Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lets get everyones opinion on this,,,hovabator or somethin else....pleez gimme your opinions....If the hovabators work for you let me know...this is my first attempt ever,,,except when i was a kid and found some snappin turtle eggs,,thoight they might be corns....ha hahahaha...but they were snappers.

I used it this season and I found it to work just fine. I lost alot of eggs but that was due to mistakes on my part not the hovabator, (my substrate was too wet).

Don't get the fan model as people say it dries the eggs out. Put the eggs in a container inside the hovabator to help hold humidity better. I would recommend getting 2 extension rings to help give you more room in it too, they sell them at lllreptile.com

what is the recommended humidity for each container,,,how wey is too wet????????????

Lets get everyones opinion on this,,,hovabator or somethin else....pleez gimme your opinions....If the hovabators work for you let me know...

I have used the temp control mechanism to run a larger self built unit for many years. Works great. I always use a second thermostat set one degree higher as a fail safe.

Do they provide the precision necessary for ball pythons? They are or - one degree Farhenheit at best. I cannot make a judgement having never tried that specifically.

For balls and other pythons we use a home built incubator that utilizes Helix controls thermostat as it's controller. or - 0.1 degree F! That one certainly works for thousands of babies at The Snakekeeper's Place
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Jay A. Martin

However, I used a Helix thermostat to provide more accurate control of the temps. Also, I built an extension for the base to get the eggs away from the element. I think larger boxes (or rooms) are better, but the Hovabator will work fine if you are patient and get the temps set and stable at least a couple of weeks before you have eggs.

Good luck!

I hatched 3 clutches of my first ball python eggs this summer without any problems.

I used the NON-FAN model, blocked OFF all the air-holes with clear-packing tape (kept drying out). Lifted the lid every few days to allow air-exchange.

I did use a Helix DPS-1000 thermostat. I just turned the built in waffer up high enough so it does not kick off before the Helix controller keeps the temps at a steady 89.

Some Helix's run a little hotter or cooler. One of mine in the same ROOM right next to the other incubator ran at 88.5, were the other one ran at 89.5.

But I still had lots of luck using them for the first time, all 3 clutches hatched. Only lost one egg from a total of 17 eggs (3 seperate clutches)

Worked great for me this year, too. I only had two clutches though. I guess if you are planning on more, it might pay to invest in something larger (or build it).

I'm using the cover only with a 2'x 2' x 3' styrofoam box. And yes it's the fan model. The only difference this year is I'm using a Ranco Thermostat to keep things from going haywire. I've lost faith in the wafer controls.

Mike

Too much of the "don't use" comes from people who have not used one and are only repeating what someone else said. That being said, there are some things you need to be aware of. The heating element is just fine. It's the temperature controller (wafer) that may be in question. Some say it's not reliable. So far, I have had no problems. However, it would probably be best to get a different (read better) controller.

Humidity is an issue as it would be in ANY incubator. Once you get your incubator setup properly (as you would with any), just let the eggs "cook".
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Jay A. Martin

How wet is too wet?????what should my humidity tolerances be??????????????????????would a plain humidity gauge suffice for a %reading????????????

http://home.cfl.rr.com/jmartin104/reptiles/bp-1.html
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Jay A. Martin