ReptiFiles received a free 4’x2’x2′ Kages Premium White PVC Reptile Enclosure in exchange for an honest review, whether positive or negative. The review below is my honest, unbiased opinion, but it does contain some affiliate links. To learn why I use affiliate links on ReptiFiles, read here.
If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a major bias toward enclosures with screen tops. It might seem like a strange preference, considering how unpopular screen tops are in the general reptile community, but hear me out:
- Screen tops make it easier to place, rearrange, and swap out lamps. When you have to use screws to stick lamps to the ceiling of an enclosure, you’re committing to that placement. This usually isn’t too inconvenient as long as you mount them while you’re building the enclosure, and generally works out fine…until later down the road when you realize that you want to change out what lamp you’re using, add a new lamp, or change the lamps’ configuration based on new recommendations. Then it becomes a real pain! When you have a screen top, you just set the lamps on top however you want, and you change things up whenever you want, quickly and easily.
- Creates a physical barrier between lamps and enclosure occupants. It’s dangerous to let reptiles get too close to their lamps. The most obvious reason is that heat lamps can get hot enough to burn a reptile immediately upon contact, but LEDs and T5 HO fluorescents get quite hot as well. Furthermore, UVB bulb strength is dependent upon distance from the bulb — in other words, if a reptile spends any significant amount of time in close proximity to these bulbs, they can suffer radiation burns from being exposed to extremely high UVI levels! Although metal screen can still get plenty hot, and it still allows reptiles to get close to UVB bulbs, even this little barrier significantly improves the safety of a setup by preventing exposure to the highest temperatures and UV levels.
In addition, when lamps are placed on top of the enclosure rather than inside of it, it significantly increases the functional vertical space inside the setup, which also works to help prevent reptiles from getting too close!
- Screen tops enhance airflow in and out of the enclosure. Overheating is one of the most dangerous things that can happen in a reptile enclosure. Most animals can cope with being a little too cold, but too much heat can very quickly become deadly for reptiles. Screen tops allow the hottest air to escape through the top of the enclosure and facilitates the diverse temperature gradient that reptiles need to thermoregulate. They also prevent the accumulation of damp air that leads to stagnation, which in turn breeds the pathogens which contribute to respiratory infections and scale rot. You might need to mist more often and even use additional heating equipment to dial in the right parameters for your reptile, but it’s worth the inconvenience because you’re protecting your pet’s health!
- Screen tops allow for better airflow around the lamps themselves. Did you know that lamps need airflow too? If you look in the lamps’ directions for use, you’ll probably see a statement to this effect. Airflow is important for keeping lamps cool, which in turn is important to keeping them from overheating and burning out. In other words, placing lamps on top of a reptile enclosure rather than inside the enclosure helps both your bulbs and fixtures last longer — and most importantly, helps prevent them from becoming a fire hazard!
If that’s not enough, consider this: the mother of modern reptile lighting, Dr. Frances Baines, also prefers screen top enclosures (as stated in her Facebook group, Reptile Lighting).
Who is Kages?
If you’ve been in the reptile hobby for a while, Kages (also known as Reptile Kages) should be a familiar name to you. Kages has made a name for themselves with their diverse sizing, deep substrate dams, easy assembly, and reputation for quality. They’ve even been used in zoos!
Recently Kages has come under new management, and they’re eager to make Kages the best PVC enclosures on the market by bringing a formerly stagnant design into the modern day. One of their first moves has been adding a screen top option to the classic design, so now they offer the following customization options for all of their enclosures:
- Lighting
- Solid top
- Square screen on right
- Square screen on left
- 2 square screens (1 left 1 right)
- Venting
- Back vents only
- Back & side vents
- Belly Heat (heat mat not included)
- Belly heat recess on left
- Belly heat recess on right
They’ve also added a white color option to the classic Kages Black!
Another noteworthy attribute about Kages is their generous list of size options (all sizes listed in length x width x height format):
- 30” x 16” x 16”
- 36” x 24” x 18”
- 3’ x 2’ x 2’
- 4’ x 2’ x 2’
- 4’ x 2’ x 2’ with 7” substrate barrier
- 4’ x 2’ x 3’
- 5’ x 2’ x 2’
- 5’ x 2’ x 2’ with 7” substrate barrier
- 5’ x 2’ x 3’
- 5’ x 3’ x 3’
- 5’ x 3’ x 4’
- 6’ x 2’ x 2’
- 6’ x 3’ x 3’
- 7’ x 2’ x 2’
- 7’ x 3’ x 3’
- 8’ x 2’ x 2’
- 8’ x 3’ x3’
- 8’ x 4’ x 4’
Kages has accumulated hundreds of 5 star reviews over the years, but do they have what it takes to earn 5 stars from ReptiFiles? There’s only one way to find out:
Product Specs
Kages enclosures are customizable, but the specs listed below are applicable to all.
- Made in the USA
- Free shipping within the continental US
- Shipped within 10 days of ordering
- ½” thick PVC panels
- 18% UVB block
- Black and white color options with a matte finish
- Tempered glass removable doors
- Simple assembly only requires a Philips screwdriver
- 4-7″ deep substrate panel, depending on model
- Included: hardware, screw covers
- Door lock and clear stick-on door handles sold separately
The enclosure I received for review is a Kages 4’x2’x2’ Premium White PVC Reptile Enclosure with a 4” deep substrate dam, two square screens, back and side vents, and no belly heat recess. This particular enclosure retails for $825 USD as of July 2024.
Discussion
Unboxing & Assembly
The Parts
Most of the PVC pieces have a protective film on at least one side. This protects it from scuffs in the packing and shipping process, which is so essential when you’re dealing with white! Considering how many times I’ve complained about this oversight in the past with white enclosures, it’s nice to see someone actually doing it. That said, the enclosure still with a couple of manufacturing defects (scars) on the panels. There’s a warning about the potential for this in the product description, and I appreciate the transparency, but it still diminishes the value of the product and its ultimate aesthetic appeal.
Something else I’ve complained about in the past is machining residue. I’m happy to say that Kages comes very clean without need for any extra cleanup during assembly!
The Assembly
Kages enclosures come with instructions in the form of a PDF accessed via QR code. These are strictly written instructions with no pictures or illustrations, which made the assembly process a bit more difficult. Standard practice for writing technical manuals such as assembly instructions is to include images to help guide the user, as words only are usually inadequate for describing physical actions. Several enclosure manufacturers get over this difficulty by offering build instructions in a video format instead!
The instructions note that the enclosures can take two people to build, and I definitely found this to be true for the 4x2x2. Since my husband wasn’t around when I started the project, I had to improvise. I managed to find a way to stabilize the enclosure for the first two sides, and then once that was done, the enclosure was able to stand on its own well enough for me to finish without much difficulty.
In theory this enclosure can be put together with just a Philips screwdriver, especially thanks to the pre-installed guide holes, but I do recommend using a drill if you have one, as it makes the process a lot faster and easier. Screwdriver or drill, the enclosure still comes together more quietly than the average framed enclosure (which in my experience usually involves a good amount of noise from hammering the pieces into place).
The black screws did leave a bit of dark residue on my fingers, which in turn resulted in dark fingerprints and smudges on the white PVC. They were easily removed with a microfiber cloth, but it’s something to be aware of.
The doors are designed to be installed after the rest of the enclosure has been built, which means that they are removeable for ease of access and cleaning. As I understand it, this feature is new to Kages, and it shows: I had to ask them for a new upper door track piece because the one I received did not allow for removable doors. Even after receiving the new track, the doors did not pop in or out very easily — it took some oomf to get past the lower track and into the right place.
Ultimately this took me about an hour to set up by myself. If I’d had assembly photos in the instructions, a helper, and the time to put it together all in one go rather than in chunks, this probably would have gone smoother.
Design & Functionality
This was my first time putting together a frameless enclosure, and I’ve got to say, I think I’m converted! I really like the tight seal and (if you’re not doing a built-in background) it generally comes apart easier than a framed enclosure does.
Going frameless isn’t without its weaknesses, though. For one, it’s harder to put together and requires a bit more skill than the average framed enclosure. In fact there’s a lot of room for user error – namely panels not aligning in a perfectly flush way. So depending on how well you put it together, it can look seamless or it can look a bit misshapen. There’s also the risk of stripping the guide holes if you drill too far. It’s also probably not as strong in a stacking situation compared to a framed enclosure.
I considered skipping the silicone due to the tight seams, but decided to do a water test before taking that risk. It did end up leaking, so silicone is still necessary if you want to go bioactive or will have a lot of water going into the setup.
The white PVC is oddly soft — so much so that if you scratch a panel with your fingernail, the material will dent! (The sliding door tracks will bend when pressure is applied, but that’s more or less to be expected with thin PVC of any color.) After giving them my initial feedback, Kages explored other options for sourcing their white PVC, but in the end it seems that there’s something fundamental about white PVC’s chemical makeup that makes it softer than black PVC. This resulted in the enclosure taking quite a bit of cosmetic damage during the lengthy process of installing the custom background. The good news is that it doesn’t affect the enclosure’s functionality and, after evaluating a sample of their black PVC material, black Kages are perfectly fingernail-proof.
The white screw covers are a good idea at first glance, but in application they end up looking pretty funny when placed on the enclosure – it’s obvious the enclosure is covered in stickers, and ultimately in my opinion it looks better to go without them. Providing white screws for this enclosure’s assembly would make more sense and would solve the camouflage problem.
Although side vents have caused problems in past reviews, what I like about Kages’ vents is that they’re placed high up and away from the floor, reducing the risk of insect and/or CUC escape. Small insects capable of climbing and extra small reptiles like newborn ocellated skinks, microgeckos, and most hatchling colubrids are still likely to be able to exploit this. However it’s unlikely to become a significant problem as long as you don’t house those animals in these enclosures. If you do house these in a Kages enclosure, you can either choose to omit back and/or side vents entirely, or you can cover the vents with mesh.
Due to the presence of back and side vents, I had a reshape my plans for a textured background to a combination of paint and foam in order to avoid covering them up. It’s not a problem unless you want to use a pre-made background like Universal Rocks. If you plan on using a picture background like Pet Backdrops, note that you will need to cut holes in the background for the vents.
Summary
Things I Liked About the Kages 4’x2’x2’ Premium White PVC Reptile Enclosure
Tempered glass doors. Glass doors may be heavy, and there’s always the risk of shattering, but they’re also far more durable than acrylic, which makes them a better long-term option. They’re also easier to clean! I have experience with both materials, and in my opinion, glass is always superior.
White color option. White reptile enclosures are usually associated with melamine, which is a type of manufactured wood consisting of particle board coated in laminate. The material is strong and attractive, but it has a major flaw: if water seeps into the particle board interior, the whole thing begins to crumble! White PVC provides the same clean white aesthetic and bright interior, but without the risk of critical failure in the presence of water. White reflects light, and so as an additional benefit it may be more effective for maintaining live plants and even stimulating activity in sun-loving species such as bearded dragons and uromastyx.
Great ventilation options. With up to 4 sets of vents and cutouts that create almost a full screen top, Kages enclosures are capable of offering some of the best ventilation on the market. When leveraged properly, this means healthier animals!
High UVB permeability. The wide openings on the material used for the screen top mean that less UVB gets blocked, improving the efficiency of UVB lamps placed on top of the enclosure. According to my calculations*, this screen blocks only about 18% of light, which makes it one of the most UVB-friendly tops on the market!
- Kages = 18% block
- Custom Reptile Habitats = 20%
- Toad Ranch = 23%
- Zoo Med = 34%**
- Exo Terra = 35%**
- Dubia.com = 43%**
- Carolina Custom Cages = 45%**
- ReptiZoo = 45%**
- Zen Habitats = 45%**
- Toxirium = 49%
*Please note that all listed measurements are approximate and should be allowed a ±5% margin of error. There is a possibility that Kages, Custom Reptile Habitats, and Toad Ranch all use the same mesh (it’s very similar in appearance) and therefore in fact have the same UVB permeability, but I haven’t been able to independently verify this.
**Data courtesy of independent testers in the Reptile Lighting community on Facebook, Guide 1.
Tight seams. The frameless design enables tighter seams, making it less leak-prone than framed designs. This also makes it easier to seal with silicone.
Quiet assembly. Because you don’t have to hammer anything together (as is a weakness of framed enclosures), Kages enclosures can be assembled nearly silently, especially if you’re using a screwdriver rather than a drill.
Simple takedown. The frameless design also makes this enclosure easier to take apart, although perhaps not as quick as models which arrive partially pre-assembled. This makes it MUCH easier to move the enclosure from one location to another when needed.
Labeled parts. Each piece of the enclosure is clearly labeled with a sticker to help guide the building process. I especially like that the door tracks have specific stickers which indicate exactly where to put the center brace, which is a thoughtful touch that removes a lot of guesswork. There are even pre-drilled guide holes to tell you exactly where to place the screws, and to facilitate assembly with a screwdriver.
Clear center brace. Center braces are a structural necessity for many PVC enclosures, particularly the frameless ones, and generally I don’t like the way they make the enclosure look. Plus, they usually cause visibility problems (which was one of my big complaints about the former design). Kages seems to have solved this by using a discreet “invisible” brace!
Extra screws included in case you lose a few. We’ve all been there, and the last thing you want is to waste an hour matching hardware at the store, then find the missing screw two days later.
Removable doors. Like glass doors, I consider removability to be an essential feature for any modern reptile enclosure with doors that slide rather than hinge. Removable doors make them easier to clean and makes enclosure setup and maintenance a whole lot more convenient.
Things I Didn’t Like About the Kages 4’x2’x2’ Premium White PVC Reptile Enclosure
Labels are too sticky. The stickers used for the labels are very difficult to remove, and you will essentially need a razor blade to do the job rather than just cleanly peeling them off.
Doors lack handles/pulls as a default and the fit is odd. The fit of the “removable” doors is too tight — I would appreciate having an extra millimeter or two so I don’t have to fight the enclosure just to pop the doors in and out. I’ve never had such difficulty with “removable” doors in any other enclosure. The door tracks themselves are also oddly designed, as only one of the doors has a groove in the side that it slides into; the other just butts up against the wall. It’s not a huge issue but it definitely makes the enclosure feel a bit less secure/like a determined reptile could open the door on its own. Finally, I’m not fond of the fact that door handles are considered an accessory and not part of the kit. Of course, the doors can be opened and closed without them, but you end up with a lot more fingerprints to clean off the glass.
The white version of the PVC is noticeably soft. For reasons of manufacturing that I can’t explain, white PVC is softer than black PVC — soft enough to make it quite prone to scratches, dents, and scars with normal assembly and use. The black PVC, however, is perfectly hard and durable.
Split screen top. Having two square screen inserts rather than a full screen top means that there will be a significant shadow where the center bar is. This is likely to affect LED/T5 HO illumination, and may also affect UVB coverage as well. Because Kages currently limits their screen inserts to a maximum size of 18″ square and quantity of two, this problem will affect enclosures larger than 4’x2′ more strongly.
FAQs
Are Kages enclosures stackable?
The original Kages design is intended to be directly stackable, with no spacers necessary. However, if you choose to add mesh inserts to the top to enhance light placement and/or ventilation, then they lose their stackability and must be placed on shelves.
Some people express concern about the stacking strength of Kages. As a general rule, frameless enclosures are not as strong as framed designs. Based on my observations of how well the ceiling and walls handle weight, my conclusion is that if you are using a lightweight substrate (ex: aspen shavings, coconut husks, paper towels, etc.) and lightweight decor, then you don’t have anything to worry about. If you’re using a thick and/or heavy substrate (ex: sand, soil, bioactive kit, etc.) in the enclosure(s) on top, then structural damage is more likely to occur. If you intend to use heavy substrates, I recommend placing each enclosure on a shelf of an appropriately strong shelving unit.
(Note that longer enclosures are more likely to bow over time than shorter ones.)
Does Kages sell stacking spacers?
No.
Can Kages enclosures handle heavy substrate?
Yes! The thick PVC panels and frameless design make these enclosures better at supporting heavy substrate than your average framed PVC enclosure.
How strong are the mesh inserts?
The mesh inserts are not as weak as the mesh tops of, say, Zoo Med or Exo Terra terrariums, but if concentrated weight is applied to the mesh, it will deform. Fortunately, since you need as much of the mesh to be left uncovered as possible to preserve ventilation, you shouldn’t be making a habit of storing your dumbbells on the enclosure anyway.
An average cat is unlikely to cause problems, but if your cat is particularly large and/or heavy, it may damage the mesh if it decides to sit on top of the enclosure. If the latter condition(s) apply to you, you may want to consider an enclosure with stronger mesh.
How well do Kages enclosures hold humidity?
This depends heavily on the way you build it. The base model with no additional ventilation slats or mesh inserts holds humidity very efficiently, to the point where stagnation becomes a concern and I recommend running a small fan to keep the air moving. Adding ventilation slats reduces humidity retention by a small margin, and adding mesh inserts reduces humidity retention most of all.
Keep in mind that high humidity retention is not necessarily a desirable trait in a reptile enclosure, as it means the enclosure ventilates poorly and is more likely to promote pathogen growth, which can in turn get your reptile sick. I made a quick informative video on this topic here:
Conclusion: Better than the old design, but could still use improvement
ReptiFiles Rating: 4 stars
If you’re familiar with my reviews, then you know that I can get really picky. But I have to be! Many products on the current market are perfectly functional and similarly designed, so I have to really put them under the microscope to make distinctions and provide a fleshed out list of pros and cons for potential buyers.
Before the mesh top option was introduced to the design, I wasn’t fond of Kages. The standard vents on the back were better than nothing, but the thick PVC and solid top meant that these enclosures insulated aggressively and promoted a limited (if not archaic) approach to reptile lighting which further aggravated the temperature problem and reduced both flexibility and functionality. The new design is a marked improvement compared to the already-popular original, and there’s a lot to like about it — most notably the customizability, ease of assembly, and high functionality. But there’s also a number of things about the design and options that can undercut those good qualities.
If you’re looking for a reptile enclosure with lots of customizability, a great track record, and excellent customer service, Kages is the brand for you. (Seriously, the Kages crew is phenomenal and if this review were just about them as a brand, I’d give them 5 stars.) Keep in mind that the enclosure you end up with is only going to be as good as the options you choose to build it with. The 4-star ReptiFiles Rating is based on the enclosure that I reviewed with the two mesh inserts and side vents, and does not apply to the base model design.
What reptiles can be housed in the Kages 4’x2’x2’ Premium White PVC Reptile Enclosure?
Small to medium-sized terrestrial lizards <18” long and snakes <48” long can be suitably housed in a 4’ x 2’ x 2’ enclosure. Examples may include:
- African fat-tailed geckos
- Collared lizards
- Corn snakes
- Garter snakes
- Hognose snakes
- Kingsnakes
- Leopard geckos
- Milksnakes
- Ocellated skinks
- Uromastyx
**click any of the above links to see a ReptiFiles care sheet/manual on the mentioned species**
ReptiFiles’ tips for success with the Kages Premium PVC Reptile Enclosure:
- If you plan to house a day-active species in a Kages enclosure, go with the white PVC option for a brighter interior. If the species you’re keeping is night-active, black will work well.
- Use a drill to dramatically accelerate the assembly process.
- If using white PVC, assemble this enclosure on a carpeted or padded surface away from any sharp corners or edges which may mark the material.
- If you need to move a white enclosure to a new home, make sure to cover it in moving blankets, foam sheets, or other padding to help prevent scarring.
Glad you found the review helpful! I appreciate the tip about the center brace – I mind it a lot less when it’s transparent!
Great review. I wish they had the screen top option when I purchased my 5ft enclosure 14 months ago. Despite not having this, what sold me was their great customer service and above all the variety of sizes! I think they are on only ones doing 5ft enclosures and this was a huge selling point for me. Glad to hear they are drilling pilot holes now! I had to use a clamp on corner brace to get it perfectly aligned, but pre drilling takes it to “no brainer” territory.
YMMV but if you don’t want to use the center brace, I’ve found installing a wooden header out of 1×2 wood on inside top does the trick too as long as you don’t plan on sitting or standing on the top.. your mainly just trying to get the “bow” out of the panel which will sag otherwise.
Jeff