Do I really need an incubator?

[hungba]

i also got a friend who used the cabinet at the bottom of his bathroom sink as incubator(for me its just funny) but for some reason, the eggs also hatched. 100% rate!, he has been doing this for 2 years now. one thing he told me though, the eggs hatch between 73-78 days..

personally, i have no plans of trying it.. but if you're the curious type, feel free to do so..

Out of curiosity, what were the temps in his bathroom sink cabinets during those times? Were the babies healthy and normal size etc.? Can you ask him? I have already bought the materials and decided to build a bigger incubator this year, but I will probably outgrow it again in a couple years. Space is the main issue here.

It seems that eggs don't die within range even if the temps are not exactly constant, just takes longer to hatch?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

No, I am not talking about maternal incubation. These guys just plop the egg box on the coffee table.

If you can provide a room with temperature that remain within adequate range for incubation I don't see why you could not do it, however you need to be able to provide this and it is not as easy as it sounds which is why incubators or walk in closets are easier.

[hungba]

If you can provide a room with temperature that remain within adequate range for incubation I don't see why you could not do it, however you need to be able to provide this and it is not as easy as it sounds which is why incubators or walk in closets are easier.

In my incubator I did constant 89. What is acceptable range? 86 to 92?

[Joe Massey]

Out of curiosity, what were the temps in his bathroom sink cabinets during those times? Were the babies healthy and normal size etc.? Can you ask him? I have already bought the materials and decided to build a bigger incubator this year, but I will probably outgrow it again in a couple years. Space is the main issue here.

It seems that eggs don't die within range even if the temps are not exactly constant, just takes longer to hatch?

The temps were very inconclusive, were in a tropical country so during his incubation period, the temps were just about 82-87, the babies were absolutely healthy. the only thing is that again it took more days to hatch. one thing we know for sure though, the bathroom is a very humid place so i guess it also contributed to the success.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

In my incubator I did constant 89. What is acceptable range? 86 to 92?

It is also 92 leaves very little room for error. High temps are really something you need to worry about, I prefer to go no lower than 86 and no higher than 90


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[Alicia]

It is also 92 leaves very little room for error. High temps are really something you need to worry about, I prefer to go no lower than 86 and no higher than 90

This. If it stayed a little lower, I'd say use larger egg tubs with plenty of medium for thermal mass to cushion temperature changes, but 92 is kinda scary. Granted, if the temps are dipping and rising in that range over the course of a day, regularly, I might personally experiment with it --- if I had a backup plan and/or (at least) a way to keep the room from overheating.

[John1982]

I wouldn't be surprised if they hatched just fine in your snake room. My only concern would be the 92F peak in your ambient house temps. Not sure how your animals cope with that but if I were trying to incubate eggs in those conditions I'd definitely put them low to the ground.

I hatched a clutch of sayi eggs last year in a tub sitting on a shelf in the snake room. Temperatures fluctuated between 77F(night low) and 84F(day high) and I started seeing pippers on day 67. I had 80% hatch rate with one egg dying early on and another going full term but failing to pip.

I hatch my ball python eggs in a home made bator that holds a pretty steady temperature, get about a 1 degree variance but 88F is the average. I have 100% hatch rate in ball python eggs though I have a relatively small sample - 40/40 since my first clutch in 2011.

[TheSnakeEye]

Everyone remember we use incubators to increase the success rate for hatching, minimize any errors possible, as well as shorten the time it takes for hatching. But in the wild, temperatures fluctuate, humidity fluctuates, and I can almost guarantee that at least 80% of the eggs hatch.

It's just like certain plants that we grow in a controlled environment to yield their products sooner. Sure if you raise them outside they'd grow and produce. But in a controlled environment you can manipulate everything to your benefit.

[Daigga]

Is it doable? Yeah, sure. I did it with a clutch of eggs we found in my brother backyard (texas ratsnakes). Is it recommended? Probably not. I live in north Texas, and while I could probably keep eggs at a pretty steady temperature inside my home, any issue I would have with the air conditioning could kill off any clutches I had on a hot day (100+ isn't uncommon here). I'm going to go ahead and say "better safe than sorry" to this one.

[TheSnakeEye]

Is it doable? Yeah, sure. I did it with a clutch of eggs we found in my brother backyard (texas ratsnakes). Is it recommended? Probably not. I live in north Texas, and while I could probably keep eggs at a pretty steady temperature inside my home, any issue I would have with the air conditioning could kill off any clutches I had on a hot day (100+ isn't uncommon here). I'm going to go ahead and say "better safe than sorry" to this one.

I definitely go the better safe than sorry route. I'm just stating Im sure it can be done just fine. I'd rather not risk it though. I myself use a 'bator.