DIY Incubator Ideas...

I am working on trying to plan out an incubator for when I decide to breed my girls in probably a couple of years or so. Both are still very much babies (the biggest is only about 100g) but I'm already doing research and reading every thread that pops up on this forum. I know that some of the pre-made incubators are basically craptastic and shouldn't be used (likes like the Reptibator and the hova-bator). So my question is this: is it better to buy something like a Accu-Temp 6000 Model, Exo TerraThermoelectric Reptile Egg Incubator, or the large incubator from Nature's Spirit? Or is it better to make your own? If it's better to make your own, how would YOU make it? I've consider buying an old mini-fridge and placing a piece of flexwatt on the door and regulating it with a herpstat. Is that too risky or would it work fine? I also know people who have done something similar with a piece of flexwatt on a foam coolers that you get at walmart. How would you make your incubators? I'd love to have some ideas to pull from when I'm ready to take that step.

Note: When I'm ready for my incubator, I will hopefully have anywhere from 1-6 clutches to incubate. I will be making 2 incubators: one for my 1-3 BP clutches and one for my 1-3 Corn snake clutches.

I have a closet that sits consistently at 82 degrees. I'm gonna put my corn eggs in a small tub, and stick it on the shelf. That's it. Check every couple of days of course. So you might not need a incubator for the corn eggs.

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Originally Posted by Andrew21

I have a closet that sits consistently at 82 degrees. I'm gonna put my corn eggs in a small tub, and stick it on the shelf. That's it. Check every couple of days of course. So you might not need a incubator for the corn eggs.

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I like my house to be on the cool side, so the thermostat stays anywhere from 75*-78*. I've never actually tested the temps in a closet. I might have to do that. If it's around 82...I might try the closet trick! If it's more on the cool side, that's probably where I'll brumate.

There are TONS of homemade incubator threads in the DIY forum. The first incubator we made was from an RV fridge (small, held 8, 6qt tubs) with 11" x 3' strip of flexwatt, a wired computer fan, and a Herpstat T-stat. The next one we made (and are using now) is a Pepsi cooler.

Here are some pics. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-New-Incubator

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

There are TONS of homemade incubator threads in the DIY forum. The first incubator we made was from an RV fridge (small, held 8, 6qt tubs) with 11" x 3' strip of flexwatt, a wired computer fan, and a Herpstat T-stat. The next one we made (and are using now) is a Pepsi cooler.

Here are some pics. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-New-Incubator

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Yup, lots of info on here about DIY Incubators.

Our incubator is an 81 bottle LG wine fridge.

The Setup was simple:
1. Removed the compressor
2. Drilled an entry hole for all of the wiring
3. Installed 50w heat rope through out the fridge
4. Hook up the Herpstat
5. Installed a 12v DC variable computer fan to cycle (not cool) air
6. Test and Regulate temperatures
7. Add Eggs!

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

I know that some of the pre-made incubators are basically craptastic and shouldn't be used (likes like the Reptibator and the hova-bator).

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I don't know about that, considering I hatched five beautiful babies from a Little Giant (pretty much the same as a Hovabator) last year... even the "boobie" egg hatched fine, with a perfect little 39g baby who's fat & healthy today. :) I'm having some trouble with my clutch this season, but it's more due to human error than the incubator.

That being said, I did build my own incubator one year, and it wasn't perfect but got the job done. Basically I just got a free (yes, FREE) non-working mini fridge on Craigslist, added two strips of flexwatt along the back & side, and that was pretty much it. My biggest problem was with temperature stability, since I couldn't figure out how to add a fan. Also had some issues with the door not being see-through, as it was my very first clutch - so I checked on them waaaay too much, and caused some low humidity from opening/closing the door so often.

Some pictures of my successful-but-challenging attempt:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/DSCN2641.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/DSCN2651.jpg

In all honesty, if it will be a couple of years before you need it, why not save up enough to buy an actual incubator instead of jerry-rigging a cooler? Yes I know people have some luck with homemade incubators, but I also know people have problems like temperature stabilization that causes things like missing eyes, kinks, stubby tails, etc. I never could understand why people spend so much on nice racks, new morphs, and then put the eggs in something that Bubba built.

^^^^ Good points, and I've often wondered the same thing myself! I only went DIY because money was tight (unexpectedly laid off that summer/fall), and I also thought it would be a good project. These last two years I used the Little Giant because a friend gave it to me, and it works fine for my one clutch per season. But I think next year I'll go fancier, since a few of my younger girls are officially ready to breed. :)

Pretty sure some people swear by DIY, though, and claim it's better than store-bought. Could be true, especially if you're the particularly handy type. Which I am clearly not, LOL.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

Pretty sure some people swear by DIY, though, and claim it's better than store-bought. Could be true, especially if you're the particularly handy type. Which I am clearly not, LOL.

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I believe that DIY can be just as good as store bought or better as long as you know what you are doing and start off your build with quality products. "Anything" DIY can be a bad idea if you do not have the skillsets to be able to produce a good product.

Since you have the time, I believe you can build you own incubator and it can be every bit as good as a quality purchased incubator. I am not extremely mechanical and yet I was able to use the information from this forum to build my own and just hatched our first clutch this week. It will hold probably 6 to 8 clutches. The fluctuation in temperature was less than 1 degree during the entire 57 days that it took for them to all leave the eggs. I used a high end "Uline" wine cooler that someone was selling on CL for $50. I bought it for $30. It has a great seal and holds temps and humidity extremely well and even has an interior light that comes on when the door is opened. I used an AC fan with a reostat for speed control, that I purchased from Amazon. It is the type used for cooling electronic componants such as home theater systems, refridgerators, and etc.. It has a life expectancy of about 60,000 hours of continuous use. I purchased 11" flexwatt, a plug cord, and a roll of aluminum foil tape from Reptile Basics. The entire incubator cost less than $100, not including a thermostat and is made from quality componants. The enclosure and thermostat are the two most important items for maintaining stable temps and humidity. Take your time and find something good for the enclosure and buy a quality thermostat.

Here is a picture of the finished item. I dont think it looks too much like Bubba built it. However, I know that if you are building an item for marketing, charging a premium price, and expect to move a reasonable number of units, it has to not only work well but look good.

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/...cubator002.jpg

Store bought or do it yourself either way you have good and bad. My first one was a hovabator which got the job done but liked to give me heart failure do to the constant temp fluctuations. I built my own out of a full size fridge. I use the freezer section to hatch out geckos and the bottom for bp's. This will be the third season and it has worked flawlessly. I got it up and running well in advance so I could have time to work out any bugs. Plenty of DIY on YouTube also.

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Originally Posted by mikeandsheleen

In all honesty, if it will be a couple of years before you need it, why not save up enough to buy an actual incubator instead of jerry-rigging a cooler? Yes I know people have some luck with homemade incubators, but I also know people have problems like temperature stabilization that causes things like missing eyes, kinks, stubby tails, etc. I never could understand why people spend so much on nice racks, new morphs, and then put the eggs in something that Bubba built.

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If you paid attention to what I said, I was asking which was better: store bought or DIY. I also said if store bought was better, then what's a good model to buy? Because I won't be needing it until next winter at the earliest, I'm fine with either. I just wanted yalls opinion.

As for all the ones on the DIY forum, I KNOW they are there and i've browsed the threads. I just wanted a collective opinion on them and what most people liked the best (LIKED not necessarily was easiest to build). My grandfather was an electrical engineer back in the day, so he loves to build things. He could build me any incubator I wanted, so I just wanted to know what peopled liked.

That said, if most just liked a certain store bought incubator that holds 3 clutches, then I wanted the model. If people felt DIY was better, what kinds work better and are generally liked by most.

Repti-bators do suck. They don't hold humidity, and the thermostat sensor is in the top, so the temperature where the eggs are can be 2 or 3 degrees off from the thermostat reading.

Hovabators, however, are all that I use, now. I think the folks who have complained about them were probably trying to use the wafer thermostat that they come with, instead of hooking them up to a proper proportional thermostat.

Hovabators hold humidity very well, and hold temperatures extremely well, even when room temperatures fluctuate a lot. In terms of construction, they're made of styrofoam, but the heating element is pretty much bullet-proof. Mine are over 4 years old now, and still work just fine.

The only drawback to a Hovabator is that you cannot use separate egg boxes in them. However, you CAN fit up to 5 ball python clutches in one, if you place them directly into the base with vermiculite. I've fit in 6 clutches using substrateless, but you have to seal the unit up extremely well with tape if you go that route.

Having 'all of my eggs in one basket' makes me nervous. I would rather have several smaller incubators than one large one that would result in disaster for the entire season if it failed.

A more sophisticated, more expensive incubator is not necessarily a better incubator. In terms of specialty reptile incubators, I would suggest that if it doesn't have a proportional thermostat, don't even look at it.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

The only drawback to a Hovabator is that you cannot use separate egg boxes in them. However, you CAN fit up to 5 ball python clutches in one, if you place them directly into the base with vermiculite. I've fit in 6 clutches using substrateless, but you have to seal the unit up extremely well with tape if you go that route.

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Are you saying that you fill the bottom of the hova-bater with vermiculite and sit the eggs down in them without using egg boxes at all? Just want to be clear.

I've heard mixed reviews about hova-bators. Some good, some not. I'm not sure what they were using as a thermostat. I personally, have placed an order for a herpstat for my rack and quarantine room and I'll probably buy another specifically for my incubators.

I'm also not opposed to having several incubators. Ideally, I'd love one per clutch, but I know that's not always realistic. So if I can get two in one incubator that would be awesome. I know with corn clutches, you can get 20-30 eggs easy so each hova-bator can hold one or two clutches max. Not to mention, because of temp differences, I'd need two anyway.

Last year I bought 1 gravid female that laid 9 eggs, 6 slugs and 3 good eggs. I bought a micro fridge off of Craigs List and used 3 inch 10 watt heat tape controled by a VE-300 thermostat (from Reptile Basics) to incubate them. I filled empty soda cans with sand and sealed them with silicone sealant to great a thermal battery (instead of water, easier clean up if any leaked). This was really stable and had room for 2 clutches. This year, I built my own incubator from scratch. I designed it myself and spent close to $1,000 on it. It can hold over 25 clutches. I have successfully hatched 7 clutches so far and have 1 still in it. I have only lost 2 eggs, 1 egg was actually filled with only white and no yolk (no embryo in it) and the other died because of a twisted umbilical chord (I do not cut the eggs until the first hatchling in the clutch pips on its own). This incubator is constructed with multiple layers and also has many soda cans full of sand and sealed. It will hold it's temperature for over 1 day without power if I do not open the door. I can give more details (with dimensions and such) if anyone wants, however, I was in such a rush to build it, that I did not take good pictures during the build, so I have not writen it up in the DYI section. Here are some pictures:

This shows the incubator's inside. The top 4 shelves can hold (3) 12 quart tubs each, and the bottom 5 shelves can hold (4) 6 quart tubs each. You can see the soda cans full of sand at the bottom and on some unused shelves. I had 6 clutches in it at the time.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ncubator_2.jpg

This is a detail picture of the door edge. It shows the layers, 1/8 inch melamine, 1 inch foam, 1/4 inch plywood, 1 inch wood frame with 1 inch foam between frame supports, and 1/4 inch plywood.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ncubator_3.jpg

The door seal. 3 strips of "D" weather stipping on the two faces, on the face that meets the 1 inch foam in the above picture and on the face that meets the 1/4 inch plywood in the picture above.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ncubator_4.jpg

Shows the depth of the incubator, a little less than 2 feet and the 3 draw claps. I used 2 door hinges on the other side.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ncubator_5.jpg

Exterior, shows the height around 6 feet, width around 3 feet and the VE-300 proportional thermostat that controls and the VE-100 on/off thermostat that is the back-up.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ncubator_6.jpg

As for incubators that you can purchase, I know a number of people, who are using Georgia Quail Farm incubators. They will adjust some of the features on the their bird incubators and make it specific to your application. The breeders I know using these are very pleased. Here is the Georgia Quail Farms website: http://www.gqfmfg.com/store/comersus...idCategory=35#

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

Are you saying that you fill the bottom of the hova-bater with vermiculite and sit the eggs down in them without using egg boxes at all? Just want to be clear.

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Exactly. It comes with a plastic reservoir--I put that in just to prevent water leakage, and then fill the base with the moistened vermiculite. I can put one clutch in each corner, and one in the middle. (If they're huge clutches, maybe only 4 will fit; most of my clutches are 7 to 8 eggs).

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I've heard mixed reviews about hova-bators. Some good, some not. I'm not sure what they were using as a thermostat. I personally, have placed an order for a herpstat for my rack and quarantine room and I'll probably buy another specifically for my incubators.

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I use Herpstats on mine. Just remove the wafer thermostat completely, and tape over the hole from it. They even stack that way.

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I'm also not opposed to having several incubators. Ideally, I'd love one per clutch, but I know that's not always realistic. So if I can get two in one incubator that would be awesome. I know with corn clutches, you can get 20-30 eggs easy so each hova-bator can hold one or two clutches max. Not to mention, because of temp differences, I'd need two anyway.

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Well, with corn eggs being so small, I'm not so sure about that, but you'll be surprised how much these things hold.

If an incubator was made out of an old refrigerator would it keep the temp where it needed to be even if the room got hotter than the temp in the incubator?

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Originally Posted by angeluscorpion

If an incubator was made out of an old refrigerator would it keep the temp where it needed to be even if the room got hotter than the temp in the incubator?

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The short answer is "No".

The explanation is as follows: Remember that a refridgerator is an insulated box that is supposed to keep a stable temperature based on the the thermostat and device controlling it. So if you are heating to 89 degrees and it is cooler outside of the cabinet, the thermostat will put electricity to the heating element to keep the temperature where you want it. Conversely, if the temperature rises above that, the thermostat simply shuts the flow of the electricity to the heating element off, so that it is not continuing to heat. All the box does is insulate so that the temperature effects from external conditions are minimized. If the temps were to climb above 89 and stay there for a day or more, it is very likely the interior cabinet temperatures would rise above 89 as well as it will acclimate, and since there is no device to cool it it can't force the temps down. Keep your incubator in a place that will stay below the desired incubating temp and then it can always turn on to make up the difference. I hope that makes sense.

That's what I thought, just wanted to make sure.