Please advise ASAP (incubator)

[Lolo76]

I mentioned that I was going to have my eggs (laid yesterday) incubated at the vivarium, but I had a change of heart & decided to buy an incubator... I can't and won't spend $150+ on something fancy for one mojave/normal clutch, so I found a Little Giant still-air incubator for $55 at the local feed store. I couldn't find a Hovabator anywhere in town, and these look to be basically the same - or are they??

I've read threads and watched videos on using the Hovabator, but can't seem to find anything on the Little Giant... does anyone have experience with these, and could you give me some advice on using it? I'm not sure if I need to add water (in the chamber) AND the half-bag of HatchRite I had left over, also whether or not I need to use the mesh floor. It's plugged in right now, but I haven't added the eggs yet - so I'd really appreciate any info ASAP!

P.S. Please don't tell me to make my own... I did that last year, and it required calling in friends to help, buying all sorts of stuff (which will cost more than this incubator), and in the end it kinda sucked & I tossed it when I moved. So I'm obviously not the DIY kind of person!

[Homegrownscales]

I've used something similar. I kept the wire floor in, added water in the bottom to keep it humid and put the hatch rite in a container with the eggs. Worked like a charm.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Lolo76]

Thanks! I added water to the chamber, but humidity is still reading very low (40) - so I guess I do need the HatchRite... but what sized tub will fit in that thing? I have these little pencil-box type of containers, just not sure the eggs will fit in them. Argh.

[Lolo76]

I put the tub with HatchRite in the incubator, and I have the Acu-rite (thermometer) probe inside the tub - getting a temp reading of 85 & slowly climbing, but humidity is still only 40. Does it just take a while for the moisture to dissipate around the tub? And does it matter if the temperature OUTSIDE of the tub is much higher?

If I don't figure all of this out by late tonight, I'll just take the darned eggs to the vivarium tomorrow... and hopefully return the incubator. Poor Nerissa is sooooo skinny after laying, and I really don't want her sitting on those eggs for much longer!

[Matt K]

What kind of gauge are you using? Without modification the common little Accurite (is that what the brand is?) gauges read temperature from the probe, but humidity from the unit itself. It could very well be that the ambient humidity of your room is 40%, and that it's higher in the incubator. Try putting your unit inside the incubator and see if the reading changes.

Cheers,
-Matt

[Matt K]

Oops, double! Might as well make an edit, haha. You'd have to put the unit in the box if that was the case to get an accurate humidity reading. Sorry for the confusion .

Cheers,
-Matt

[Lolo76]

What kind of gauge are you using? Without modification the common little Accurite (is that what the brand is?) gauges read temperature from the probe, but humidity from the unit itself. It could very well be that the ambient humidity of your room is 40%, and that it's higher in the incubator. Try putting your unit inside the incubator and see if the reading changes.

Cheers,
-Matt

Thanks! That makes more sense, as I was wondering how the heck it was 40 INSIDE the tub... so I'll try that, and see if it changes. And yes, it would probably be around 40% in my apartment, since I live in a rather dry (Californian) climate.

[Lolo76]

Haha... as SOON as I put the Acurite inside the tub, humidity started quickly rising.

[stickyalvinroll]

lmao go to lllreptile.com

[Lolo76]

lmao go to lllreptile.com

For what? Instructions?