Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first time with kingsnakes, although I've been successful previously with pythons. Here's my question. I have a Herpstat thermostat set at 82 degrees; the thermostst probe is set on top of a piece of 11" heat tape that covers a good portion of the bottom of a styrofoam box. Water bottles are on the bottom of the box to spread the heat and a piece of egg crate is on top of the water bottles to hold the egg containers.
As indicated, my thermostat is set at 82 degrees, however the thermometer I have inside the incubator registers 75 - 76 degrees. Which is the more accurate, the thermostat or the thermometer? All suggestions and advice are welcomed.

Thanks,
James

I think both are most likely accurate depending on where your thermometer is placed. Maybe your heat tape is one temp and your air temp is another... that does seem like a wide gradient for an incubator to have though.

I usually adjust my thermostat up and down until the temps reach where I want them when using a temp gun. For example, I want my hot spot in my tubs to be about 88... So i'll continue to adjust the thermostat until my temp gun reads 88 when pointed at the bottom of the tub over the heat tape. This usually results in me having to set the thermostat to about 94 as the probe is directly on the tape vs in the tub.

in regards to incubating, I've always just incubated colubrid eggs at room temps in my snake room I put the incubation tubs on top of a shelf or on top of a stack of cages. My snake room temps vary quite a bit but usually they are around 78 during the day and 72 at night for most of the spring and summer then in the fall/winter it averages about 70-72 day and night.

Hi James, sounds like your making an easy task hard.
Python eggs, normally need some help, like heat. They may be laid in our winter, or you live in a part of the country that is cool. hatching temps, mid 80's to 90F.
Kingsnake eggs are not the same. Hatching temps, are basically room temps, mid seventies, to low 80's. In summer, there is not need to complicate hatching with an 11" heat tape. That's taking a 50 caliber machine gun to a paint ball contest. over kill.
With eggs, heat kills, cool slows things. Better be safe then sorry.
With kingsnake eggs, its easy, real easy, as easy as, getting some sphagnum moss and wetting it, wringing it out and putting your eggs and the moss in any almost air tight container. Couple of small holes(1/16th) or close.
and setting them in a stable room closet, etc. They take from 45 to 90 days or so, depending on temps.
If your going to add heat, because of conditions, or you want them to hatch faster, do as little as you can. Say, something that is the thermostat screws up, won't kill the eggs, 1. quickly, 2. at all. Say something that if turned on full blast, only reaches 90F. Or can be reduced to a safer temps, say, 80F.
I personally believe that 78F is better then 90F Which means, there is plenty of room in the middle to play with.
There are a million ways to hatch eggs, the most important thought is, do it safely. heat kills and unless your 11 inch wide heat strip is 2 inches long, and your any where other then the north or south pole, its overkill. with the emphasis on KILL. May the Snake gods be with you and they all hatch.