Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know of a good incubater system??

Thanks
Will

To better answer, send us some more info...

like: 1) What do you mean by incubator "system"? Are you simply refering to the actual physical incubator or the methodology for incubating eggs? There are many of each, and most work quite well.

2) What are your needs? How many clutches per year, etc.

3) What are the space and financial variables at play?

Having said all that, I wrote an article for the '07 REPTILES magazine that shows how to make a very reliable home-made incubator and my no sub incubation method. You can also search this forum...

I am a brand new breeder. I hope to breed at least one pair this year. So something small not to big.

probably your best bet would be to use a hovabator. You can get them at a feed and seed store for well less than 100 bucks. Go to Jay Martin's site and read what he has put up about setting up the hovabator for BP eggs...If you think this hobby is going to stick for you, go ahead and get a reliable proportional thermostat.

Hovabators are expensive and in my experience, don't work for crap no matter how well you set the eggs up.

A cheaper and better alternative would be to build your own incubator out of an old mini-fridge you can find on Craigslist or in your local newspaper. I bought mine for $30. Put some heat cable or Flexwatt inside it and hook the heat source up to a thermostat to control it. Put the thermostat probe inside the mini-fridge. Use some Gladware plastic containers to hold your eggs using HatchRite as an incubation medium (or you can use the no-substrate method that's floating around these forums). Voila -- you have a great incubator that should do well for your eggs. I hatched all my clutches this year using that exact setup.

Good luck!
-----
~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Hey thanks Jen. I think I will try that. I am new to this whole thing and HOPE to hatch out eggs this year. Hey will you be in Daytona this year?

Will

Nope, I just had surgery and couldn't take the extra time off work. Have fun down there!
-----
~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Agreed. The Hovabator is a great avenue for "testing" the waters to see if you want to breed. Thousands of breeders have used them (with modifications) successfully.
-----
Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Testing the waters How hard is this process???

Will

Go to my website and read the article on Hovabators. It's full of information, including common mistakes.
-----
Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles