thinking about an incubator...

[Izzys Keeper]

Hey. im thinking about picking up an incubator for my first clutch. i have a few friends with tons of insight into bp breeding but theyve never used these specific incubators. im looking for reviews on
1. Little Giant incubator (made for chickens but states can be used for reptiles) or
2. Big Apple Herp's Hova-bator

anyone ever use one of these or hear about these. theyre relatively cheap and theyre made of styrofoam but both look like they could do the trick with built in temp controls and fans and stuff like that. please any insight would help.

and if your gonna try to persuade me to spend more money and buy a fridge to convert or to not breed at all please refrain. i would never do anything to harm my animals and if i do get out a clutch this yr it would only be out of weeks+ of research. everyone starts somewhere. thanks to all

[Court10_17]

i was just looking for a forum on this im suprised its not cant wait to see what replys you get because i need the same HELP

[Stewart_Reptiles]

and if your gonna try to persuade me to spend more money and buy a fridge to convert or to not breed at all please refrain. i would never do anything to harm my animals and if i do get out a clutch this yr it would only be out of weeks+ of research. everyone starts somewhere. thanks to all

You will have to spend more money anyway even if you use one those incubators, you will need to invest in a RELIABLE digital thermostat unless you want to take the risk to of possibly losing your clutch.

A reliable thermostat is the single most important piece of equipment when it comes to your incubator.

BTW fridges you can get them for free

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

If you start a thread by telling people NOT to answer you a certain way, that is a sure way to NOT get the answer you seek..

An incubator can be anything from an old sliding door pop cooler, a fridge, a freezer, an igloo cooler (plastic or styrofoam), a walk in closet, or even a glass aquarium. You can buy them premade or you can make it yourself.

The biggest things are that it is insulated well enough to hold heat fairly well. The heat source is placed correctly to allow for even distribution. A computer fan is used if there is too much up/down & side/side varient in temps. And like Deborah said, #1 most important thing is the thermostat controlling the heat source. Which can be mere flexwatt or even lightbulbs.

[Court10_17]

[QUOTE=Foschi Exotic Serpents;1304763]If you start a thread by telling people NOT to answer you a certain way, that is a sure way to NOT get the answer you seek..

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

As far as the 2 you named, anything marketed for birds is not generally recommended for reptiles. Reptile eggs require a much higher temp than most bird incubators can handle. The heating element should be replaced every season and you generally have to put the eggs directly in an egg substrate with no circulation under the eggs. A larger incubator designed for reptiles will allow you to use seperate egg boxes which sit inside the incubator. This way you can check each clutch without having to open every lid and disturb heat and humidity levels. The heat element for bird incubators is generally directly above the eggs and can cause very uneven temperatures.

If you only plan to have one or 2 clutches then a hovabator will work. You just need to be very sure you invest in a good thermostat, good egg substrate and the eggs are not too close to the heat element on the underside of the lid.

Honestly you can make one yourself for barely more than one of those cost.

Take a look at my thread here. It has pictures of one of my incubators.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=109306

[WingedWolfPsion]

HovaBator with a Herpstat works GREAT. I use these. But the Herpstat is not optional.
Having nursed the incubator through with the included wafer thermostat my first year breeding, NEVER again. Disaster was narrowly avoided numerous times. It just can't maintain stability. It's hardly better than a rheostat really.

So, that makes your actual cost for the HovaBator more like $140, instead of $40. Big Apple Herp does NOT make the HovaBator, by the way. They merely retail it. It was designed for hatching poultry eggs, and is made by G.Q.F. Manufacturing Co.

ZooMed has a new incubator out. It has a proportional thermostat and a hygrometer built in. It's only about $100, and it honestly looks fantastic. I think it would hold 2 or 3 ball clutches if you put them in directly, without containers. I have not yet seen it in person. It looks VERY similar in design to the HovaBator. Because of that, I expect it to function very well, IF the thermostat is reliable.
It is new, so until reports come in, there is a bit of risk in that. ZooMed hasn't been entirely consistent in the past. I love the look of the thing, and I hope it works as advertised, because I would like to use it for substrateless incubation.
If you're willing to take a risk on a new product, I would opt for the ZooMed.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Some reports on the Little Giant indicate issues with the thermostat (temperature spikes). Definitely not MY choice, due to that.

[snakesRkewl]

and if your gonna try to persuade me to spend more money and buy a fridge to convert or to not breed at all please refrain. i would never do anything to harm my animals and if i do get out a clutch this yr it would only be out of weeks+ of research. everyone starts somewhere. thanks to all

I used a mini fridge last year, gotten for free on craigslist.
I used a reptitemp 500R I paid $28 for online.
I bought 2 feet of flexwatt, clips and a couple of extension cords and the grand total was less than $60
It worked awesome, gave me a perfect clutch with 6 out of 6 eggs hatchling.
I do recommend a herpstat proportional though, I had to constantly watch temperatures with the cheap thermostat.
Mini fridges are the way to go for only a couple of clutches IMO

Weeks of research

[WingedWolfPsion]

By the way, with some experimentation and LOTS of vermiculite, my HovaBator is currently holding 3 large clutches of ball eggs, and I think I can get another one in there, too. They're doing great. I'm going to sort them out later by hatch dates so I don't have any too close to each other--don't want to risk mixing up the hatchlings, lol.
There's actually plenty of room for them.