Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to build an incubator from a freezer this spring and I was wondering which thermostat you all recommended. I was going to splurge and buy a herp pro proportional thermostat from big apple herps but if there is another one that is cheaper that will work as well I would rather go that route. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Todd

Hey Todd,

I used to make my incubators out of old freezers back in the early 80's. Heck, I thought I had invented the concept. I was shooting for something that would offer optimum insulation and that sealed when closed etc. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I learned in the years after that that it never needed to be so complex. Really, any type of container or box will do. One can even use a room. With old freezers you just end up with a very heavy incubator that is difficult to move and really doesn't hold a whole lot. That's just my thoughts on that.

As for thermostats, Helix makes reliable thermostats, as does reptical. Whatever the case go with a thermostat that has a remote sensor on a lengthy wire so that the thermostat itself can be outside of the incubator. If it is on the inside and the ambient humidity levels are very high it may lead to internal corosion and then malfuntion. I have yet to see this happen, but it seems to me that it certainly can, and thus should be avoided at all costs. I have seen the wafer-type, gas filled thermostats corode and fail due to humidity, but that was a seal and not electronic componants. In addition to the primary thermostat I think that any smart breeder should have a back-up thermostat set at a degree above the primary just in case the primary should fail for any reason. Especially considering what you are and will be incubating. That's a lot of value to not take every possible precaution to avoid mishap. Don't forget to put fans in your incubator. It's good to have ample circulation to ensure even temps.

>>I am going to build an incubator from a freezer this spring and I was wondering which thermostat you all recommended. I was going to splurge and buy a herp pro proportional thermostat from big apple herps but if there is another one that is cheaper that will work as well I would rather go that route. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Todd
-----
"If I had 365 enemies it would only take a year out of my life to settle all scores." Mia Miselfani