# Budget Home Build Incubator



## 12kslr33 (May 20, 2008)

Now i know there is a Home Made Incubators Sticky but i just wanted to show that you can build your own incubator for under £25 with everything and looks nicer to me than a poly box.

I will mention though that this has been made and designed with Leopard Geckos in mind and would need teaking for snakes etc, the reason for this is that the lid where the eggs will be is not secured down strongly.


To start off you need 1 of these boxes from IKEA.
IKEA | Boxes & baskets | Secondary storage boxes | SAMLA | Box
£1.99

and also the smaller size
IKEA | Boxes & baskets | Secondary storage boxes | SAMLA | Box
£1.49

and 1 lid
IKEA | Boxes & baskets | Secondary storage boxes | SAMLA | Lid for box 11/ 22 l
£1.00


Next you need an aquarium heater which you can pick up for about £10 (not too much in the boxes so smallest wattage should be fine)

A digital thermometer that you can pick up for £5.

Vermiculite/Perlite for a couple of £££ at garden centres.

Thats all the buying done :2thumb:


Now the simple part:whistling2:
Put the smaller box inside the bigger box (slots in nicely) and remember roughly where the bottom of the smaller box is, now take out and fill with water to where the bottom of the smaller box will sit. Add aquarium heater to the water, fill smaller box with vermiculite/perlite using whatever ratio u have heard works best. Add Probe of thermometer to the incubation medium, put the lid on, plug the heater in and tweak the thermostat on the heater until u get desired temp on the digi thermometer.























































It is holding temps very well at the minute with not much fluctuation at all. This hasnt been used yet though but i am planning on using it this year for my Leo eggs so i am hopefull it will come up trumps : victory:


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

It's pretty good, although I'd be inclined to insulate it. I made a similar thing last year, although I put a few bricks into the water to keep the temps stable, bricks lose heat slower than water.


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## 12kslr33 (May 20, 2008)

LiamRatSnake said:


> It's pretty good, although I'd be inclined to insulate it. I made a similar thing last year, although I put a few bricks into the water to keep the temps stable, bricks lose heat slower than water.


Yeh i have a layer of large pebbles in the bottom for that purpose:2thumb:

I have had it on all night and its holding temps really well atm, .5*f fluctuation either side of 85*f.

If it works this year with my Leos (which im confident it will) then im going to try and modify the lid so that it can be used for my corns next year and be secure enough to keep them in.


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

12kslr33 said:


> Yeh i have a layer of large pebbles in the bottom for that purpose:2thumb:
> 
> I have had it on all night and its holding temps really well atm, .5*f fluctuation either side of 85*f.
> 
> If it works this year with my Leos (which im confident it will) then im going to try and modify the lid so that it can be used for my corns next year and be secure enough to keep them in.


Yeah they're good at getting out lol Good luck with the hatch and post results : victory:


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## karlh (Jul 5, 2009)

12kslr33 said:


> Yeh i have a layer of large pebbles in the bottom for that purpose:2thumb:
> 
> I have had it on all night and its holding temps really well atm, .5*f fluctuation either side of 85*f.
> 
> If it works this year with my Leos (which im confident it will) then im going to try and modify the lid so that it can be used for my corns next year and be secure enough to keep them in.


Sounds good mate. Is the temp fluctuation 5 degree or point 5 of a degree? 

I have a small wooden type viv at home with glass sliding doors. When I get back form sea I'm going to line it with poly and place a small heat mat on the bottom. Raise my small RUB off the mat and include the probe within the RUB from a pulse stat.

I will post pics / comments of how it goes. :2thumb:


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## tonkaz0 (Apr 25, 2008)

*incubator*

*This is how I used to do it years ago with my snakes, when polyboxes were megabucks to buy if you could get them, but get some bricks in there like was said earlier they retain the heat better, and insulate it around the sides perhaps?, because if there is a 5% fluctuation... its not much good for sex determination for leos!, good luck*:2thumb: .


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## 12kslr33 (May 20, 2008)

karlh said:


> Sounds good mate. Is the temp fluctuation 5 degree or point 5 of a degree?


The temps are not leaving 85*f

Lowest i have seen it is 85.2*f and the highest is 85.8*f


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