Incubator recommendations?

You can also get a Chicken egg incubator for like $30 will hold 2x clutches and already has heat and thermometer included. They are identical to the hovabator, but the big difference is the way the heat is distributed evenly, not from a single disc in the top. Also has a window in the top which I like. I know people that have been using these for years and everything is good with them.

I use a big cooler. Slap some flexwatt on the bottom, put a layer of water bottles to help stabilize temps, hook it up to my Herpstat, and you're golden. Cheap and effective.

The HovaBator has a heavy-duty heating element that forms a square around the inside of the top. The little disk is the thermostat. You shouldn't use the simple wafer thermostat it comes with--just hook it up to a proportional thermostat instead.

With a proportional thermostat, HovaBators hold their temperatures and perform suprisingly well for such a low cost solution, and they hold 2 clutches comfortably--however, the clutches must share the same space, as egg boxes will not fit inside the unit, and you have to put the medium directly in the bottom.

I have a couple of them, and I have used them for 2 years now. I found you need to add some water mid-way through incubation, but they did the job perfectly, and all viable eggs developed well, and hatched healthy babies.

I'm curious as to WHICH chicken egg incubator you're talking about (particularly since you said it's identical to the HovaBator). The HovaBator is a chicken egg incubator--it's simply usable for reptile eggs as well. Forced-air models aren't suitable for reptile eggs, as they are too drying.
I'm unaware of any incubator that can hold 2 clutches that is only $30, so I'd really be interested in the brand name.
HovaBators are usually between 40 and 60.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

I put an ad out for broken mini fridges and got two of em. 3 ft of flexwatt and a thermostat and you're gold. You can do the window thing, but its not necessary. And you can put a fan in it, but you dont have. Its easy-ish, even for the those least handy.

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Exactly what I was going to recommend. Easy to make and does the job perfectly. When I was breeding for a living, I bought an upright freezer and did the same thing. Exactly what the doctor ordered.:banana::banana::banana:

Jim Smith

There is another option but I don't like it as much as a refrig or freezer. I have a friend that bought a broken Coke cooler, the upright version with the glass door. It's set up the same way as a freezer, except you can look through the glass. His does have a built in fan so that's something you wouldn't have to buy.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

There is another option but I don't like it as much as a refrig or freezer. I have a friend that bought a broken Coke cooler, the upright version with the glass door. It's set up the same way as a freezer, except you can look through the glass. His does have a built in fan so that's something you wouldn't have to buy.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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That is exactly what I have been hoping to find is a coke cooler.... I have contacted coke and pepsi both in my area and they both have repair centers they have to send broken units to....I want one of those to build my incubator out of... I like the glass door, makes it more desirable than refridgerator... dont have to open the door to see whats cookin

I would say I'd look for one for you but you're about 2800 miles from me. Go to all of the mom and pop shops and see if they have any. Also, I think I've seen small ones sitting on top of counters.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

The ones I have are still air incubators by Little Giant, I got them for $30 each. The heating element is like a wire fixed to the top half and goes around the perimeter of the lid.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../7/picture.jpg If the Hovabator went to this style than it's the same thing. From what people have told me in the past was that it had a disc in the center for heat and the middle got hot and the edges weren't consistent.

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

The ones I have are still air incubators by Little Giant, I got them for $30 each. The heating element is like a wire fixed to the top half and goes around the perimeter of the lid.

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I used a Little giant brand incubator last year connected to a Herpstat and had a 100% hatch rate. This year i expect a lot more eggs so i'm in the process of putting together my own cooler incubator with a 120qt cooler i got at Walmart.
U can see the little giant one in this video from last year at about 35 seconds in.
YouTube - Ball Python Eggs Update