Kingsnake.com - Herpforum - a word from the resident no-sub humper..

Posted by: JP at Fri Mar 10 08:23:16 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by JP ]

People probably get tired of me coming on here and humping the no-sub method. The reason why I do it is because I believe in it. I think it is far superior in SMALL incubators (I think the best method is the "room" incubators ala the Sutherlands, VPI, Ralph). The problem that folks have in smaller incubators is maintaining proper humidity. In my opinion, this is much harder using dampened vermiculite in the traditional sense. In this traditional method, you can lose eggs by 1) starting out too damp, 2) starting out too dry, 3) starting out too dry, adding water and getting too wet. I worried far too much with the tradtional method.

My "modified" no-sub method that I have shared here many times was adapted from a chondro method I read about. This is what I do:

1) get an egg box deep enough to hold a large clutch plus a couple more inches.

2) fill the box with at least 1.5 inches of dry perlite.

3) add water until the perlite is so wet that it sloshes around.

4) flourescent lens ("egg crate" sit on top of sloshing wet perlite.

5) eggs go on top of the lens. This is the beauty of the set up. The eggs are 100% completely dry, do not contact anything the slightest bit damp, but yet are subjected to near 100% humidity from the air only.

6) I open egg boxes about once a week for the first 5 or 6 weeks, then every few days thereafter to change the air.

Since going to this method, I've hatched nearly 100% of my fertile eggs (In fact, I've only lost three eggs on this method...all were laid in my old apartment last year and had to be moved in my pick-up truck into my new house. I think the move was detrimental to their development).

To me, this "no-sub" method is far superior, you never have to worry about your set up being too wet or too dry, you never have to add water. I sleep very well knowing my eggs will be great (I even went away for a weeks vacation with three clutches in the incubator...thats how confident I am in the method).

Pictures (the proof is in the pudding):