Hello,
I've hatched jungle eggs in basic Hovabator incubators for 10 years with excellent hatch rates. I've done it a few different ways, for example, early on I hatched large cluthes by simply filling the bottom of the Hovabator with Moist vermiculite and putting the eggs in the substrate. However, you must check daily as you approach hatch time to remove the pipping eggs before you get hatchling slime all over the interior of the incubator as the babies exit the eggs. I've never had a baby burned by the heating elements using this method.
However, after a long conversation about incubation with Mrs. Barker in '98 I altered my methods a bit. Instead of simply filling the bottom with vermiculite, I attached the top of the Hova, with the heating element, to a styro reptile shipping box with duct tape to make the incubation chamber much deeper. The bigger area was still easily, and more impotantly, evenly heated by the element. I then put a sealed plastic storage box filled with slightly damp vermiculite in the incubation chamber. Make sure the incubation medium in just slightly moist, as wet incubation substrate in a small container will kill carpet eggs. Use as much medium as the box will allow. More medium means more stable humidity levels. This set up, with the sealed incubation box for the eggs, allows the humidity to be controlled much more precisely. Also, keeping the thermostat out of direct contact with the incubating, and heat generating eggs will keep the actual incubation temps more stable. As the embyos grow, they produce heat and will give the thermostat an innaccurate reading of the temps if they are not separated by an incubation box. The thermostat will turn off quicker because of the heat produced from the eggs, and the eggs will actually be slightly cooler than they should be. For those reasons I now keep the eggs in a seperate container within the incubator.
Pre set the thermostat at 87-89 degrees F by setting a small, accurate thermometer in the bottom of the empty incubation chamber. I usually turn the thermostatup one full rotation if the thermometer states thatI need to raise the temps. Eventually, over the span of several hours I will reach or most likely, slightly exceed my desired temp. If I go too hot, I turn the thermostat down 1 half a rotation until I'm stable at 88 f.
Hovabators are excellent, simple little incubators that can be adapted to many herp egg incubating situations. I have built a large incubator for my python eggs because of the sheer size and numbers of the ball python eggs that I cook. I Simply needed more room. I still use Hovabators exclusively for hatching colubrid and spotted turtle eggs.
If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me.
Good luck.
Will Still
chainkingwill@juno.com
