Incubator Preferences?

[ShortstackJack]

Hey guys.

Due to my severe lack of faith in my building skills, I was looking to purchase an incubator for my snake eggs. I've heard a lot of brands are bad though, and I don't want to waste money on a bad product.

What are some incubators that are recommended by any experienced breeders out there?

Additional advice is also welcome at any time.

Thanks!

[satomi325]

Nature's Spirits produce a really nice quality and reliable incubator.

http://www.nsreptiles.com/incubator.html

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[shorty21030]

I felt the same way that you did about not feeling to confident about building my own incubator so I wanted to make sure that I had a good incubator. I have a hot box incubator and I will say it was worth every penny. I have not had a problem with it and it keeps the temperature very stable. I know they are a little more expensive but like I said it was worth every penny.

[ShortstackJack]

I've heard that these incubators do a good job, but I'm not sure how to feel about the price:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...e-window1582r/

Has anyone ever used this kind with good turnout? If not, I'll definitely be saving up for one of the above incubators.

[BHReptiles]

Nature's Spirit or Hot Box are the BEST commercial incubators you can buy. I would not trust my eggs with ANY other incubator you can buy.

That said, if you need something a little cheaper, it's really easy to make your own. I'm awful at building things and I set up an incubator out of a Coleman cooler for less than $150. You just buy the heat tape pre-wired from Reptile Basics (depending on the size of your cooler, you'll need 1-3ft of heat tape). Then you use foil tape to tape it to the bottom of the cooler. Run the cord through the little drain (or if it's a styrofoam cooler, punch a hole in the side). Plug in the heat tape to a thermostat, fill the bottom of the cooler with water bottles and put in your egg box. It works wonders! It's REALLY simple to do.

[Badgemash]

I've heard that these incubators do a good job, but I'm not sure how to feel about the price:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...e-window1582r/

Has anyone ever used this kind with good turnout? If not, I'll definitely be saving up for one of the above incubators.

I am not a fan of them, the small size means that the temps can fluctuate very quickly, you have no room for water to act as a heat sink, and since they were designed with smaller species in mind (like beardies) you may not have enough room for a large clutch or eggs that are stacked in pile by mom (you can potentially separate them safely if you catch it very early, but once they're stuck together they can tear if you pull on them).

I cannot speak for the Hot Box, but I used a Natures Spirit last season (with a herpstat) and was VERY happy. To be fair I went WAY overboard with the bottled water (60+ bottles ) but that puppy never dropped more than 0.2 degrees F at the most when I opened the door, and usually only 0.1 (as registered by 3 separate thermometers and the herpstat probe). The way I see it, by the time you've raised, housed, and fed the animals, been through the emotional ups and downs of pairing them, watching for ovy, waiting for them to lay… a fancier incubator is worth the price (which ends up being small in comparison to the extended costs). I get enough stress from worrying about whether parents want to lock, ovulate, and lay, are the eggs are viable, are the babies are healthy inside, are they going to go full term etc. that it's worth it to me to spend on equipment just to take those variables out of the equation.