What’s the difference between the Vivexotic Viva+ and Reptihome?

The Vivexotic range of vivariums are some of our most popular products online. These 15mm board vivariums are extremely good value for money and provide much-needed insulation for reptiles. In the store, we recommend these units for most reptiles that require a basking temperature over 75 Fahrenheit. Though they don’t have quite as much ventilation as a glass terrarium they provide much better control over the basking temperatures both day and night, in the UK this is a must for many exotic pets.

Vivexotic currently offer 3 ranges of vivariums, the Viva+ range, Maxi Repti-home and Repti-home. These have slight variations in size and features allowing us to provide a vivarium in 3 price brackets. The standard Reptihome being the cheapest, Maxi Reptihome being the mid-range and Viva+ being their premium enclosure.

Vivexotic Repti-home Vivariums

The Repti-home vivariums are the most basic range. They are 37.5cm deep and 49cm tall making them the slimmest offering from Vivexotic and most budget-friendly. Just like the more expensive models this unit arrives flat packed and can be constructed and deconstructed at home with a single screwdriver. As of 2018 they also include the more premium ‘Easy vent’ ventilation system. These vents are shaped in such a way that a plug can be passed through the back wall, helping you avoid any re-wiring. This range is currently available in 4 wood effect colours: Oak, Beech, Black and Walnut. They are currently offered in 3  sizes: Small (57.5cm wide), Medium (86cm wide) and Large (115cm wide).

Pros:

• Extremely affordable
• Quality design
• Great insulation
• Toughened glass doors

Cons:

• Short and slim enclosure compared to the others
• No cabinet available for this range
• Not really deep enough for larger snakes and reptiles

Vivexotic Maxi Repti-home Vivariums

The Maxi Reptihome vivarium is the next step up in Vivexotic’s range. These vivariums are 49cm deep and 56cm tall so provide much more space than the basic Reptihome. They comprise of 15mm panels providing great insulation and use toughened glass for incredible durability. The panels are water resistant and if the joints are treated with a sealant after construction the entire vivarium can be used to create a humid environment and will last much longer. As this unit is deeper it can be used with Vivexotic’s range of cabinets.

The Maxi Reptihome is currently available in 4 colours: Oak, Beech, Walnut and Black and can be purchased in 2 sizes: Medium (86cm wide), Large (115cm wide). In the store, we use advise this range for Bearded Dragons, Leopard Geckos, Corn Snakes, Royal Pythons, Skinks and Tortoises.

Features:

• Much more space than the Reptihome
• Matching Vivexotic cabinet
• Great insulation
• Toughened Glass

Vivexotic Viva+ Vivariums

Viva+ vivariums are Vivexotic’s premium range of enclosures. In place of the wood and plastic front-runners used in the Reptihome enclosures, this range uses a ventilated metal front-runner. These runners allow for a much deeper substrate and as the unit has both backward and forward facing vents it provides a lot more ventilation. This range is available as terrestrial units for ground dwelling species and arboreal units for tree-dwelling species. In total, they are offered in 4 colours and 7 sizes-

• Small Terrestrial – 57.5 x 49 x 50cm
• Medium Terrestrial – 86 x 49 x 50cm
• Large Terrestrial – 115 x 49 x 50cm
• Large-Deep Terrestrial – 115 x 61 x 50cm
• Small Arboreal – 57.5 x 49 x 91.5cm
• Medium Arboreal – 86 x 49 x 91.5cm
• Large-Deep Arboreal – 115 x 61 x 91.5cm

As these units provide much more ventilation they will lose heat a little quicker, to compensate for this the terrestrial enclosures are 6cm shorter than the Maxi Reptihomes ensuring that you can still get the perfect basking temperatures. We highly recommend these units for warm bio-active enclosures or any enclosure that requires some humidity. In the store, we use the Large-Deep Terrestrial units for our desert dwelling reptiles like the Bearded Dragons, Blue Tongue Skinks and Spiny Tail Monitors. We also use the Medium or Large-Deep Arboreal units for Water Dragons, Frilled Dragons, Panther Chameleons, Yemen Chameleons and small Iguanas.

Summary

In summary, we find that the Maxi Reptihome is the best option for those looking for a home for life on a budget. If you can stretch a little the upgrade to Viva+ is definitely worth it, when keeping dry enclosures you can be surer that humidity can’t build up and when setting up humid enclosures the vivarium gets much better airflow to prevent stagnation. We find the metal front-runners look nicer and hold up a bit better over time.

All of these units can be purchased at the reptile centre website and can be shipped within the UK. For recommendations on the matching hardware for these enclosures please see our set-up lists. If you have any questions on the vivexotic range please contact us at sales@reptilecentre.com or by phone on 01604753823