I just picked up this beverage cooler the other day and transformed it into a snake egg incubator. The guy just bought it brand new, paid almost $1,000 for it and it arrived with a bad compressor. Needless to say I got it for pennies on the dollar. It's about seven feet tall and should hold at least 12-14 clutches of ball python eggs. I'm pairing up about 20 snakes this year including my dwarf retics so it's possible that I'll completely fill this up with some overflow into some of my smaller incubators.
I set it up with a 'Jump Start' thermostat since I had one on hand. The temps jump around a little bit from 88F to 90F on the thermostat, jumps around even more if you look at the Jump Start as it's working. I actually ordered a VE-300 to replace it to keep the temps rock solid.
This is my setup on the bottom shelf. I have a little fan for air movement that blows the air up along the heat strips. I needed the power strip because I had to plug in two heat strips, just one wouldn't bring the temps up to 89F (in my cold basement). Probably only needed one since this will reside in my snake room that's kept at 82F. I plan on boring out the drain hole on the bottom and running all the cords through that, I can even put the thermostat and power strip underneath and just keep the fan inside.
I lowered the bottom shelf so it's just barely above the fan, doesn't really take up that much space. I also have the thermostat probe down there.
Here's a shot of the big fan inside the unit, I just unscrewed the panel and unplugged this fan. I was considering putting in a rheostat to slow it down but unplugging was easier.
I had these heat mats from when I had my snakes in aquariums, never thought I'd use them again LOL.
The model of the cooler is KGM-13. They sell on Amazon for $1100.
Here's a few shots of the unit in the dark, it has strips of LED lights built in. You can turn them on and off individually.
Overall I'm very pleased with this incubator conversion, it has a large capacity and looks brand new! I'm hoping to fill it up with eggs in the near future! I'm even considering installing a few egg turners and a humidifier with controller to hatch out some duck eggs in the off season!
Reply With Quote