getting ready for eggs!!!!

ok well im not finished with the incubator but i will post what we have so far.
the fridge!
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8.../incubator.jpg
the latches to keep it closed and make the pos seal perfectly.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...incubator2.jpg
the therm and power strip. (still have to make everything neat)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...ncubator-1.jpg
inside it with fan.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...tapeandfan.jpg
all inside view i need more heat tape.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...eincubator.jpg

I use hatchrite, but I regularly wipe the lids of my egg boxes to keep moisture from dripping down onto the eggs. That is why I top the water up.

I did not use the light diffuser method, but have heard good things about it.

I could kick myself for not having this handy, but I believe Becky (SatanicIntention) has a great method handy for doing this. That way you do not have to worry about your eggs coming in contact with too moist a substrate or getting too dry.

A few times I did end up with my eggs getting small soft windows from too much moisture, but in all honesty it was not that hard to correct. I add very small amounts of water at a time, but I would not recommend it, as it may only take once to lose a clutch.

Check into the substrate-less means of hatching if you are concerned.

Bruce

can someone locate the link to the light defuser method?

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...t=71770&page=2

Post 13 gives an example... I guess same deal as setting up the usual, just you have a bit more leeway with your moisture. :)

Bruce

where would one find a light diffuser for the egg incubators.

Home Depot, or any other closely related store.

Bruce

i have seen them at pretty much all home improvement places.

Yep, I set up my egg tubs pretty similar to that. I mainly just use perlite though since vermic can be expensive in my area. Tiny bags for about $7, bleh.

I used 15qt tubs and 6qt tubs last season depending on clutch size. Filled the tub about 1.5-2" with perlite/vermic(or a combo of both), then fill with warm water until it's soppy, but firm enough so the grate doesn't sink into it. The mixture will drip when you pick it up and squeeze it. That's the point.

Then get some wire cutters and cut the light grate to the size of the tub. Lay it on top of the perlite/vermic mixture and press down and see how far it goes in(yes, I'm so scientific, LOL). If the grate sinks too far, then you have too much water. You want a little water pooling in the bottom of the tub, but not much.

Then get some Press N Seal or Saran Wrap(I've used both) and stretch it across the top of the tub. Make sure it's taut so that no droplets pool and drip on the eggs.

Get your digital thermometer probe and stick it in there in the middle. When you have eggs, stick the probe on top of the eggs(just resting on top).

I would consider removing the 3" and getting some 11". The 3" takes more electricity to keep the incubator at a steady temp and will constantly be on. The 11" doesn't take much effort to get temps up to par and then will turn off. Less heat and less electricity used.

If you can, I would try to make your fan point down, and get another fan to install on the bottom to direct air upwards. This will make the heat circulate more efficiently.

You will also want to have a tub of water(6-15qt) in the bottom of the incubator. This gets the relative humidity of the incubator up and will create alot less(or no) condensation in the egg tubs. No condensation means no drips. This helped me alot and none of my eggs got dripped on.

Also, tape up or silicone any wiring. It's not going to hold up to the humidity and can fail or worse, short and cause a fire. Seal it up as best you can with electrical tape and then tape around it all with the foil tape.

I have some pictures of my glass front fridge(6+ft tall x 2ft x 2ft) if you want to see it. Egg tub pictures are somewhere :)

just curious... in the substrateless method, why are you still using substrate?! Why not only use water? as long as its not deep enough to get past the difuser, then why use the substrate at all?

The substrate keeps the water from sloshing around and getting the eggs wet. It also holds up the light diffuser grate instead of having other things underneath, such as pieces of PVC tubing, hold it up.

Plain water and light diffuser suspended by something works fine also, I just never have used it because of the slosh issue.