Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone used or have any input on the Big Apple Safety Hatch Reptile Incubator? Thinking about getting one. Seems that they no longer come with shelving inside. Any ideas on shelving with this incubator?
Any other larger incubators on the market that you can recommend? Thanks- I apprieciate any help or advice!

natures spirit made me a nicelarger unit it holds 32 shoe boxes they are in michigan

1 269 649 9377 this is there phone number i think the web site is www.nsreptiles.com if not just google natures spirit

The best incubator that you can have is the one that you make for YOUR needs, not what suppliers THINK your needs are.
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I have two of them and have used them for the last four years. Actually, one is a Big Apple and the other is a standard GCF incubator which I modified so that the fan and heating element run separately. If the fan and the heating element are not separated and run on the same circut, the fan can overheat if used with a proportional thermostat (a fire hazard) and the fan will shut off when the heating element is off which can lead to temp gradients Separating the fan and heating element alows the fan to run all the time and the heating element to be conncted to a proportional thermostat. I actually got and modified the GCF before I bought the Big Apple and found out that they did essentially the same thing.
I use 6.5 quart rubbermaid containers and each incubator can hold 9 tubs. I made shelves out of the plastic lighting egg crate material and it works fine and allows good air flow.
These incubators and set-up have worked well for me and I have never lost a clutch due to the incubators. Mine hold temps within 0.2 (2/10ths) of a degree. I dont think you can go wrong with these.
Having said that, I plan to make a room incubator this coming year with separate and redundant heating and air circulating systems connected to separate electrical circuts. Having 9 clutches at risk for a catastrophic failure (curcut breaker trips) creates enough distress. Thinking about 30 clutches at risk would give me ulcers if there wasn't "bullet proof" redundancy built in.
Good luck
Grant

Do you think the Big Apple incubator would be big enough to hold a clutch of Reticulated python eggs? I have a pair.

Plenty big enough. I normally have three racks to hold trays but when I have a retic clutch I take the middle rack out so I have a large space in the lower section of the incubator. I have incubated retic clutches before. I used a 16 gallon plastic tub from home depot for an egg box.
Grant

I used this incubator about ten years ago when I first started breeding snakes. I was able to fit a clutch of 45 burm eggs inside this incubator if it's the same one they sell today. It looks identical.

IMO however it's a waste of money for the price tag they are asking. Call an appliance store, ask for a free dropped off standup freezer, and add your own heating element to it and helix and it will work perfectly for you.
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