Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My het caramels are breeding, I have put nest boxes in their trays. I will be needing to buy a incubator(s) soon. This will be my first try on balls. I would like to make no mistakes as it would cost me dearly. My questions are. How many clutches can a hovabator hold? How far in advance should I set it (them) up? I live in phoenix so my house has AC. What exterior temperature (outside the hovabator) should I maintain? Is there some other type of incubator that would be better, and where can I get the best price? Thanks in advance for your help.

The Menagerie

1.6 Het for caramel balls (male 100% females 50%) 05's.
1.4 Pied male and 4 100% het female balls. 06' male 05' females
1.0 6' Albino stripe tail 04'
0.1 6' Albino stripe tail 05'
1.0 5' Hypo possible (50%) het 04'
0.1 6' Hypo het for sunglow 04'
3 dogs Cole,Taffy, and "Bundles of love" (I did not name Bundles) she was a rescue.
And all the rats my snakes can eat.

Nice snakes, I would be careful and not risk them to save a dollar or two.

Havobators will hold only like two maybe three (depending on size) clutches.

More importantly, I believe , is that you buy a top notch controller for the incubator. I would recommend a Helix or (I use)a HerpStat. This will allow you to maintain them at EXACTLY the right temp. consistantly.

I only breed 1 to 3 clutches per year and I use a Havobator. A couple things about them you may want to know, if this is the direction you go in.

First, they come with a "Static Wafer" type heat controller. I would recommend stabilizing the incubator (no eggs inside) with this first, only I do this at a couple degrees higher than the 89 recommended for Ball eggs. I then plug the heating element into the HerpStat controller and stabilize it at 89 degrees. This way you kind of have a fail-safe in place if the HerpStat goes haywire (which it wont).

Second, the Havobators have tiny holes for breathing in them. 1 bigger one on top in the center, plus 6 or 8 more underneath. I plugged mine up on the outside with duct tape. You can open the lid every several days and get some fresh air inside. These holes made my temps fluctuate like crazy and drove me crazy till I spotted them. They are very small indeed. This come sback to your question about the temperature of the room you keep them in. As close to 89 degrees as possible would be best, but drafts are the real killer IMHO. I place a light, breathable terry cloth towel over the top to try and eliminate the drafts.

Third, watch out for water drops accumulating on the underside of the Havobator lid and dripping on your eggs. I take a large tupperware bottom, no lid, inverted it and cut all but the four corners out and placed it over the eggs like a pavillion. This eliminated that problem.

Good luck,

Alan