Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was going to build a setup like I saw in a book using an aquarium heater in the water to incubate eggs, but I am not sure how difficult that will be to make. What is the best incubator methods that has worked for you guys. I have a gravid female that has just done her prelay shed so I've got to come up with an incubator within 10 days or so. I would appreciate any help you could offer. Has anyone used regular chicken incubators? Any incubator names or techniques suggestions will be most appreciated.
Thanks
Jason

Congrats on your upcoming clutch. I have personally incubated 2 clutches in a Hovabator chicken incubator. if you use this method,I would suggest a backup thermostat because if your room temps fluctuate, the inside temp will fluctuate as well. I would however recommend using something a bit more stable.

Many people will recommend using the no-substrate method, where eggs are set on a grate in a saturated chamber. In my experience, this has not been successful...for me. Many others have had countless clutches hatch this way. I still prefer setting eggs on perlite or vermiculite. It's best err on the dry side rather than over saturate incubation medium. If chondro eggs get wet, they can die in the matter of a day or so.

There are many ways to do it. My most successful hatches were from repeating the ways in which I did all my other python species. I prefer one large container with a couple inches of vermiculite in a humid incubator. The temps I used have been the 1-5-1 method noted in Greg Maxwell's book, and a steady 87.5 lowering the last week to around 86.5.

I hope otherw will chime in with their ideas as well. It never hurts to have plenty to go on.

Good luck.
Brandon Osborne
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com

Thank you! Is there a good incubator you could recommend that isnt hundreds of dollars? I know the eggs will be okay with mom a couple of days but I don't want her to get all worn out with them the whole time.
I had thought about putting them in a hovabator on a terra cotta saucer with really damp vermiculite under it, then I thought about trying to build the water aquarium incubator that I read about in a book.
I will be crushed if I kill these eggs! Thank you again!

>>Thank you! Is there a good incubator you could recommend that isnt hundreds of dollars? I know the eggs will be okay with mom a couple of days but I don't want her to get all worn out with them the whole time.
>>I had thought about putting them in a hovabator on a terra cotta saucer with really damp vermiculite under it, then I thought about trying to build the water aquarium incubator that I read about in a book.
>>I will be crushed if I kill these eggs! Thank you again!

I would suggest not using the vermiculite in the saucer. Instead, leave it empty or use dry sphagnum moss. After your girl has laid her eggs in the pot, place a wet towel over the pot or raise the humidity to 80-90%. Any wetness that touches the eggs can kill them.

Good luck.
Brandon
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com

If you run out of time, you can always let mom do it. Mom always knows best.

Yes but what happens if mom abandons them, is unable to form a good coil, or drops them from the perch. Do not rely on mom and get something put together soon.

Bart

She lays her eggs in a terra cotta pot on the floor of the cage. I have the pot all ready. I just dont know what kind of incubation is best after the eggs are here, THANKS!

Simple and easy to make.

I use an incubator similiar to this one and it works very well.

Buddy B
incubator design

>>Yes but what happens if mom abandons them, is unable to form a good coil, or drops them from the perch. Do not rely on mom and get something put together soon.
>>
>>Bart

If you can find an old fridge you could always set it up similar to mine. Most people will either give you an old fridge or pay you to take it away.
This fridge is setup for Hondos ATM but can easily be used for any type of snake.
Hope this helps.

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Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."
My 2008 Care Sheet & The BRB Stats. Username: brb@kingsnake.com