whats a good incubator??

i was just looking around i don't have any eggs and not really planing but wanted to know whats the best one for the price not made of money looking to spend under 100 bucks i did a search and found a bunch of different ones but what makes one better then the rest??

There's something to be said for "you get what you pay for". I'm going to guess that the under $100 that you've found are hovabators. Hovabators are designed to hatch chicken eggs, not reptile eggs. Certainly people have used them with some success, but I've heard far too many losses to ever feel comfortable putting any clutches of mine into one.

You can probably make your own incubator for under $100, but you will spend over $100 in the end once you add your thermostat, which will run you $80 to $135, depending on if you get a Ranco/Johnson's (on/off thermostats) or a Helix/Herpstat (proportional thermostats). I am using a Helix on my incubator, which is a converted dorm fridge, that was gutted, has a strip of 11" flexwatt taped to the front door, and a 12V fan inside the unit.

You can get a fridge from a used appliance store that has been striped of parts or not fixable, for free or next to nothing just talk to the people who work there and see what they have...

You can get a ranco 111000 from e-bay for $50-$55 shipped and wire it yourself heres a link to good instructions on how to wire it
http://rcreptiles.com/blog/index.php...1000_thermosta
I would recomend a proportional thermostat you could use a Spyder Robotics Herpstat they cost about $109 though....

Flex watt is cheap $3.50 a foot and add some cpu fans in there and the total should be around $100 and about $150 if you get the proportional thermostat...

I used hovabators to hatch silkworm eggs and after monitoring temps for a few months, no way would I let them hatch ball python eggs.

i wouldnt use a hovabator.

this is my first year incubating and i built my own. small marine cooler, big apple herp radiant heat panel (http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Appl...nt-Heat-Panels) and a herpstat. it is working great so far. we are on day 49 with one clutch.

I gutted an old fridge installed some wire shelving units. Helix t-stat to control the temps and I'd trust that bad boy with anything inside.

I do the old fridge thing too. Most places that sell fridges when they have to pick up and take away the old one. They are stuck with it and have to pay to get rid of it. Thats how I got mine they were more than happy to give me one. I got a little upright freezer. Its about 5 foot tall. 2 foot wide 2 foot deep. Then you have to buy the tubs. The heat tape I use 2 pieces 1 almost as long as the freezer is tall. Then another about 2 foot long. The most I had to spend was on a good thermostat. I use a Helix too. I have used it for 3 seasons now. It has worked great. Think it was 135.00 or so.

Anyways I would go that way. Even if your not producing 30 clutches a year. The freezer or fridge type incubator, you will be able to grow into it. If your only having a few clutches a year. Then you bump that up to say 5 or 10 you should have plenty of room and wont have to build another incubator every year.
Here are a few pics they are a bit older. Before I added the other piece of heat tape. I also took out the thermostat thats in the freezer. I also added two pc fans after the pictures were taken.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/100_8325.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/100_8319.jpg

see i have a freezer thats broke its about 2.5 wide 2 foot deep and 2.5 tall but what are other's can be used but helix??? i know its cheap so most likely wont work but figured i would ask what about something like this??http://www.cornishcrispa.co.uk/produ...roducts_id=330

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Originally Posted by spaztheweird1

see i have a freezer thats broke its about 2.5 wide 2 foot deep and 2.5 tall but what are other's can be used but helix??? i know its cheap so most likely wont work but figured i would ask what about something like this??http://www.cornishcrispa.co.uk/produ...roducts_id=330

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Why wouldn't you want to get the best thermometer that you can if you're going to trust your eggs to it? If you're that concerned about how much your spending, have you thought about saving money for veterinary care if your female were to become egg bound?

Once you've done the currency conversion and paid shipping from Europe, you've spent what you'd spend on a Helix (not to mention, that thermostat may not be compatible with US outlets). If you really must go more affordable, choose a Johnson's or Ranco.

Since you're not really planning on eggs right away (per your first post), save the money and get quality products instead.

in my opinion, a cooler with some heat tape in the bottom is the best... cheap, reliable, and very good at holding the correct temps.

I have not used anything other than the Helix for the incubator. So I dont know, I know there are others out there. That work just as good. For the incubator you dont want one of the on/off type of thermostats. With thoses I would think you will have a hard time keeping steady temps. Like said go with a proportional thermostats. There is other proportional thermostats out there other than Helix. Im not 100% sure what they are or how much they cost.

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Originally Posted by ama1997

I have not used anything other than the Helix for the incubator. So I dont know, I know there are others out there. That work just as good. For the incubator you dont want one of the on/off type of thermostats. With thoses I would think you will have a hard time keeping steady temps. Like said go with a proportional thermostats. There is other proportional thermostats out there other than Helix. Im not 100% sure what they are or how much they cost.

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Herpstat is proportional as well. I believe Becky (SatanicIntention) uses an on/off thermostat for her incubator with no problems, she has it set to a 1 degree up/down.

i have the money for the vet i was just trying to find the cheapest way is it wrong to try and find a cheaper way to build something instead of the same way every one else is and i didn't realize the none American pricing it was just a quick search but i mean i have the helix dbs-1000 for the rack but i was just trying to think of a cheaper way


like i found one that is made with a house thermostat on another site so i might try it out for my girls dragon cage

Good luck in your quest! :)

When you breed your incubator is the single most important thing you will need. Keeping that in mind you should spend as much as you need to ensure proper incubation.

Personally I would hate to go cheap with an incubator and lose all my eggs!

This is what I used this year and what I will use next year

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p.../Incubator.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...or/Inside2.jpg

120 quarts cooler = $50
Hersptat Thermostat = $109
Heat Tape + Cord + Connectors = $10
Fan + Adapter = $15
Light Diffuser = $11
Water Bottles = $3

I wouldn't use a hovabator either. I lost a clutch to one using its heating wafer. Now granted, I did not have a backup thermostat. But I think now that the best heating for an incubator is Flexwatt, hooked to a top of the line proportional thermostat. I use a Helix now with stellar results. I got fancy this year and bought a nonworking, great-looking wine fridge for my incubator body. Now last year I used a styro cooler with great results, and this year things are going great as well. I spent a whopping $20 and some elbow grease for the nonworking cooler.. since I didn't need it to work, that was unimportant.. it just insulates and gives you a nice clear door to look into :) Now the thermostat is expensive, but please don't chintz out on this.. it is vital.

Im using an Igloo cooler with 2 feet of 11" Flex, and a Herpstat T-stat. :) Day 48 and everyone is looking good so far :D

You dont have to get fancy, or buy the absolute best. You only need constant steady temps, if a gutted fridge, or an igloo cooler can give you those steady temps, by all means! im happy with it, and ill probably use the setup again! If it aint broke, why fix it?

The thermostat is debatable. If you have a good incubator that holds the temps well and dosn't take much power to run then a on/off thermstat will work fine. However if your using an incubator that is not sealed up well and has alot of heat loss then you should use a proportional thermostat without question.

I personally run a Ranco thermostat on my incubator and the temps are very solid. My incubator is a glass front coke fridge with a 3ft strip of 11" flex-watt and a fan to stir the air so there are no warm/cold spots. I have thermometers in the egg boxes and they do not move 1/10th of a degree.

A hovabator will work if you do not rely on it's temp controller.
I let mine run wide open and use a herpstat to control the temps.