How to make an inCUEbator

It's that time of the year again :clap:

I know this question comes up alot on how to build your own incubator so I thought I would do a step by step on one example using a mini fridge. I used this with great success :gj:

Obtain a mini fridge. This one is 35" tall, 19" deep and 20" wide.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00012.jpg

The first thing I did was cut a viewing hole in the front. This will keep you from having to open the incubator every 5 seconds to check on the eggs. For this task I used a sawzall with a fine tooth metal blade.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00013.jpg

Now you will want to cut and predrill your plexiglass. It's best to have your local hardware store cut the plexi for you. I used two pieces of plexi, one on the outside and one on the inside of the door to create a insulator.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00014.jpg

I used a clear silicone sealant on the inside of the door. This will help with the insulation.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00017.jpg

For cosmetic purposes I used aluminum tape to cover up the foam inside the door.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00016.jpg

Now attach the outer plexiglass and be sure not to torque the screws too tight or the plexi will crack.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00019.jpg

The next step is to plan out heating and lighting(optional). I went with 36" of 11" wide flexwatt heat tape. For the lighting I went with a 8" flourescent light that uses a 5 watt bulb. It's important to go with a low watt light that will not add much heat when using it.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...inc/tc0001.jpg

For attaching the heat tape first use a cleaner to make sure the tape will stick well. I used "brake clean" but any alcohol based cleaner works well. First I use small bits of aluminum tape to tack the heat tape.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000112.jpg

Then go back an use longer pieces of the aluminum tape to secure the heat tape down.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000114.jpg

If you are crazy like me you will go nuts with the heat tape :crazy:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000115.jpg

Now you are ready to think about egg boxes. For this I look for an egg box that is deep, just in case the eggs are laid stacked on top of eachother. These boxes are 13" wide 9" tall and 8" deep. I use a substrateless incubation.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nc/tc00011.jpg

I wanted a clear lid on the boxes so I could easily see in. This can be done by using cling wrap or a plate of glass. I chose to cut up a larger lid from a different box.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000116.jpg

This was a ton of time and could have been done with a simple cut piece of glass.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000117.jpg

Now you will want to cut the egg grate(intended for 48" flourescent lighting fixtures) to fit inside the box. Make sure to make a tight fit.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000118.jpg

Now when you add the Perlite the egg grate will rest on top of it. You will later add water to the Perlite till it almost reaches the egg grate.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000119.jpg

Finally you are ready for ball python eggs. Just add your favorite thermostat and enjoy the incubation process :clap:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000120.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...c/tc000121.jpg

Sweet! I am deffinately bookmarking this for next season!!!

Looks Great!

If I hadn't already gotten mine up and going this would have been great for me..

Always for future use though.

That first photo made me laugh..:8:

Wanted to add a thank you for posting tub pics as well.

Great post, you're hired ;)

Sticky icky icky icky icky! LOVE IT!!!! Thanks for sharings ;)

Perfect! I was wanting to see a good detailed thread on how to use mini fridges. Thanks, Cue, you da man! :bow:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daaangconcepts

Sticky icky icky icky icky! LOVE IT!!!!

---

Its a nice Incubator too!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AdamJB

Sweet! I am deffinately bookmarking this for next season!!!

---

It's never too early to start keeping an eye out for a mini fridge. This one came from my work place when it mysteriously stopped working right about the time I needed one :devilish:

are you going to add a mini fan by any chance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hmj75

are you going to add a mini fan by any chance.

---

thats a good question. Looks good thanks!:gj: also STICKY!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasquatch Art

Looks Great!

---

Thanks Ash :banana:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasquatch Art

If I hadn't already gotten mine up and going this would have been great for me..

Always for future use though.

---

You will need many incubators in the near future I bet :snake:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasquatch Art

That first photo made me laugh..:8:

---

:P I was like "oops!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasquatch Art

Wanted to add a thank you for posting tub pics as well.

---

I had fun with those. The key is finding a tub that is deep enough. Nothing worse than going to close the lid and the tub your made was too shallow(personal experience :oops:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

Great post, you're hired ;)

---

Lol..thanks Deb..I am maybe the worst person ever to hire to do anything :crazy:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daaangconcepts

Sticky icky icky icky icky!

---

Come on now :oops:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daaangconcepts

LOVE IT!!!!

---

:clap:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daaangconcepts

Thanks for sharings ;)

---

How could I not ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Argentra

Perfect! I was wanting to see a good detailed thread on how to use mini fridges. Thanks, Cue, you da man! :bow:

---

You are so welcome :gj:

I you have ANY questions at all just ask :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by patthesnakeman

Its a nice Incubator too!

---

Thanks mang :nerd:

Nice thread but why do you need an incubator?

That was CUEtastic!!!! :D
But...
You forgot the pix of you wearing the safety goggles! :tears:

on the plexiglass did you use regular wood or metal screws with a point on the end or did you use a screw and nut behind the screw? Also I was confused because you said you used substrateless incubation. Isn't perlite the substrate. And lastly do you not use water bottles on the bottom to help stabilize temperature?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hmj75

are you going to add a mini fan by any chance.

---

I did add a mini computer fan in the trial stages. This incubator was too small and the circulation of air(even on a dimmer) was causing the egg boxes to dry faster than I would like. Also it forced all the hot air out of the incubator ever time I opened the door. I think if you had a taller incubator with lots of egg boxes a fan would be key. However with a short incubator and only one or two boxes the tempurature gradient is not much. With the fan it kept an even temp at the lower and upper shelf. Without the fan the temp difference was less than .50 of a degree as measured with a temp gun.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hotshot

thats a good question. Looks good thanks!:gj: also STICKY!!

---

Thanks :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rapture

Nice thread but why do you need an incubator?

---

Thanks :banana:

I'm hatching velocaraptors this season :evileye:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Laooda

That was CUEtastic!!!! :D

---

Thanks L :clap:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Laooda

You forgot the pix of you wearing the safety goggles! :tears:

---

:8: maybe I will add that in :bolt:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cueball

Thanks L :clap:



:8: maybe I will add that in :bolt:

---

I'll send you 100 B-l- Hairs if you do!!! :cool:

Not mine of course! :D

Excellent questions :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mwedgley

on the plexiglass did you use regular wood or metal screws with a point on the end or did you use a screw and nut behind the screw?

---

I used sheet metal screws with a flat head. The outer shell of the fridge is sheet metal and the inner skin of the door is plastic, these screws work well for both. I predrilled both the plexi(slightly larger than the screws) and fridge(slightly smaller than the screws).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mwedgley

Also I was confused because you said you used substrateless incubation. Isn't perlite the substrate.

---

The eggs actually site on top of the egg grate, not touching the Perlite. The Perlite is really only there to hold up the egg grate and keep the water from sloshing around when moving the egg boxes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mwedgley

And lastly do you not use water bottles on the bottom to help stabilize temperature?

---

Excellent point that I forgot to mention! I DID use small water bottles at the bottom of the incubator to serve as a heat sink to help stabilize temps when opening and closing the incubator.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Laooda

I'll send you 100 B-l- Hairs if you do!!! :cool:

Not mine of course! :D

---

Rs??? :weirdface

Looks great! I have a minifridge I'll be converting into an incubator this summer. :) This will help tons!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Looks great! I have a minifridge I'll be converting into an incubator this summer. :) This will help tons!

---

Awesome! Can't wait to see how it turns out and please feel free to ask questions when you get ready :D

Great stuff CUE im the least handy person on the planet and even i could do that with your walk through! Makes me wonder why i just spent so much on another incubator lol!

Omg this is awesome! I could hug you!!!!!! :hug:

My mini fridge looks like the same one!!!!!! I'm going to follow these directions exactly!

I wondered about a window in the front and if it was possible to cut it and even wondered about those lil bumps in the back! i see you cut them right off.

Oh 2 questions.. did yours have a temp dial on the side? (couldnt really tell from the pics. If so, how did you get that off? I pulled on mine a little but I didnt want to break anything as I saw the plastic side of the fridge looked like it wanted to come with it lol

And what did you use to cut the back bump thingies off? a utility knife?


GREAT post! I agree.. STICKY STICKY STICKY!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cueball

Rs??? :weirdface

---

IF, you wish... :twisted: I could also visit a public :tp:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NextWorldExotics

Great stuff CUE im the least handy person on the planet and even i could do that with your walk through!

---

You could do this with the tools in your tackle box :rofl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NextWorldExotics

Makes me wonder why i just spent so much on another incubator lol!

---

Eggactly why I wanted to do this. $500+ incubators are not in everyones hobby plan :snake:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

Omg this is awesome! I could hug you!!!!!! :hug:

---

Thanks :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

My mini fridge looks like the same one!!!!!! I'm going to follow these directions exactly!

---

Awesome, the older mini fidges like this are MUCH taller than the current standard mini fridge models.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

I wondered about a window in the front and if it was possible to cut it and even wondered about those lil bumps in the back! i see you cut them right off.

---

Yes, I used a razor blade housed in a utility knife. The inner plastic is pretty easy to cut. To make it even easier you could take a hair dryer and slighty warm up the plastic before cutting. The just use the clear silicone sealant to take up the uneven spaces on the inner window plexiglass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

Oh 2 questions.. did yours have a temp dial on the side? (couldnt really tell from the pics. If so, how did you get that off? I pulled on mine a little but I didnt want to break anything as I saw the plastic side of the fridge looked like it wanted to come with it lol

---

Mine had this on the inside back. I just used a flat head screw driver and pried it off. Then go back over the holes with the aluminum tape.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

And what did you use to cut the back bump thingies off? a utility knife?

---

Yes, and then just covered the holes with the aluminum tape.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

GREAT post! I agree.. STICKY STICKY STICKY!

---

Thanks :oops:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Laooda

IF, you wish... :twisted:

---

I wish upon a little star :please:

wow...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daaangconcepts

wow...

---

ggg.

:rolleyes:

strong work Santea Claus!

:gj:

I'm a long way off from having the need for an incubator, but I currently have in my possession a LARGE drink fridge. The kind that they have at stores that have all of the soda and iced tea in them. Does anyone have a reason NOT to use something of that sort? As far as I know it's broken and we got it for free.

I would never have thought to use a hair dryer to make the plastic softer b4 cutting the plastic!!!

Cueball you're awesome!!! :w00t: :number1:

So it worked well without a fan?

Never mind went back through the thread and found you already answered the question :rolleye2:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bojangles37

I'm a long way off from having the need for an incubator, but I currently have in my possession a LARGE drink fridge. The kind that they have at stores that have all of the soda and iced tea in them. Does anyone have a reason NOT to use something of that sort? As far as I know it's broken and we got it for free.

---

That will work great, I know many people that use those with good success :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by filly77

I would never have thought to use a hair dryer to make the plastic softer b4 cutting the plastic!!!

Cueball you're awesome!!! :w00t: :number1:

---

Thanks and good luck with your project :banana:

Some people have asked me about the cost of putting together this type of incubator. These are some pretty rough numbers but should be close :D

Mini fridge $0-$150 depending on used or new

Heat tape with cord and connectors $10
Flourescent light with inline switch $10
Aluminum tape $5
Cleaner $2
Plexiglass $5 each
Egg box $5 each
Lid $5 each
Perlite $8
Egg grate $10

Thermostat $60-$140 depending on the brand

So for as little as $135 you can have an incubator that works great!

The end result is priceless :aww:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...on/bpeggs1.jpg

No fan? I have the same setup, except im using a wine cooler, I was told I need to wire in a fan.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Subzero

No fan? I have the same setup, except im using a wine cooler, I was told I need to wire in a fan.

---

I did add a mini computer fan in the trial stages. This incubator was too small and the circulation of air(even on a dimmer) was causing the egg boxes to dry faster than I would like. Also it forced all the hot air out of the incubator every time I opened the door. I think if you had a taller incubator with lots of egg boxes a fan would be key. However with a short incubator and only one or two boxes the tempurature gradient is not much. With the fan it kept an even temp at the lower and upper shelf. Without the fan the temp difference was less than .50 of a degree as measured with a temp gun.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Laooda

You forgot the pix of you wearing the safety goggles! :tears:

---

Boooooya!!! ColdCaseStyle :crazy:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/tc000122.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cueball

I did add a mini computer fan in the trial stages. This incubator was too small and the circulation of air(even on a dimmer) was causing the egg boxes to dry faster than I would like. Also it forced all the hot air out of the incubator every time I opened the door. I think if you had a taller incubator with lots of egg boxes a fan would be key. However with a short incubator and only one or two boxes the tempurature gradient is not much. With the fan it kept an even temp at the lower and upper shelf. Without the fan the temp difference was less than .50 of a degree as measured with a temp gun.

---

Cool, man thanks. That was worrying me, only one egg box atm so with the probe in the egg box I should not have any issues.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cueball

Boooooya!!! ColdCaseStyle :crazy:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/tc000122.jpg

---

errrr...uhmm...LOGS.

:weirdface

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Subzero

Cool, man thanks. That was worrying me, only one egg box atm so with the probe in the egg box I should not have any issues.

---

With one egg box you should be fine. However, it's a bad idea to put the probe inside the egg box. The inside of the incubator will overcompensate with heat till the egg box is up to temp causing the egg box too eventually get too hot. Also at the end of the incubation process the eggs will generate their own extra heat and the incubator will stay too cool.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cueball

Boooooya!!! ColdCaseStyle :crazy:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/tc000122.jpg

---

:rofl:


You are completely my hero...


:teevee:

Excellent work as always. What about if I need to incubate 40 clutches of eggs? How many fridges will it take? When are you going to do the "monsterbator" tutorial?

I likey the inCUEbator! Just need the sequel, inCUEbator with weggcam! :gj: