Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an old stand up freezer I want to convert into an incubator. Has anyone ever done this if so what did you do. I pland to use two radiant heat panels I have sitting around for heat and a small rubbermaid with an aquarium heater in it to keep the humidity up. Thanks for your time. Ian

You can do it, but they do have their drawbacks. I would suggest installing a viewing window and drilling a couple mid size holes somewhere in it to keep it from being air tight.

For heating, my incubator just uses 3 15 watt bulbs and a helix t-stat. It could actually just run off of one of those bulbs, but the others are good backup in case one blows out. Its best to use the smallest heating device you can for the job, that way when your t-stat breaks down you incubator cannot get super hot and possibly catch fire.

heres a picture of mine. The viewing window has two thick piece of installed in it.

You don't need the aquarium heater - just a tub of water will keep the humidity up.
Also, consider installing a fan - otherwise the top will be hot & the bottom cooler.
I used an old fridge/freezer for mine & used the defrost coils for the heat & kept the existing fan. The crisper & meat drawers are filled with water.
I put in two thermostats - one as a back-up, just in case.
Good luck,
Max
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"How the hell do you find a Heloderma in a snowstorm?"