Home made incubators

Greenphase · #1 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 05:25 PM

Ok here are 4 different incubators that i have built myself over the last couple of years.All work well and some better than others for different species.

I will start with my first polybox method

First go to your local aquatics shop and get a decent size poly box.Mine takes 3 large cadburies tubs which was adequate for corn snake eggs.

I placed a heat mat on the bottom of the tub and then used a couple of old glass runners in there to creat a shelf.

Then i placed the three tubs which were filled to two thirds height with damp vermiculite on the shelf and placed the probe and thermometer.

Then in the lid i cut three holes(one for each tub) and siliconed three cd covers over it to make veiwing windows.

As said this worked very well for corn snakes and hatched out many eggs with a success rate of around 99% incubating at 88 degrees i could expect hatchlings at 49 days.Total cost was around £40 as it is on a mat stat

The second poly box i set up for my wifesbearded dragon eggs.

I again went and got a poly box this time slightly deeper and fixed a heatmat to the lid of the box.

I then filled the poly box to around half full with damp vermiculite and placed the probe.

My wife has since hatched out 4 clutches of bearie eggs with a 100% hatch rate incubating at 86 degrees and hatchlings pipped at 55 days.Total cost around £35 as it is also a mat stat

Greenphase · #2 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 05:34 PM

The third incubator is an old fridge that was bought for £5 at the local tip.

I cut a hole in the front of the fridge with a grinder and then siliconed a sheet of perspex on the front and back of the door(basically double galzed it) then after ripping out all the internal cold pipes and elictics i placed three 36x6 heat strips inside and connected it to a pulse stat.This has now been running for around three months and the temps have not moved off 85.9 degrees.This is also set up for bearies eggs but takes seperate tubs(8 cheap tuperwares from Morrisons or 4 medium conticos)Total cost around £120 although i had the heat strips,Pulse stat and tubs laying around

the spray bottle hanging in the incubator ensures that there is a ready supply of the right temp water if a tub needs dampening down.

Lastly i converted an old bottle fridge whick i got from a friend after a pub clear out.
I placed a heat strip 36x12 on the back of it then a 17x11 heat mat on the bottom.These are connected to 2 pulse stats and i have run this for months and am able to keep a very stable 89 degrees in here.This incubator is ready for Burmese eggs when i get some at long last.It now holds 12 medium contico boxes and cost about £270 to fully kit it out

royalpython · #3 (**permalink**) 19-05-2008, 02:48 AM

Very nice! Loving that last one.
Looks like you've prepared and have the racking on the right to hold all these burms you're expecting

VieT · #4 (**permalink**) 19-05-2008, 08:45 AM

NICE ONE !!!

weve only made one... was roughtly same as first poly box one... but had a few problems controling humidity in the tubs,,, sorted that out at last minute and lsot most of our eggs

weve been looking for a glass fronted fridge.. so we dnt have to open it to see in... never thought of cutting the front out of a normal fridge

STICKY ??

peace

James