incubating temps?

So we had our first clutch ever laid this morning (yay)! Our incubator is staying around 88, but it fluctuates a few degrees both ways. Is this ok? Will it affect the eggs?

Depends on how many is a "few". I would try to figure out what is causing the instability. What thermostat are you using? What incubator setup? Etc.

its a repti-pro 6000. it goes down to around 86.5 and up to around 89-90. i'm not sure whats causing the fluctuations, other than the incubator itself...

Don't know much about that model but it shouldn't be fluctuating more than a degree. My herpstats stay within a degree.


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I think consensus is that temp swings are bad and high temps are especially bad. I'd probably set it a degree lower if it's doing that and hope for the best. I'd say anything swinging at or over 90 is to be avoided.

Then again, I'd probably say you should be using a more precise thermostat on the incubator... but a little late for that post-eggs.

The thermostat isn't necessarily the issue, with no info on what the incubator is made of or how it is set up. That's not to day it isn't a factor, either. Do the temps swing based on the time of day? Just when you open the incubator? How long until they return to normal?

Many on/off thermostats will swing 3-4 degrees or more which is why most are not good for incubating with.
If the incubator is very well insulated and is kept in a room where the ambient temperature stays pretty consistent, then an on/off thermostat will work.
If the rooms ambient temperature isn't stable you will have fluctuations.

I would feel uncomfortable with that much of a swing.

i really am lost... we have the incubator set at 89, and we have 2 thermometers inside the incubator with the eggs, all 3 are reading different temps at different times. the ones inside usually read at around 87-89. The thermomstat is set at 89.
I really hope i just didn't buy a crappy incubator.. :please:

What kind of thermostat are you using, and what heat source?

Here's a small video of how the incubator works for those that aren't familiar with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKSYvEu3MkA

I'm with everyone else and you want your temps as stable as possible. I would be pretty uncomfortable with these temp swings. If I were you, I would build your own out of a styrofoam cooler and use your own thermostat (granted...it'll need to be a nice one, not the hydrofarms sold on amazon). With a good thermostat, the total build should cost you $150 max (~$100 for the thermostat and about ~50 or less for the remaining supplies). Then, once you have it built and it's holding temps at 88-89*, transfer the eggs.

For such a tiny incubator it is a huge fluctuation, personally I would not rely on the internal thermostat.

I always recommend a separate (reliable) thermostat with the probe placed in a dummy egg box (set up like any other egg box) placed in the center of the incubator.

I will assume that those are the temps in the incubator itself and not in the egg box, which means the temp inside the egg box is likely above (remember eggs also generate heat).

I would double check the temps in the egg box with a temp gun?

I've always thought there is sort of an inherent problem with small incubators. Because of their small size, big temperature changes can happen quickly. Kind of like how small fish tanks are harder to maintain than big ones...

i am using a repti pro 6000 incubator. Everything is built in.
i was just doing some reading on here and it looks like alot of people have had issues with this one...

we did build another one out of a cooler we are no longer using, with 12'' flex watt. just waiting to see if it holds temps consistently.

to answer another question that was asked, we have the probes in the egg box.

Good thinking on getting a cooler set up. What thermostat are you using for that?

Here's a video of my incubator set up, hope it helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae4z-IsYF4k

the thermostat is a vivarium electronics, v-100. The cooler incubator has been keeping the temps WAY more consistent than the repti pro, so we switched the eggs to it. Hopefully the temp fluctuations in the beginning didn't affect the eggs.. :worry:
Thanks for the help guys!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jessb

the thermostat is a vivarium electronics, v-100. The cooler incubator has been keeping the temps WAY more consistent than the repti pro, so we switched the eggs to it. Hopefully the temp fluctuations in the beginning didn't affect the eggs.. :worry:
Thanks for the help guys!

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Correction- its VE-100