Egg Box Temps

I have the incubator together and I'm testing temps. I am replacing the fan with a bigger one because there is a temp difference between the top and bottom shelves.

How much of a variance can there be in the egg boxes? I read that the inside of the egg boxes should be 88-90 degrees. Does that mean that the box on the top shelf can stay at 90 and the one on the bottom shelf can stay at 88?

How far off can the temps be and still have good results?

As long as you don't move the boxes to a different shelf while incubating they will be fine.

In the wild temps I am sure temps move quite a bit.

I like to stay around 88-88.5 to give it room to heat up a little if the room heats up(I live in Southern Cali). I have seen it spike up to 92 on hot day with no ill effects. Most incubators are designed to heat up but not necessarily cool down. If temps are steady during cooler months I may go to 89-89.5 still leaving room to heat up a degree or two.

So basically if the boxes on the top shelf stay at 90 and the ones on the bottom shelf stay at 88 for the entire incubation time (with slight changes when opening the door to check) the eggs should all be OK. That correct?

What is the absolute minimum and maximum temps for eggs that could cause problems?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JohnNJ

So basically if the boxes on the top shelf stay at 90 and the ones on the bottom shelf stay at 88 for the entire incubation time (with slight changes when opening the door to check) the eggs should all be OK. That correct?

What is the absolute minimum and maximum temps for eggs that could cause problems?

---

I have heard sooo many diff opinions about egg incubation so with a question like that youre gunna start a mudslinging debate lol. IMO your setup and fluctuation should be fine. I remember someone in another thread said that if spider eggs are incubated at a slightly lower temp then they wont have a wobble. So if you have any spider eggs i would put them on the bottom ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JohnNJ

So basically if the boxes on the top shelf stay at 90 and the ones on the bottom shelf stay at 88 for the entire incubation time (with slight changes when opening the door to check) the eggs should all be OK. That correct?

What is the absolute minimum and maximum temps for eggs that could cause problems?

---

They should be just fine. What I do sometimes is the last week of incubation I move the box to the lower shelf where it is cooler. The reason for this is the eggs will start getting warmer as the metabolism of the snakes increases when they approach hatching. Sometimes you will start to see condensation right at the end as egg boxes get warmer. I also open a small ventilation hole in the egg box for the last week or two as they will also absorb more oxygen too as their metabolism increases, the ventilation will also stop any condensation from forming.

As far as minimum and max temps, I have never pushed the envelope to see what happens at extreme temps but I have had 87 low and 93 high spikes for short periods of time without any ill effects.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike41793

I remember someone in another thread said that if spider eggs are incubated at a slightly lower temp then they wont have a wobble. So if you have any spider eggs i would put them on the bottom ;)

---

Here's the mud slinging....I call BS :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike41793

I have heard sooo many diff opinions about egg incubation so with a question like that youre gunna start a mudslinging debate lol. IMO your setup and fluctuation should be fine. I remember someone in another thread said that if spider eggs are incubated at a slightly lower temp then they wont have a wobble. So if you have any spider eggs i would put them on the bottom ;)

---

Do you have any experience hatching spiders? I have hatched many spiders and this is completely bogus as the wobble is genetic, not incubation related. I think folks should give advice on things they have experience with and not just regurgitate what they read on the internet. I have seen people take bad advice and do more harm than good.

My first spider was purchased in 2002ish and i mortgaged the house to buy him. I have been working with spiders and spider combos for years and there is no truth at all about incubation temps and the wobble. As far as flucuatuon in the incubator its fine if they jump a coupke degrees north and south. As long as they dont spike and stay at extremes your fine. I have a walk in incubator that is heated by a space heater and i stay between 88 and 90 with an occasional rise to 91 and down to 87 but it never stays there. Sometimes through the heat cycling it flucuates. No big deal. Havent lost any eggs due to this system yet. Now i do know some breeders that have been tinkerin around with droping temps a couple degrees and incubating at 87 degrees and have found this keeps the snake in the egg a few days longer and the babies come out fatter and fully digested yolk sacks. Now im not in any way saying to do this but it is being done with success.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snake lab

My first spider was purchased in 2002ish and i mortgaged the house to buy him. I have been working with spiders and spider combos for years and there is no truth at all about incubation temps and the wobble. As far as flucuatuon in the incubator its fine if they jump a coupke degrees north and south. As long as they dont spike and stay at extremes your fine. I have a walk in incubator that is heated by a space heater and i stay between 88 and 90 with an occasional rise to 91 and down to 87 but it never stays there. Sometimes through the heat cycling it flucuates. No big deal. Havent lost any eggs due to this system yet. Now i do know some breeders that have been tinkerin around with droping temps a couple degrees and incubating at 87 degrees and have found this keeps the snake in the egg a few days longer and the babies come out fatter and fully digested yolk sacks. Now im not in any way saying to do this but it is being done with success.

---

So if I take this a little further, is it safe to assume that there is difference in temps from upper and lower shelves it will just effect the hatch date and not the development.

IOW, the top shelf boxes at 90 degrees will hatch a few days earlier than the bottom shelf boxes at 87 degrees but the babies will all be OK, generally speaking.

Your temps are gonna flucuate but they should be sitting in the 88 to 90 range and thats perfect. Keep in mind the fan should be runnin 24/7. The fans purpose is only to move air not to cool. Therefore you dont need a big fan. Just something to move air. In my walk in incubator which is 5 ft wide by 4 ft deep by 7 ft tall only has a small computer fan running. It keeps air moving without cooling. I also have 6 buckets filled with water with tops to help hold heat. Now scale that down for a smaller bator. I have one egg box with the same mix in it just for my probe. This probe box sits on the middle shelf. Sure there is a little flucuation between shelves but as long as your steady temps are in the right range your good. Keep in mind for thousands of years in the wild these snakes have been incubating eggs and the temps are never 100% stable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JohnNJ

So if I take this a little further, is it safe to assume that there is difference in temps from upper and lower shelves it will just effect the hatch date and not the development.

IOW, the top shelf boxes at 90 degrees will hatch a few days earlier than the bottom shelf boxes at 87 degrees but the babies will all be OK, generally speaking.

---

Yep. :gj:

It would really only matter if you were planning on cutting the eggs as far as having different hatch dates. The eggs kept at the lower temp will take a bit longer to cook. I like to keep my incubator between 88.5-89. I've had great luck so far.