Should I turn my incubator on ?

[Helix]

Hi guys, next year should ve been my first breeding year, so I need a little advice.
The basic question is, do I need to get incubator running or not?

I planned on pairing this girl next season, but she gained weight a bit faster, so I thought about trying, if she goes great. If not, no worries.


So here is the time line.
- This girl was paired 2 times with the same male. I didnt notice any locks.
After first pairing she immediately went off feed.
- About 1 month after first pairing I noticed her laying on her back, so I kept my eye on her. Same day in the evening I noticed something that looked to me as possible ovulation. She didnt eat nothing for a month so that was what got my hopes up.
Sorry for the bad picture



- about 3 weeks after this picture was taken, she shed..
- today 1 week after shed she is still not eating

So, what do you guys think?

[Don]

It would not hurt to have your incubator up, tested and running. However, if she does lay and your incubator is not ready, you will have to scramble. Better to be safe and crank her up!

It does look like she is building.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Test your incubator so you have an idea on how your t-stat need to be setup and that it is working properly (real test with egg boxes inside etc).

Now as far have having it on I generally turn mine on anytime after the first pre-lay shed of the season which still gives me PLENTY of time to do last adjustment if needed.

[MasonC2K]

Better to have it running and not need it than to need it running and not have it.

[Helix]

The incubator has been tested for a month during winter so it should be stable enough.
Havent tried it with the egg box in it though..

I was just wondering if theres a chance that this was the pre-lay shed? If so then I really should turn it on...