Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone used or know if the Big Apple Safety Hatch Reptile Incubator is a good/reliable incubator? Considering getting one. Seems like a good size anyhow. Seems that they do not come with shelving inside any longer. Any suggestions for shelving with this incubatot?
Does anybody have any other suggestions for any other nice big reptile incubator on the market? Thanks- I apprieciate any help!

Best bet is to build one or make one out of an old freezer or fridge.

Yeehaw - baby season - got some good hook-ups going on over here this weekend!

Why would a homemade one be better than a comercially manufactured one?

If money is no option there are a few professional incubators that run well into thousands of dollars. The main thing to remember is if you are planning on using it for retics the Big Apple one is great for smaller snakes then burmese, African rocks, reticulated pythons or several others. The problem is if you have a large retic you are going to need about three or more of the big apple incubators.

Next best option is building your own. For the cost of less then $300 not counting the proportional temperature controller you could build one that would hold a few very large clutches of large python eggs. Here is my design that took one weekend.




It has been working great for a few years without any sort of problem.

Last option is converting an old refrigerator or freezer into one. This is very easy to do but for a couple of hundred dollars I feel making one to your needs is a way better option.

Jim

Hey, yours looks pretty awesome! I have a pair of retics and 2 female balls & 1 male. That's about all I have room for. (maybe a few more balls down the road)
Any chance of you emailing me detailed plans for building an incubator such as yours? I would be willing to pay for your services! Let me know & thanks!

There is one problem. I picture what I want to build in my head and just do it. Never used plans when there is no need. If you live near N/W Indiana you are more then welcome to stop by and take a look for yourself. Here is a smaller version(larger then the Big Apple)that I was using for a couple of years before I started using big Bertha. The only problem was that it was almost too small for one large clutch of Jampea eggs(64)that is when I decided it was time for a larger one.


Jim

No problem Jim. If I lived near you that would be great but I'm all the way in New Mexico.
Do you think you could post some more phots of Big Bertha so I could get a better idea of just how it's constructed?
Is the shell made out of melamine? Also, is there no problem with the heat tape being placed directly on the pink insulation? Two more things, should the insulation fit neatly inside the entire inside of incubator, & is there small holes for the heat tape & temp probe to run from the inside of the incubator to the outside?
Sorry for all my questions. You're input is GREATLY apprieciated!

One more thing Jim, do you think you could give me the inside chamber dimentions? This would help me out in judging how big to make mine. Thanks!

Depending whether you are dwelling permanently where you are or not, and if you have the room, another option is to build an incubator "room" instead of a portable incubator. I breed retics and got tired of having to buy more incubators every year as my collection grows. So I talked with a co-worker who's pretty good at home improvement projects, and he drew me up some plans and I built what boils down to an well insulated closet in the corner of a bigger room in the basement that we use for storage. The inside dimensions are just under 7' tall, 4' deep, and 6' wide. I used hanging, adjustable, wire "pantry" shelving for the shelves. I use an oil filled(no forced air) space heater connected to a Ranco controller to heat it, and a 10" desktop fan to circulate the air. By building it myself I kept the cost to less than $500, and it should hold everything I produce for the next 5-10 years quite easily. I've already got two clutches that have been cooking in it for almost two months and they're doing great! I'll snap some pics and post them......Stay tuned!
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Mike