I might be in trouble

I recently purchased a breeder size Het dreamsicle female that I was planning on breeding next season after I had everything 100% ready. Well the breeder I bought her from paired her up in December and didn’t think that the pairing was successful and moved on. I came home today to a clutch of 5 eggs(1 slug).

With the knowledge I have so far from this forum I knew letting her self incubate didn’t give me great odds for the eggs hatching so I went to tractor supply got a chicken incubator, 6qt sterilite container, perlite, light diffuser/grid and did what I could do.

At first I had the perlite damp and my temperature was sitting right about 90 and humidity 50% I know this is too low for humidity so I added a water bowl outside the egg box and sealed up 90% of the seams and holes in the incubator and added
more water to the perlite all I got so far was a 5% increase in humidity so still too low. Temperature is still holding. I also saran wrapped the egg box and taped it down.

I’d appreciate any suggestions at this point and how long do I have before the eggs start getting damaged due to low humidity?


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You would be better off with a styrofoam cooler amd a heat source inside it.
Are you sure you are getting correct humidity readings?
Are the eggs still plump or are they starting to dimple?

They have slight dimples but nothing too serious

I added another tub full of perlite and warm water in the incubator and the humidity is rising.

What is my best option for a heat source I can get in the next 18-24 hrs? I know I can get heat mats but will that be enough? And if i do set up a cooler should I put the heat source on the sides or bottom? I know I can’t get heat tape unless I order it online but idk how much time I have. Thanks


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Bottom or side will will work as long as your thermostat is good.
If you are planning on breeding soon, build one you can use later too.

Ok so basically I’m using the incubator as a cooler now as it is completely styrofoam. I unplugged the heat source it came with and installed a heat mat underneath the tub full of perlite and warm water and set my jump start thermostat at 90°. My probe is inside the incubator not inside the egg box but I do have a acurite digital gauge for the egg box.

I took the lid off the egg box and left the saran wrap on, I added a second humidity gauge inside the egg box and it is reading 99% which is the maximum it can read.
Temp is climbing slowly but it should be able to heat this incubator as it is no bigger than a 10 gallon aquarium.


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I added a water bowl outside the egg box

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A water bowl in the incubator near the egg tub is not gonna do anything, you need to have the right amount of water and the lid on your tub so moisture stays in the tub. (humidity in the incubator itself is irrelevant)


https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-egg-tub-setup

Ok I put the lid back on egg box and took the water bowl out, one more question I have is do I need a small fan? Incubator did not come with one but I’ve seen incubators with and without fans.

This is a small incubator that you can fit at most 2 clutches.


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Thanks for chiming in Deb I always appreciate your input!


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If you your using a heat mat, I would mount it on the side so it's not in direct contact with the egg box and then you should be fine with or without a fan because it's a small area to warm. Most important thing is, just make sure to have a good thermostat, I like herpstat myself.
Good luck with the clutch!

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Originally Posted by Ballday

Ok I put the lid back on egg box and took the water bowl out, one more question I have is do I need a small fan? Incubator did not come with one but I’ve seen incubators with and without fans.

This is a small incubator that you can fit at most 2 clutches.


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With an incubator that small I would not bother, I used to have a 120 quarts incubator holding (8) 6 quarts tubs and never used a fan, now in a fridge or something similar yes it's recommended.