what incubator do you use?

I am trying to decide if it is worth my time and money to build one. I would honestly rather buy one ready to go. What kind do you recommend? All I need is something small.

I love my Hotbox by C-Serpents.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eric Alan

I love my Hotbox by C-Serpents.

---

I have a friend that recommended that one as well. They're just so expensive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by elbee

I have a friend that recommended that one as well. They're just so expensive.

---

Yes. You definitely pay for the quality and customer service (which are both excellent) when you don't DIY.

I have been looking around at some of the cheaper incubators like the exo terra and the reptiPro basically from what i have seen you get what you pay for.

It seems like the cheaper units don't hold heat or humidity as great as advertised but for someone starting out it looks like a good option. Im also curious what other people here think about these incubators for ball pythons or have experience with any small incubator under $ 200.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by elbee

I am trying to decide if it is worth my time and money to build one. I would honestly rather buy one ready to go. What kind do you recommend? All I need is something small.

---

I have been using the Zoo Med reptibator for the past 2 years and it has served me well. For the price it probably is the best. One of the only commercial incubators with a built in proportional thermostat. That is the feature that really sold me on it. Holds temperatures very well. My humidity stayed stable at 99% but that was inside the sealed tub in the incubator. This reptibator is used in many Zoos and hatcheries.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ba11er

I have been looking around at some of the cheaper incubators like the exo terra and the reptiPro basically from what i have seen you get what you pay for.

It seems like the cheaper units don't hold heat or humidity as great as advertised but for someone starting out it looks like a good option. Im also curious what other people here think about these incubators for ball pythons or have experience with any small incubator under $ 200.

---

I highly recommend the Zoo Med reptibator for the above reasons. Also the ease of use. It's almost a set it and forget it type of operation. Very safe product if used correctly. Like any thermostat, I would plug it into a outlet directly and not into a power strip. It is a relatively small incubator but can hold Python eggs very well. Multiple clutches would be problematic but only bc of a space issue. By multiple clutches I mean more than 4 or just large number of eggs. A built in proportional thermostat is the best feature of the reptibator. The other drawback to me is the lightweight compartment (styrofoam). So, be careful as you carry the unit. But I highly recommend it. :gj:

When I was in your position I figured it would probably be best if I just went the DIY route.

Advantages: 100% customizable, cheaper, when something fails you know how you made it so you can fix it or build a temporary one (like a styrofoam cooler) until you get yours back up. The best advantage is when your clutch hatches, you feel more like you had a part in that happening.

Disadvantage: your time, warranty

I have a friend that made a bator out of scrape 3/4 inch plywood. It holds heat well and he has produced a handfull of clutches with no issues. He even had twins at 27 and 16 grams that are now around 100 and 80 grams.
In the end, do what you feel most comfortable with. I prefer having done it once and it works and knowing I can do it again. Good luck either way!

I haven't had any issues with the exo terra one, I use it for chameleon eggs and live in Florida so having both heating and cooling function was important to me. Once I get to the point of having multiple clutches of Bps I'll likely upgrade to a hot box seen a few in person and they are well built.

Given how cheap they are to DIY and how there isn't much to them at all, I'd just DIY. Heat on thermostat, items in place for humidity, slow fan moving air around preventing standing moisture.... about all there is to it

I trust more in the good built DIY incubators with quality thermostat, than the cheaper commercial ones. Of course Hotbox is an other category if you can afford it :)

I built my own out of a wine cooler I found on CL. The compressor wasn't working and the person sold it for $25. I ordered heat tape from Reptile Basics and an AC fan off Amazon. The whole thing cost me about $60 and took about 2 hours time. It is not difficult at all and there are a number of threads in the forum here to figure it out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by guanagator

I haven't had any issues with the exo terra one, I use it for chameleon eggs and live in Florida so having both heating and cooling function was important to me. Once I get to the point of having multiple clutches of Bps I'll likely upgrade to a hot box seen a few in person and they are well built.

---

I'm in Florida as well. I have a dedicated reptile room to which I use ambient temps for my bp's.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rlditmars

I built my own out of a wine cooler I found on CL. The compressor wasn't working and the person sold it for $25. I ordered heat tape from Reptile Basics and an AC fan off Amazon. The whole thing cost me about $60 and took about 2 hours time. It is not difficult at all and there are a number of threads in the forum here to figure it out.

---

Mine is a wine chiller also, that I had in my garage taking up space. Since I heat my reptile room, I used the VE300 t-stat that was controlling hot spots, and some unused heat tape. The only thing I ended up buying was extra thermostats. I may take apart a pc I no longer use and add the fan from it to circulate the air...


Edit: since it had wire "shelves" I found some hard plastic cutting boards on clearance, cut them down to size, drilled some holes for the air/heat to pass, and those are my shelves now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Viol8r

Edit: since it had wire "shelves" I found some hard plastic cutting boards on clearance, cut them down to size, drilled some holes for the air/heat to pass, and those are my shelves now.

---

Mine had wire shelves also so I took and cut light diffuser panels to size and zip tied them to the shelf. It works great and still allows air to fully circulate through the incubator.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rlditmars

Mine had wire shelves also so I took and cut light diffuser panels to size and zip tied them to the shelf. It works great and still allows air to fully circulate through the incubator.

---

That's great! I wish I had thought of that. I had extra diffuser material left over from egg boxes. :P

Nature's Spirit incubator. Basically the original commercial incubator. I'll go by them until I stop breeding.

I built my own and have never regretted it. I always encourage people to think ahead. You may not need anything big now but why invest in one that holds a couple tubs and in a year realize you're addicted to the BP thing and need a bigger one then. DIY is very easy. Also as others have stated, you'll be more familiar with it and be able to troubleshoot any possible problems that may arise.

after my very first season and learning that the cheap reptipro was a waste of money and time we built our own. for the last 2 yrs my old royal crown cola fridge has been running non stop and no problems. 150 on fridge & gutted added light switch dimmer for fans and an outlet for the heat tape controlled by the old brick style thermostat under the unit . all in maybe 3-400 but i did pay a premium for the fridge as i needed one dearly with a few gravid females at the time! but yes if your in it to produce babies id recommend that you build your own ....:gj:

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I will have to ponder it and see if my husband will help me with a build.

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

You can scale this down to suit your own needs, but DIY is the way to go. Half the cost of commercial incubators and mine holds 48 clutches....

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...rogress-thread

For BP I started with a 120 Quarts cooler years go and than upgraded to this

http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a...ncubator-1.jpg

http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a.../Incubator.png

This year I am upgrading to a 48 inches Hotbox

For Hognose I use a small cooler.