# my incubator as an example



## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

i thought i'd share photograph of my homemade incubator, as there are a lot of threads atm asking about how to make one. i took the instructions from http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/breeding/132157-home-made-incubators.html a did pretty much what it said. 

so here it is:-










rather than have in lying down with a lid, i stood in on it's end with a door, i did this for capacity, i figured out i could get more egg tubs in this way round.

inside









you can see i've got my mat attached to the base and the back wall of the incubator, i tried it on the top but was getting a 3f temp fluctuation, with the mat where it is i only get a fluctuation of 1f, which is fine by me. i've got a bottle of water in there to help keep the temps stable and the dowling shelves give the air complete access and circulation to evenly heat the egg tubs.

a little closer in








here you can see the egg tubs a little closer, you can see that i've made a small hole in one of the tubs to place the stat probe in with the eggs to get the most accurate reading, and i've got a digi thermometer placed just on top of the egg tubs.

While i've not yet got any eggs in here i'm sure it's going to work fantastically.

i hope this thread has been of use to others and give a few ideas to play with.


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## Anna89 (Sep 18, 2008)

Hi!

That looks really good! what size mat is it? how long did it take for your temps to become stable? Cheers!

Anna.


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

the poly box is (external measurements) 14x15x19 inches
the mat is 23x11 inches.
it took less than 24 hours for the incubator to heat up and remain stable.


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## Anna89 (Sep 18, 2008)

cool! cheers!!

Anna.


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## sender (Jan 19, 2009)

im sorry i hope im not being stupid but how does the water bottle help with humidity, i can not see and holes in the lid or do you take the lid off when you have eggs?


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## laura1486 (Apr 13, 2007)

sender said:


> im sorry i hope im not being stupid but how does the water bottle help with humidity, i can not see and holes in the lid or do you take the lid off when you have eggs?


Says that it is to help regulate the temps, not humidity, as this is already regulated by the vermiculite.
How it regulates the temps though i have no idea about specifics, but have seen this used before in various scenarios.


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

as said before, it's a temp buffer, not for humidity.

basically water holds temperatures very well (thats why it's warmer by the coast during winter, the ocean keeps the coast a little warmer), so the bator heats the water to the desired temp which the water then holds, and helps to prevent large temp fluctuations which would kill eggs.


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## Optikal (Feb 4, 2009)

awesome! I've followed your advice and made one the same. I've got my eggs in it at the moment and it's working great!


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

thanks i'm really glad it's working well for someone else as well.


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## mrmacca (Jan 24, 2009)

do you put holes in your lids or have them airtight ??


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

mrmacca said:


> do you put holes in your lids or have them airtight ??


 
i've got a few ventilation holes. i've just got the holes in the braplast tub. and the crix tubs i've sealed all but the very top of the holes.


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## mrmacca (Jan 24, 2009)

ive made an incubator exactly like yours as i need another due to needing more room and i think your idea is just perfect , but im having trouble with the temps , bottom is 78 middle is 81 and top is 85 any ideas how to get an even temp around the incubator as my other incuabor i made the temps is great but that is a top opening one .
cheers
dave


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## Eightleggedfreak (Apr 2, 2007)

Great thread , really good clear pics, and useful tips thank you ....


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## cordylidae (Nov 2, 2008)

mrmacca said:


> ive made an incubator exactly like yours as i need another due to needing more room and i think your idea is just perfect , but im having trouble with the temps , bottom is 78 middle is 81 and top is 85 any ideas how to get an even temp around the incubator as my other incuabor i made the temps is great but that is a top opening one .
> cheers
> dave


fan for air circulation


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## bonsey (May 10, 2008)

where does the poly box comes from?? would be interested to know if easy to get hold of....


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

fish shops give them away.


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## thetong6969 (Apr 20, 2009)

that`s a really great inc
what are you hatching/hoping to?
i`ll need one next yr/1 after for royals(only one lot of eggs)
best pics and discription ive seen:2thumb:


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

i'm incubating leo eggs, so far got 22 eggs in there, two are infertile (only has 4 infertile all together) and two i didn't get to soon enough (i was away over night) so have died, but out of all the good eggs i've not lost a single one due to incubation problems, and i've just hatched my first baby yesturday.


infact, here's a pic of the inside now it's actually up and running with eggies!! yay


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## Vase (Jul 14, 2007)

Whats the best stat to use on an incubator like this?
Also, whereabouts would you put the probe from the stat? I'm guessing if you put it on the middle shelf then wouldnt the bottom shelf be warmer?


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## dread0 (Mar 17, 2009)

brill idea and design wiil deff be using this ta: victory::notworthy:


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## kirsten (Jan 13, 2008)

you're welcome, im' really glad it's a well liked idea and has been used to great effect by several people now. thanks everyone who's done it for letting me know how well they're getting on with it.


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## fatbloke (Apr 6, 2008)

looks good matemight have to try 1 4 my self when i gets eggs 1 day 
:2thumb:


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