Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think my western is about to lay... so how is the best way to make a incubator. Pics would be good.
take care
God Bless
Chris

Check out the August 07 edition of Reptiles Magizine (just came out). They have a whole article, with instructions, on home made incubators.
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Jenea
Guardian Reptiles

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave" Author unknown

I used this setup last year with great success. I stole the idea from another board member. I'll assume you know what type of container and mixture you should use for the eggs themselves.
What you need for the incubator: a 20 gallon long aquarium, 2 bricks, an underwater aquarium heater, and something to lay over the top of the aquarium to keep in the moisture.(I used a flat piece of styrofoam) First, lay down the 2 bricks in the center of the aquarium, and fill it with enough water so it's just below the top of the bricks. Place the aquarium heater in the middle (to one side of the bricks) and heat the water to about the temp you want your eggs at. Whatever you place the eggs in, lay that container on top of the bricks. Place something over about 3/4 of the top of the aquarium to keep in humidity and heat. You should experiment with the temp inside the container before you have the eggs in it. Once you get the right temp for the eggs, leave the heater on that setting. It's best to keep the incubator in a cooler area that is below the temp you want the eggs and does not fluctuate too much. The heater will take care of maintaining the correct water temp, and the water also keeps it humid. You will need to add water from time to time, but thats about it.

Make sure the eggs are covered if you use that setup. I used that setup with my first clutch, but kept the eggs uncovered. Condensation from the lid on the aquarium dripped onto the eggs, and I lost the entire clutch. I was so disappointed.
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Jenea
Guardian Reptiles

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave" Author unknown

Good point if you're using a top that water would condense on. I used styrafoam and didn't have that issue (although the egg container had a cover on it anyway.) I did notice some condensation on the top (inside) of the egg container and just tilted the container slightly to one side so it rolled off to a spot where there were no eggs.

i use this setup for 4 years now and never had problems with dropping water.
my aquarium is coverd with a sloping sturodur plate, so the water runs down at one side of the cover and is not dripping on the eggs.

alexander
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1.1 Lystrophis semicinctus
2.1 Heterodon nasicus
1.1 Boiga nigriceps
1.1 Cryptelytrops macrops
0.1 Epicrates striatus
Sorry for my sometimes bad english...