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So will a heat mat work just the same as a heat cord at keeping temps stable and even throughout the incubator? I would be worried that the temp wouldn't be the same from top to bottom.

Also if/when i make one it will be for bearded dragon eggs and someone said that the 3 females i am getting can be expected to lay 200-300 eggs in a season so i am worried about space. At the moment it is not an urgent thing as i doubt i will breed this year. Any idea of how big a bar fridge/wine cooler i would need if i was to mate all 3 females?


Thanks so much and i really hope you don't mind me butting in bcross

It is possible if you know what you are doing, each female can have up to 3 clutches and average around 25 eggs per clutch, but they need to be well fed with loads of calcium to have this many. But this is easily solved by seperating the male, or just freezing a clutch or two of eggs. That many babies will cost you far more than what you will get selling them. Their appetites are ferocious and they need to be fed 3 times a day and misted as well. So unless you breed your own crickets, you better find a good supplier as you will need them.
 
Ok so one last 'stoopid' question, i have a repta pet thermostat here that is a spare i picked up (2nd hand in a package of some other accessories) it is not a dimming one and doesn't have a digital display etc. I was wondering if it would work in an incubator or if i am better off getting something digital and 'fancy'?

I have found a wine cooler fridge on e-bay that seems quite good and may be able to get a heat cord/mat etc off the same people i am getting my beardies off because they have some spare accessories.

Also how long will it take for the temps to get up before you can put eggs in it? If i make it soonish and then run it for a few days to check temps etc i don't want to leave it on until she/they lay egss (if i even breed them).

They won't be bred to make a proffit but more for the experience and to give me the opportunity to keep some of the babies if i want to :)
I know that it will cost a lot to raise them and i won't make anything from selling them but i think it will be a really good experience for me and give me something to do (stay at home mum that spends way too much time on the net lol). It will also be good for my 2 1/2 yr old daughter to learn about it all and she loves animals.

I have come accross 2-3 good suppliers of live food so that won't be too much of an issue :)

Thanks so much again guys for all your help :) please post any updates and pics of your incubators as you make them and especially when you test the temps etc bcross, i think it will be interesting to find out the results :)
 
Ok so one last 'stoopid' question, i have a repta pet thermostat here that is a spare i picked up (2nd hand in a package of some other accessories) it is not a dimming one and doesn't have a digital display etc. I was wondering if it would work in an incubator or if i am better off getting something digital and 'fancy'?

I have found a wine cooler fridge on e-bay that seems quite good and may be able to get a heat cord/mat etc off the same people i am getting my beardies off because they have some spare accessories.

Also how long will it take for the temps to get up before you can put eggs in it? If i make it soonish and then run it for a few days to check temps etc i don't want to leave it on until she/they lay egss (if i even breed them).

They won't be bred to make a proffit but more for the experience and to give me the opportunity to keep some of the babies if i want to :)
I know that it will cost a lot to raise them and i won't make anything from selling them but i think it will be a really good experience for me and give me something to do (stay at home mum that spends way too much time on the net lol). It will also be good for my 2 1/2 yr old daughter to learn about it all and she loves animals.

I have come accross 2-3 good suppliers of live food so that won't be too much of an issue :)

Thanks so much again guys for all your help :) please post any updates and pics of your incubators as you make them and especially when you test the temps etc bcross, i think it will be interesting to find out the results :)

No need for fancy, just quality, remember, all your efforts that go into breeding and eventual egg laying can be destroyed because of a cheap thermostat. I personally use a Microclimate DL1.

Temps will be up in a day, even less for a smaller incubator. Although, I normally have mine running for a couple of weeks before egg deposition is due from any of my females.

Sorry, wasn't trying to deter you from breeding, more just letting you know the costs involved if you happened to produce over 200 baby beardies, although this would be unlikely.

Here is a couple of pics of my incubator. I tried some new stick in clips for my heat cord, but the fell off, so will be making a more permanent mounting for them this coming season. Sorry for the mess on it and in it, but CBF moving everything. :D:D
 

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No need for fancy, just quality, remember, all your efforts that go into breeding and eventual egg laying can be destroyed because of a cheap thermostat. I personally use a Microclimate DL1.

Temps will be up in a day, even less for a smaller incubator. Although, I normally have mine running for a couple of weeks before egg deposition is due from any of my females.

Sorry, wasn't trying to deter you from breeding, more just letting you know the costs involved if you happened to produce over 200 baby beardies, although this would be unlikely.

Here is a couple of pics of my incubator. I tried some new stick in clips for my heat cord, but the fell off, so will be making a more permanent mounting for them this coming season. Sorry for the mess on it and in it, but CBF moving everything. :D:D

Wow, it looks like it's a good size and well set up :)
That's what i pretty much needed/wanted to know - what model and brand of thermostat because i have no idea how they all work :(

You didn't deter me from breeding :) I'm just very unsure about everything involved with it and stressing lol. They will be my first reptiles and first babies (if i do breed them) so i would hate for everything to be done wrong :(
I highly doubt i would end up with that many hatchlings either as it would be the first time any of them have bred and also taking into account any infertile eggs etc. I do/would however have the space for tubs etc for them :)

I know not to try stick on clips then :lol: at least you are trying new things and ways of doing it and have given feedback, thanks :)
 
Ok, got a wine fridge today :D
It looks like Mummabear's but the shelves are flat.
I am in no hurry converting it as it will be an ongoing project for me i think (i doubt i will breed this season unless i get a pair of pythons that are ready to breed now or mess with the beardies etc).

It is approx 2ft cubed outside dimentions so what wattage heat cord would i need in it? I don't want to buy a heat cord that is not strong enough to get the temps up and then have to buy another one then again i don't want a huge heat cord that i will have too much length leftover with nowhere to mount it inside.
What model Microclimate would be best suited to this project taking into consideration the small size and assuming the heat cord will be a low(?) wattage? Once it is put together i won't be using the parts for anything else in the future so the thermostat and heat cord (or mat) will be specifically for this project.

How do you go about running the cords through the seal around the door? I'm not sure if the door would still seal if i ran the cords straight out it so i was thinking i could cut the seal in the top corner of the door just enough to run the cords through and silicone any small gaps that may be there to try to make the seal as tight as possible.

I know i have asked these same questions already but i thought it would be easier to answer now having the approximate size of the fridge to convert.

Thanks so much for everything guys :)
 
Those with still working wine coolers/fridges. Do you just run the cords out the front and just shut them in the door?
 
That's pretty much what i was wondering too Choco as the one i have is still working as far as i know.
 
Those with still working wine coolers/fridges. Do you just run the cords out the front and just shut them in the door?

Yes. I just put on a simple child lock to hold the door tight.
 
Ok, going shopping on thursday for bits and pieces :) I want to set it up and test my labeller for labelling the tubs, just a little experiment to see how they hold up to heat and humidity etc.
Will an 80W heat cord be enough? The outside dimensions of the fridge are approx 2ftx2ftx2ft. Also will a microclimate 100w thermostat be enough if the heat cord is only 80w and the only thing attatched to it?
Thanks guys :)
 
After linking to this thread in the one about levi incubation temps, I wondered how your incubator was going Em?

And also, what kind of thermostat you used for the cooling in your incubator mummabear?
 
It worked perfectly last year throughout our hot summer and you can choose the size incubator (wine fridge) that you need for the job.
 
After linking to this thread in the one about levi incubation temps, I wondered how your incubator was going Em?

And also, what kind of thermostat you used for the cooling in your incubator mummabear?

It's going good :) I have a 4m heat cord in it and running on a microclimate ministat thermostat. I also have it set up with a dual probe thermometer. The temps tend to sway a bit on the lower side overnight though :( During the day it has been sitting at 31 or so. There's still fiddling around to be done with the way i have it set up but hopefully it will be all good.
Thanks for remembering and asking :D

ps i actually got a pair of darwin hets from bcross a week ago, i think it's funny lol.

I hijacked his thread and then bought snakes from him :D
 
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