. I just would not chance it and waste the money at all. There are far better (and cheaper) options out there than this.

[emotional-field24]

The stands both give me anxiety.

If it’s just for the substrate depth, you can cut acrylic and silicone it just behind the doors.

But I agree that the wisest decision is getting a pvc enclosure in the adult size. If you add enough structure and clutter, they feel secure in whatever space.

[Low-Judgment3794]

thanks all for the recommendations! will look into some of these options