How to make DIY incubator?

[Boa'sUnlimited]

I was thinking of using a cooler or styrofoam box and modify it to work, but wanted to hear opinions first.


Thanks!

 

[cowana]

I haven't made one myself yet, but I have found quite a few plans with good reviews and success rates on Pinterest.

 

[Neon Aurora]

I'm using a styrofoam cooler this season. It seems like it would work similar to a Hovabator. I just don't like how Hovabators heat from the top.

I had trouble with my incubator last season, so this season I have something a bit more complex planned. This is still a roughdraft, I haven't started making it yet. Most importantly, I'm using a Herpstat thermostat because I've found that nothing lesser works well enough. I'm using a UTH at the bottom of the cooler with the egg tubs sitting on a grate about 6-10 inches above the UTH. Since my reptile room is not connected to our heating/cooling system, I had some trouble with keeping my temperatures stable. To combat this, I'm winding some vinyl tubing along all the inside walls and pumping water through it. Water bottles could accomplish the same thing, but they take up too much space for me.

Again, I haven't tested it. This is just my plan so far. All in all, I don't see any reason why a styrofoam cooler wouldn't work. However, I think that adding closed containers of water is important to keep the temperatures more stable. This is especially true if you live in a very dry climate, like me.

 

[cowana]

Here is a whole boatload of DIY incubators our friends over in the UK have made and used. [emoji4]

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/breeding/132157-home-made-incubators.html

 

[Kiz]

This is my Homemade Polybox incubator. I cut an alcove in the front to sit my digital thermometer/ hygrometer in neatly so I can easily monitor the temperature and humidity without disturbing it. I also cut the lid and fitted a glass viewing panel so I can look inside without lifting the lid. Equipment wise I'm using a 600w pulse stat as this maintains the heat as constantly as I can get (between 1C).I use a 35" x 6" heatstrip which wraps neatly around the sides. I have a number of ways I can maintain humidity 1. Leaving a bowl of water inside the incubator and spraying when required 2. using and spraying perlite/vermiculite in individual hatching units i.e. GEOs 3. I am just about to make a SIM style unit using an 11l plastic storage box, the bottom will be filled with water and then i've created a shelving unit out of marine eggcrate and will be sectioning off each shelf with perspex slats to keep clutches/hatchlings seperate. So far this method has not failed to give me near perfect hatch rates and works out a lot cheaper than commercial units.

Front view with digital thermo/hygro in place:


Inside view. The thermostat probe sits touching the mat in the bottom left of the photo:


Lid with viewing panel:


I'll pop on some pictures of the custom SIM I'm doing when I've finished it.

Hope this helps,

Kiz

 

[Boa'sUnlimited]

Worth a zombie revival! When I posted this I had some health issues not long after, and actually had forgotten that I posted it.

I was looking for plans to build a new incubator and while browsing back quite a bit I found this thread of mine. Everyone who responded gave great suggestions/idea's to build perfect incubators that work. Thanks everyone and hopefully this help's other people looking to build their own as well.