Do I really need an incubator?

Well I have always used incubators for my ball python eggs and going into year 3 breeding I have had almost 100% hatch rate.

The indoor temps here during that time of year I get eggs is 87F - 92F the room, in fact last year I had to use an air con deep in the summer. I noticed my friend who also breeds and while having less eggs than I, because he cut corners, has all of his eggs hatch right too the last few years. He doesn't even have an incubator. He just puts the eggs in a tub in wet vermiculite and an egg crate and leaves it in his coffee table and they all hatched. He said his house fluctuates even more than mine.

Then I talked to two other guys and they didn't use an incubator either. Then a third guy I just bought a snake from told me he incubates with no bator, but puts a heat pad under his egg tubs? His snakes hatched too.

I'm about to get materials to build a bigger incubator this year but I'm wondering if I really need it.

I guess if your house maintains constant temps in the right range and you got an out of the way spot where you're confident they won't get bothered or jostled, then you're good to go!

I would say your friends are probably in the minority not using incubators.

Depends on your comfort level, but I would not plan on just laying my eggs on the coffee table to incubate.

Having an incubator makes things a lot easier when it comes to providing the perfect environment for your eggs.

Can maternal incubation be done successfully? Yes but personally I try to put all the chances on my side which is why I chose to use an incubator, it also allow me to get my female back on track faster.


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No, I am not talking about maternal incubation. These guys just plop the egg box on the coffee table. I don't know if it is culture or climate but people just seem to do that here. Most don't speak english so they don't read stuff from out of country online. I guess I am just surprised all their eggs are hatching out just the same. One guy said he puts the egg boxes in his toilet, which gets down to low 80s at night. His snakes hatched. The guy who put them on his coffee table said he put it there so his whole family can look at it everyday. Granted they are recreational breeders like myself but I have yet to hear any of them lose an egg.

Well, it sounds like you own an incubator. So the real question is; why wouldn't you use it? Are you trying to save money on electricity?

I can see why they don't use them if the room is hot enough to maintain certain temps. Most keepers I know, don't heat the entire room to 88-90, but rather 82-85 which may be a problem. But if you're place is a constant 88, then there's no need for an incubator really. I use one because it allows me to easily control a specific environment.

i also got a friend who used the cabinet at the bottom of his bathroom sink as incubator(for me its just funny) but for some reason, the eggs also hatched. 100% rate!, he has been doing this for 2 years now. one thing he told me though, the eggs hatch between 73-78 days..

personally, i have no plans of trying it.. but if you're the curious type, feel free to do so..

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Well, it sounds like you own an incubator. So the real question is; why wouldn't you use it? Are you trying to save money on electricity?

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No, my incubator is too small now that I have more females. Also as I get more snakes space is limited, and a huge incubator means one less rack in the room. Regardless, I decided to build it and bought the materials today.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeEye

I can see why they don't use them if the room is hot enough to maintain certain temps. Most keepers I know, don't heat the entire room to 88-90, but rather 82-85 which may be a problem. But if you're place is a constant 88, then there's no need for an incubator really. I use one because it allows me to easily control a specific environment.

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It is not a constant 88, it goes from 87 to 92. It isn't heated that way, just the natural temps here during that time of year.

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Originally Posted by Joe Massey

i also got a friend who used the cabinet at the bottom of his bathroom sink as incubator(for me its just funny) but for some reason, the eggs also hatched. 100% rate!, he has been doing this for 2 years now. one thing he told me though, the eggs hatch between 73-78 days..

personally, i have no plans of trying it.. but if you're the curious type, feel free to do so..

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Out of curiosity, what were the temps in his bathroom sink cabinets during those times? Were the babies healthy and normal size etc.? Can you ask him? I have already bought the materials and decided to build a bigger incubator this year, but I will probably outgrow it again in a couple years. Space is the main issue here.

It seems that eggs don't die within range even if the temps are not exactly constant, just takes longer to hatch?

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No, I am not talking about maternal incubation. These guys just plop the egg box on the coffee table.

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If you can provide a room with temperature that remain within adequate range for incubation I don't see why you could not do it, however you need to be able to provide this and it is not as easy as it sounds which is why incubators or walk in closets are easier.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

If you can provide a room with temperature that remain within adequate range for incubation I don't see why you could not do it, however you need to be able to provide this and it is not as easy as it sounds which is why incubators or walk in closets are easier.

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In my incubator I did constant 89. What is acceptable range? 86 to 92?

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Originally Posted by hungba

Out of curiosity, what were the temps in his bathroom sink cabinets during those times? Were the babies healthy and normal size etc.? Can you ask him? I have already bought the materials and decided to build a bigger incubator this year, but I will probably outgrow it again in a couple years. Space is the main issue here.

It seems that eggs don't die within range even if the temps are not exactly constant, just takes longer to hatch?

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The temps were very inconclusive, were in a tropical country so during his incubation period, the temps were just about 82-87, the babies were absolutely healthy. the only thing is that again it took more days to hatch. one thing we know for sure though, the bathroom is a very humid place so i guess it also contributed to the success.

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Originally Posted by hungba

In my incubator I did constant 89. What is acceptable range? 86 to 92?

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It is also 92 leaves very little room for error. High temps are really something you need to worry about, I prefer to go no lower than 86 and no higher than 90


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Originally Posted by Deborah

It is also 92 leaves very little room for error. High temps are really something you need to worry about, I prefer to go no lower than 86 and no higher than 90

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This. If it stayed a little lower, I'd say use larger egg tubs with plenty of medium for thermal mass to cushion temperature changes, but 92 is kinda scary. Granted, if the temps are dipping and rising in that range over the course of a day, regularly, I might personally experiment with it --- if I had a backup plan and/or (at least) a way to keep the room from overheating.

I wouldn't be surprised if they hatched just fine in your snake room. My only concern would be the 92F peak in your ambient house temps. Not sure how your animals cope with that but if I were trying to incubate eggs in those conditions I'd definitely put them low to the ground.

I hatched a clutch of sayi eggs last year in a tub sitting on a shelf in the snake room. Temperatures fluctuated between 77F(night low) and 84F(day high) and I started seeing pippers on day 67. I had 80% hatch rate with one egg dying early on and another going full term but failing to pip.

I hatch my ball python eggs in a home made bator that holds a pretty steady temperature, get about a 1 degree variance but 88F is the average. I have 100% hatch rate in ball python eggs though I have a relatively small sample - 40/40 since my first clutch in 2011.

Everyone remember we use incubators to increase the success rate for hatching, minimize any errors possible, as well as shorten the time it takes for hatching. But in the wild, temperatures fluctuate, humidity fluctuates, and I can almost guarantee that at least 80% of the eggs hatch.

It's just like certain plants that we grow in a controlled environment to yield their products sooner. Sure if you raise them outside they'd grow and produce. But in a controlled environment you can manipulate everything to your benefit.

Is it doable? Yeah, sure. I did it with a clutch of eggs we found in my brother backyard (texas ratsnakes). Is it recommended? Probably not. I live in north Texas, and while I could probably keep eggs at a pretty steady temperature inside my home, any issue I would have with the air conditioning could kill off any clutches I had on a hot day (100+ isn't uncommon here). I'm going to go ahead and say "better safe than sorry" to this one.

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Originally Posted by Daigga

Is it doable? Yeah, sure. I did it with a clutch of eggs we found in my brother backyard (texas ratsnakes). Is it recommended? Probably not. I live in north Texas, and while I could probably keep eggs at a pretty steady temperature inside my home, any issue I would have with the air conditioning could kill off any clutches I had on a hot day (100+ isn't uncommon here). I'm going to go ahead and say "better safe than sorry" to this one.

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I definitely go the better safe than sorry route. I'm just stating Im sure it can be done just fine. I'd rather not risk it though. I myself use a 'bator.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeEye

I definitely go the better safe than sorry route. I'm just stating Im sure it can be done just fine. I'd rather not risk it though. I myself use a 'bator.

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i agree to that, yes i know it works.. its been proven but i don't want to mess with with.. intentionally reducing my chances of getting a 100% hatch rate does not make sense. to top it off, i would not want to risk it. most especially if your working with hets for recessive morphs. - that 1/16 change egg might have been the one you're looking for but unfortunately it just didn't make it.. imagine the regret..

The eggs need a certain range of temperatures at a certain humidity level to hatch, it doesn't matter HOW that is acheived, as long as the temps don't go too high or low and they don't get too dry they're going to hatch. Ball python eggs are a lot more forgiving then the eggs of many other species. If you live in an area where temps and humidity levels are good for incubating eggs then go ahead and give it a try, most people will not have the option of whether or not to use an incubator. Two important things to keep in mind, low temps are not that big of a deal but temps that are too high will kill an egg very quickly. temperature stability is also important, gradual heating or cooling of the eggs in not harmful but rapid temperature swings should be avoided if possible.

Back when I was breeding a lot of colubrids I started out using an incubator but at the suggestions of several people I just started putting the eggs in a box on a shelf. It did work and I hatched plenty of snakes that way but I did NOT have as good of a hatch rate as I did using an incubator with constant stable temps.