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[bigguy]

Hi,

Well breeding season is apon us now. It wont be too long till the 1st eggs are laid. Most people I know have built their own incubators to hatch their eggs in. The incubators temps are controlled by thermostats. Unfortunately, most people have on/off thermostats which might have anything up to a 4c flux.

The more even you can keep the temps, the better hatch rate you will receive. I would recommend anyone who is serious about their breeding and only have a low rate on/off thermostats, consider changing to proportional thermostats. The advantage with these is that they check the temp every few seconds and adjust the power output accordingly. The result is a temperature variation of less then 1c, resulting in great hatch rates.

Ultimate Reptiles of SA have now imported one of the best European thermostats on the market, Microclimate. Not only are they great thermostats, but they are about one third the cost I have paid for the same type of thermostats from the States.

Looking at Ultimates range I see there are 2 types I would highly recommend for incubators. The B1 Dimming model at $125 is great for any incubators using lights or heating pads or cords to create the heat. The B2 pulse model at $110 is great for heat pads or cords only(not suitable for light bulbs) At this price even if they save just 1 egg for the season they would have paid for themselves. But I can guarentee they will save more then 1 egg in a season.

I can not push the point enough that these thermostats will only increase your breeding protential. Its about time that herpers in Australia were finally offered a range of top class thermostats in our country, rather than have to have them imported from overseas and adjusted for our currents.