Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to ask you all if it can be a problem to incubate eggs in a temp that can range from 88.5F to 90.5F The thermostat is set up at 89.6 so it will keep the temp most of the time at that temperature but it will switch up only when the temperature will cool down to 88.5 and raise it to 90.5. I calculated that it will take about one and half hours to go from 90.5 to 88.5 and few minutes to reach back 90.5

Thank you very much for your help

Flavio

not a problem at all.....those that are "anal" would probably freak but that wouldn't concern me in the least!

Jason

Flavio:

I would not worry too much about the variation in temperature that you are talking about.

Before breeding and selling ball pythons and boas I used to breed and sell colubrids. During that time I hatched out hundreds of eggs. I remember one season when I actually incubated king snake and milk snake eggs in the top shelf of my hall closet. There was no thermostat or heating device. My house did not have air conditioning. Granted I live in the San Fransisco Bay Area and our temps don't get that hot during the summer, but every clutch hatched without issues.

Mind you I have not tried this with ball python eggs and I'm not suggestion that you do either. As long as you keep the eggs in a healthy range for the type of snake that is hatching the eggs will most likely hatch. Lower temps will increase the incubation period. My biggest concern would be that the eggs not get too hot.

Temperatures may not always be what the text books tell us they should be, but I feel nature has built in a little flexability.

Good luck.

Brian
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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

They can take it! My last clutch went through the variation you described and hatched anyway. There was even a night or two the incubator got down to 86 degrees...

Generally, a little too cool isn't going to do as much as harm as a little too hot will.

Eggs are, for the most part, tougher than we give them credit for.

~jenny
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