Reptile & Amphibian Forums

okay so i live in the U.k where im sure you are aware teh weather is not really that warm
i am hoping to breed my leos but i have a fews worries about how i could incubate the eggs.
Does anybody have and suggestions? i was going to try the albey method(i think) where the eggs are kept in a container and placed somewhere were the temps are correct. this maybe hard to do in the U.k though. i also read somewhere else about using an old glass fish tank with a submerseble fishtank heater in it to create heat and humidity. if this is right could somebody explain to me more on this method.
any other suggestions will be very welcome.

Thanks

Lumo
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Go with Albeys method and you can't go wrong. Being in the U.K. I don't know what you have available in the way of coolers but I use a Coleman 48 qaurt cooler, sumersible fish tank heater, an old refrigerator rack for a shelf inside. I cut a slot under the lid for the cords for the tank heater and the digital thermometer probe. Put 4 inches of water in the bottom, add the heater. Get your temperature where you want it, add the rack. I put mine in with some little homemade brackets so it sets like an inch or so over the water. The tank heater warms the water and the water warms the air. Don't let the heater run dry it will crack and go bad. A cooler works alot better than a fish tank because of the insulating properties. I will not hold a steady temp but should not fluxuate more than a couple of degrees. Use Albeys method in this incubator and you are good to go. Good luck

this might make me sound really stupid but when you say cooler do you mean one of those things you take to the beach with you or wherever to keep your food cool??
just making sure lol.
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Yup...thats a cooler.
I am using Albey's method but instead of a "hovabator" I am using a styrofoam still air incubator by Little Giant (used for hatching poultry eggs). Basically, the hovabator and a still air incubator are the same thing with different names. The eggs are partially buried in damp perlite, in a tupperware (with pinholes in the lid) placed in the center of the incubator. Its working well for me...I have had eggs cooking since mid May and haven't lost one yet.

Cleo
1:1 leos...soon to be 1:5!!!

yep that is exactly what I mean. They work great.

If you go to kingsnake canada and look half way down the homepage on the right you will see a heading in red that reads "feature pages" and under that heading you will see in blue "Incubator on a Budget". Just click on that link and you will have not only the instructions given by the others but also pictures of how to do it.

Good luck!
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JJay
3.4.1 Leos
(& 5 eggs cooking)
0.1 Map turtle

I posted this while ago for just such a person.

if you have any questions email me and I'll help out all I can.
Paul_gough@flextech.co.uk

Regards

Paul.

Where I live (UK) I have had difficulty in finding a place to buy a reasonably priced incubator. So I've made my own for about £30. Also made a pretty nifty Egg box.

INCUBATOR
Equipment needed.
Heat mat 12"x12" (£10)
Thermostat. (£20)
I use a switch thermostat that turns the heat mat on and off.)
Large polystyrene box. FREE!!
I found that tropical fish stores (Of where there seem to be loads in the UK) have their fish delivered in these. They are roughly 18" square and have fitted lids.

1) Mounted the heat mat on a piece of think cardboard that I'd covered in foil to keep some of the heat off the bottom of the polystyrene box.

2) Create a shelf or Shelves inside. I did this using 4 pieces of dowel rods (5mm dia) just long enough to penetrate the walls on either side of the box. Putting them cross ways inside the box, allows you to create 2 shelves by laying strong cardboard across
and taping them in place.

3) Place the sensor next to your egg box plug the heat mat into the thermostat and close it all up and your done.

Took me 15 minutes to assemble.

EGG BOX
I use the below Thermometers and Hydrometers. By cutting a 2 holes in the top of a tupper ware box and gluing these over them. (I use a non-toxic glue and I make sure they are air tight so no moisture can escapes.) You now are able to read the exact temp and humidity levels inside the egg boxes.

I use albey's setup for the contents of my egg box and the humidity level is about 80% using these measurements.
http://www.albeysreptiles.com/incubate-eggs.htm

Few notes.
The past week here in the UK the temperature has been going up and down as usual. 18c on Sunday and up to 27c today. I've been checking the temp of the boxes and they have been VERY steady the internal temp of the egg boxes hardly fluctuated by more than 1-2f. Even with the difference in temperatures.

I also find by using the upper and lower shelf I can incubate them at slightly diffrent temperatures the high shelf is warmer than the lower.

My thermostat is set 2-3f higher than that of the required Temperature in the boxes.