Well, I have to post this baby everywhere I go because it was cheap and worked! Out of 7 healthy ball python eggs laid last year by big momma, this incubator hatched 7 for 7! I believe it's an excellent option for those who have 1 or 2 clutches and don't want to build a large incubator. It is DEFINITELY superior to the hovobator (i wouldn't trust one of these with normals!)....but it is DEFINITELY GHETTO!



I built it on a whim last season because a female I didn't think was gravid dropped a clutch on me. I believe that although it is aesthetically ugly, it is far superior to most single clutch sized incubators out there. I had all the materials available, so it didn't cost me a dime.

My reasoning for its superiority is the use of quite a bit of water as a heat "sink". Water has a very high specific heat capacity compared to air (4.19 J/g¢XC vs 1.01 J/g¢XC) so it takes a lot more energy to change it's temp, so the possibility for temperature swings is almost negligent. By experimentation I found that even if I lose all power, in 7 hours the temperature inside my incubator went from 90 F to 88.5 F...during and after huricane Katrina this is what kept these eggs alive!

The wireless temp/humidity gauge I have in there records both the present temp and humitidy but also the high and low of each since the last time I erased the memory. Within the 60 hours tested I had a humidity swing of only 2 percent (90-92%) and a temp swing of 1.2 F (89.5-90.7). I'd love to see even the best momma ball do that!

Here's a quick explanation of what I built and the materials used:

I took a large sterilte container and put a 3" strip of heat tape along the bottom. I lined the inside sides with mat insulation (I had some available from a rodent pro order). I set this on a 1" pink dense foam insulation that I cut out. I then put a smaller rubbermaid tub inside this insulated tub and filled the rubbermaid tub about 1/3 full of water. I then put a concrete block inside. On top of this I set the sterilite container that I put the vermiculite and eggs in (as well as the ranco probe). Closed up the egg box and the rubbermaid container and set more mat insulation on top of the rubbermaid. Set my Ranco controller for 90 and left it for two days to equilibrate before I put the eggs in. I also should note that I have a wireless temp/humidity gauge inside the clutch box.

Here's some pics I took while disassembling it. The diagram hopefully illustrates the different parts as well as shows how excellent of an artist I am!





Hatched/empty eggs

Concrete block and water level...nice feet!




There are many different methods for building an incubator, but the principles are the same.

1. It needs to hold a constant, uniform temperature and humidity.
2. It should be able to resist temperature spikes and dips.
3. It should be able to maintain that temperature for at least 6 hours without any power.
4. It should be as guetto fabulous as you want!


Matt Hennek

[ Hide Replies ]

• Incubators - jag, Thu Mar 9 12:03:16 2006
• RE: Incubators - RoyalVariations-, Thu Mar 9 12:17:06 2006
• forgot to mention,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, - RoyalVariations-, Sat Mar 11 13:31:15 2006
• The Guetto Fabulous Incubator (TM) - Matt...Hennek, Thu Mar 9 17:25:50 2006
• RE: The Guetto Fabulous Incubator (TM) - 414reptiles, Fri Mar 10 22:49:04 2006