Reptile & Amphibian Forums

the thermal hovabator i know you adjust the wafer screw to increase or decrease the temp but to start the hovabator how do you know what your temps are going to be? another words do you just plug it in put a temp gauge inside and see where there at? couldnt they make it with a digital temp? also can you fit two ball python clutches inside one? any info is much appreciated.

Way back when, I cut mine and put a fish styro on the bottom! That way, it held 4 shoeboxes!

yes, you plug it in and see where it's set...
fill it the way you want, with vermic or with boxes of vermiculite...and get it ready ahead of time....

you cannot use the HovaBator bottom...you must go get a styrofoam shipping box the same dimensions as the Hova and use this as the bottom.....the heating element would be too close to use with the bottom supplied with the Bator....they are made for bird eggs...101 to 105 degrees...and you roll them a couple times a day...snake eggs are 90 degrees and you never roll them so they are to close they would die ,get dry on top, or sweat on the bottom....

shipping boxes are available from pet shops, meat shippers, etc...if you really have to you could make a box with foam sheeting ....finding a box the right size can be a pain at times...

plug in bator and see where it's at...long before you have eggs...then tweak it to where you want it.....don't be afraid to turn it ,they are not that subtle with the wafer....IF you have a newer other type...they have digital in them...bumping them can make a few degree difference...I prefer the antique ones...LOL....

I use 4 bators...3 old 1 new style...no inner boxes,,,,they work fine....

good luck
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........JY

oh....they can hold alot of eggs....I use no boxes and just pile the eggs inside...touching each other to preserve moisture....I write on the eggs so I know who is who....

I have used a Hova with a burm clutch of almost 30 huge eggs, filled the whole box, all hatched....
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........JY

Thanks for that info but I'm a little confused?
The post before you said you must use a styrofoam
Box on the bottom but than the next post you said
You can use the bottom of the bator? I used it two years
Ago and putting a 6qt box but only one would
Fit I know the bottom needs to have water in it. Im trying
To think what other styrofoam I can put on the bottom?
Thanks again!

the HovaBator bottom is too short...even BuzzardBall mentions this....
you use shipping styrofoam boxes.....you have to find the right size.....

pet shops get fish shipped in boxes, snake shipping boxes, Omaha Steaks and similar meat companies use styro boxes, even like Rodentpro or mice Direct type places they use styro....

look around for a taller box......if possible....

......I don't use inner boxes...I use the incubator and fill it will 4 inches of vermiculite....of course you need to pull eggs as soon as they pip so the babies don't climb into the heating coil and fry....!
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........JY

so you use a smaller styro inside the hovabator? but you do you use the bottom and top of the hovabator just put your eggs inside the smaller styro than place that into the hovabator. thanks a bunch for your help!

No...you REPLACE the bottom portion of the hovabator with the bottom portion of a taller styro box. The bottom of a hovabator has holes in it and is too short. They used to sell a ring that fit between the top and bottom parts to make it taller, not sure if they are still available.
Also, you can use the wire mesh screen that comes with the unit to make a shield that covers the heating element.

John

LOL.....I wish I took pics....actually...

the screen barring the element from the kids...never thought of that....I think I still have some around too......

.....I just pull the eggs as soon as a couple pip and throw them in a shoebox, top shelf, wetted down....usually surrounded by wet newspaper to prevent drying and rolling I think....

...yes...I throw away bottoms of incubator..(keep it actually somewhere)....and use a TALL box bottom....

you can make an in-between sleve with styrofoam sheets..(.make sure it fits well or all eggs will dry and die...been there done that....)
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........JY

I don't have as much experience with this as some of the other posters but here is my 2 cents for what it's worth.

For the past several years I have been sending a clutch of eggs in a Hovabator with my kids to school for their classes to hatch. I use the standard picture window hov with a helix - the eggs go in an Iris shoebox with damp vermiculite - the shoebox is put in the middle of the hov with a few water bottles surrounding it to help stabilize temps. Plug in helix and we are good to go - my kids know how to monitor eggs and check to make sure the substrate remains moist enough. With this set up we've only lost one egg and the snake was well developed but deformed and most likely going to die under the best of circumstances.

I would concur replacing the bottom portion of the Hov is probably the best way to go - but not 100% essential - the heating element gets rather hot and even on the proportional it doesn't adjust quickly enough for my comfort. Which is why I center the eggs in the middle away from the heating element - any buffer you can get away from the element is good.

Also I would recommend keeping it in a room where temps are pretty stable.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

nihil facimus sed id bene facimus

That is a great idea!
What a way to create interest and dispel fears. When I was in 2nd grade we had a student teacher who kept a Boa constrictor in the classroom...that did it for me! I was hooked.
Gotta go talk to my son's teacher!

John