Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What brand thermometer do you guys like to use in your incubators. I have been using my current set up for many years and have successfully hatched around 75 babies. The reason I ask is because I would like to update and improve my equipment. I will always have my old incubator for a back up. Thanks for any input.

Spider

Do you mean thermostat? The thermostat I recommend is the Herpstat by Spyder Robotics. They are affordable, reliable, proportional and MADE In the USA! (and very accurate)

I do mean thermometer. I like to keep two on my incubator to show me the temp. I don't just rely on the temp the thermostat is set at. I prefer the kind with a probe so I can place it on the eggs and get a temp reading at the eggs.

For a thermometer, I use an Oregon Scientific, it is wireless, I only use 1 because the incubator should have the same temp thru out, and I do not put it with the eggs. What do you do if the incubator is 89, and the egg box is 90.....I leave it alone anyway, so having more than 1 reliable thermostat can be frustrating. I put the receiver near my computer and monitor the temps quite often.

I don't know your setup;however, I think there are so many ways you can skin this cat that it will be your personal preference.

I use a herpstat on mine, on the eggs, or in a modified water bottle. Mostly it depends on how your incubator is set up. For a hovabator I have my thermostat probe threaded through a hole in my egg box, so it regulates it up to a max of 90f. I have the mechanical wafer thermostat on the hovabator set to turn of at 92 just in case the thermostat fails. I cover the top with press and seal and it's good to go. For the zoo-med one I've used a $10 zoomed thermometer in the egg box, since it has it's own "thermostat", but the difference in the temperature of the incubator and the temp of the air in the egg box was usually off by ~6 degrees using sterilite containers. It worked just fine, but it took a little bit for me to feel comfortable not having a more mechanical backup.

I know a couple that use a large modified Styrofoam fish shipping container, keep the probe inside an emptied water bottle with vermiculite, and successfully incubate at least 4-5 clutches at a time.

So far I've been blessed with every viable egg surviving. Even a week at about 81f when I was out of town, and wasn't there to adjust the Zoomed thatI was using in a pinch.

hope it helps, sorry if I rambled.