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Incubator?

Pending on how many clutches you plan on having. I use a hovabator x 2. Actually 1 is a different brand but they look similar.

I might actually builds a larger homemade one. I hope to have several more clutches this year...
 
I also use the hovabator, two of them right now but I am going to make my own out of those small fridges because this year I'm going to have more clutches so I need something bigger that will occupy more eggs! :)
 
I don't know if you get these your side of the pond, but I guess you will have...
I use a soft drinks fridge from behind a bar.... You know the ones with the two double glazed doors..... They look like furniture, as they are made from wood-a-like plastic and are insulated very well..... All you need is a heater and a thermostat....
I can get 8 x 6ltr rubs in it.
 
I place my eggs in containers on the top shelf of my snake racks with heat tape. Humidity here is pretty high i hardly ever have to add water if at all. I used a closed system and open the containers every two days. On a side note, I know several people who are happy with the havobator incubator systems as well.
 
If I do use a commercial incubator and put the eggs in closed containers, do I still have to wet the substrate. Or does the evaporating water from the system do the job. Either way does it condense over your eggs like it does in a homemade box incubator?
 
I guess this question pertains to a rack style homemade incubator as well. I have only used single layer incubators and am not familiar with the protocol with a multi-layered one. Also if I make a multi-layered incubator how many thermometers and hygrometers do I need to use? One on every layer, top, bottom, middle?
 
my incubators are multi level but contained within one insulated container....
I use computer fans to circulate the air and thus the temps to keep everything even....
I have one stat and the containers are sealed so a hygrometer is used in each individual tub every few days.....
I only need one stat doing it this way and an infrared thermometer to measure each tub to make sure the stat is set right.....
 
Alright. Does condensation accumulate on the containers lids like it does when you are using a single box. That has been my problem the last few years, I lost 3 eggs because of it last year while I was on vacation. I paid somebody to watch my animals and they didnt notice the water dripping on the eggs.
 
Alter the time you holiday.....
Yes it will accumulate... and it will drip on your eggs.....
Look for lids that are domed as water has to find the lowest level before it can drip.....
Or create drip flats that gather the water and drip it to the edges of your tubs......
I have double glazed doors on my incubators and I am constantly looking through them to see what is going on in the tubs....
 
Do you think giving the incubator a little slant would work to alleviate the condensation problem? Do you keep the substrate damp still, or completely dry?
 
I use vermiculite in the bottom of my tubs... Thats a link BTW
About 1 1/2 inches deep
Then I have a layer of pearlite on top... Thats another link....
I mix the vermiculite with enough water so it will stick together when squeezed but will flake when rubbed as a squeezed mix....
Then I cover it with a layer of pearlite....
then an air gap between the substrate and the top of the container of about 2-3 inches...
The eggs are placed on top of the pearlite with no indentations...
The vermiculite supplys the moisture and the pearlite stops the dampness...And absorb the droplets that fall off the drip flats.......
This keeps the eggs dry and humid at the same time......
I find this is the best method for artificially incubating eggs....
right...... You have all my secrets and I ain't sharing any more as you will have all the things I have found out and know as much as me.... LOL
Anything else we have to pm or everyone will copy us..... And I ain't being paid for this.....
And yes if you can't get domed containers a slant will create a drip flat...
 
Awesome, thanks a lot. I think that solves all the problems I was having.......... that I can think of. I was just using the vermiculite.
 
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