Getting into this wonderful hobby! Breeding Questions

[CTWalker]

Those are a good bit more, but when tiny lives are on the line I don't feel like one should go the cheap route unless they really know what they're doing/are confident in themselves, and I'm not one of those people that's comfortable with anything unless I've had it explained thoroughly or I have someone that's experienced there with me haha! This is also why I started this thread, I want everyone's info before I start this whole breeding project. This is going to be my test year to decide how into breeding I want to be. I know there will be trials and issues, I know there are possible vet bills and that these are living animals I'm dealing with and I want to do it all right. Thank you all for sharing your info, please keep it coming!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I'm really nervous about making one of my own. I just don't want to mess something up and kill the eggs :/ Are they really safe and easy to make/deal with?

It's very easy the thing you need to keep in mind is that the most important piece of equipment is a RELIABLE thermostat, the one you linked does not even have that and I would not trust the internal T-Stat with MY eggs. I would trust a DIY incubator over one of those any day.

Now if you really want a professionally manufactured incubator (which will get pricey for a RELIABLE one) there are some Hot Box (From C-Cerpents), Nature Spirits, and BoaMaster

[CTWalker]

I have a Herpstat 1 right now and I'm actually about to get a Herpstat 2. Would it be safe to have a DIY incubator plugged into one of the outlets of the Herpstat 2 and the rack I have plugged into the other or should I use a completely separate thermostat for each? Just wondering since it says it can program two different sets of heating elements and has completely separate probes/outlets for them.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have a Herpstat 1 right now and I'm actually about to get a Herpstat 2. Would it be safe to have a DIY incubator plugged into one of the outlets of the Herpstat 2 and the rack I have plugged into the other or should I use a completely separate thermostat for each? Just wondering since it says it can program two different sets of heating elements and has completely separate probes/outlets for them.

You can they are designed for that but I am a firm believer to have one thermostat per incubator or rack, it's just another security feature for me this way in the event something fails not everything is at risk.

[CTWalker]

Completely understandable. Better safe than sorry.

So another question. Do you stick to the cool down the snakes Oct 1st, start breeding Nov 1, heat back up on Mar 1, or do you just breed whenever? Do you drop the heat at all or just make sure he snakes are healthy, happy, up to weight, and put them together and let them do what nature tells them?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Completely understandable. Better safe than sorry.

So another question. Do you stick to the cool down the snakes Oct 1st, start breeding Nov 1, heat back up on Mar 1, or do you just breed whenever? Do you drop the heat at all or just make sure he snakes are healthy, happy, up to weight, and put them together and let them do what nature tells them?

Over the years I have done it several different ways.

Now I generally breed whenever the animals are ready proper weight for first timers, 6 months break between laying and pairing for proven breeders + back to normal weight and some more.

So I do not cool and breed year round and have clutches as early as February and late as November.

[CTWalker]

Did you find that it really didn't matter if you cooled down or not? I didn't figure it would matter because they do come from the equator area of Africa, correct? So it wouldn't seem like their brains would really care about a cool down/warm up as much as animals from my part of the world (I'm in Indiana so we have crazy weather sometimes) would.