Exo Terra Incubator

[Binny]

Hi,

I have a clutch of Children's Pythons eggs that need to go into a incubator...

Im about to buy the Exo Terra Incubator from Kellyville in Sydney for 450.00....

I just found the same one on ebay for 395 delivered.

Does anyone have a cheaper option ? or should I just get the one from ebay ?

regards,

Dave...

 

[Tesla]

Make one.

 

[kitten_pheonix]

It is quick and easy to make one a $20/ free bar fridge off gumtree/ebay, a $50 heat cord and $90 thermostat = done then you can re use the cord and thermo on an enclosure

 

[butters]

As tesla said you can make one for a lot less but it does depend on how much time you have on your hands and if you have some of the gear needed lying around.

I have made a number of my own and had store bought versions but find I use the store bought option most.

Why? It's easy and has a cooling function which I need where I am. For early season clutches my home made incubators work a treat but over summer I can't keep the heat down and get too many long temp spikes. For geckos ( which I breed most) this is not ideal. Not so bad for snake and turtle eggs.

If you are expecting large multiple clutches of snakes or lizard (eg beardies) the store bought ones are just too small.

For a single clutch of children's they would suit if you can get one at the right price. If you have a heat cord and a thermostat already it would cost you less than fifty bucks to make one

 

[Binny]

Yes, I think would be cheap and easy to make one...The esky setup looks basic to build....After checking a few youtube clips I wonder why no one here is selling them...

But I do like the look of the exo terra incubator...And it heats and cools....And I guess its already complete ready to go...And will keep for many years...

 

[GeckoJosh]

The Exoterra incubators fluctuate by 3-6 degrees constantly, they are "okay" for lizard eggs but there is no way I would trust them with snake eggs, they also have a nasty habit of breaking after a season or two.

If you do decide to get one make sure you buy a separate probe thermometer as the digital thermometer display on the incubator is always off by a few degrees.

 

[Pythons Rule]

The Exoterra incubators fluctuate by 3-6 degrees constantly, they are "okay" for lizard eggs but there is no way I would trust them with snake eggs, they also have a nasty habit of breaking after a season or two.

If you do decide to get one make sure you buy a separate probe thermometer as the digital thermometer display on the incubator is always off by a few degrees.

I didn't have a problem with mine last year...apart from it being 2.5degs off the egg container temp, I think they are a handy little incubator if you want to go it go for it, as you need something now! if you had the time to make a esky one then they fluctuate a hell of allot more then the other one did. the porter fridge incubator has a small fan and if it gets too hot it will turn on if its too cold the fan turns off and the heater kicks in. I sent you a pm late last night what to do and where to get everything cheap and how to do maternal etc.

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sent you a message I have an old fridge you can have that's half way set up for incubation. its pick up only though. or I can show you how to set up a foam box incubator and give you a box to keep etc. your choice.

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I had my bhp eggs in the exoterra incubator and they hatched just set the actual machine to 33degs and get 2 small cheap thermometers you will go through 2 by the time the eggs hatch. have that in the egg container should read 30.5ish. just make sure you check on the eggs every day or 2 to air them out and wipe the lid (lid only not sides). if you notice the egg container has gone up a degree then turn the machine down 1 degree (I wouldn't worry to much if it drops to 29)

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here's a Australian company they are very fast with delivery I bought some stuff recently from these guys and they have some incubators for just over a $100 Incubators - Brookfield Poultry Equipment in all honesty a esky incubator DOSE NOT cost only $20 to make NO WAY!!! you need a good thermostat to begin with they cost anywhere from $150-180. the heat mat is around $17 - 36. the container might cost you $10-36. and a tray maybe $2-6, Thermometers x2 $2-5ea (unless you get a hydrometer/thermometer which are $22). Esky Free. I just made 2.

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SO HOW DID YOU GO?

 

[Binny]

Ok, I went and got a Exo terra incubator from Kellyville Thursday night after the great sales pitch...That night I completely set it up IAW the instructions...(Not hard)

Now my problem is I only get 55% humidity...What am i doing wrong ? I believe im meant to have 80 ?

I have added a extra water dish. The inside temp is 31 deg C.

Mother has been on her eggs 5 days now. Is there a time when i should not remove the eggs ?

Should I just return it ?

 

[pythonmum]

You will go crazy looking at a hygrometer. They fluctuate a lot.

Do you have other reptiles you are breeding? Do you plan on doing this regularly? If the answer to those is 'no', then return the incubator and let the mother do her thing. You will not recover your costs with just a clutch of children's. I have been using a free fridge and heat cord for four years with great success. The whole thing, including the egg container, cost about $75. I use a spare thermostat and I incubate over water. No humidity problems, fluctuates only 0.2 degrees, plenty of room.

 

[Pythons Rule]

if you look at your container and its got moisture on the sides of the container then your fine just remember to air and wipe moister from the lid every day or 2 so droplets don't build up and drip on the eggs. I just used a cheap thermometer/hydrometer the small ones. if your worrying about hydrometer levels then the mix could be a little dry or you could put them over water method. can you upload a photo of the container and eggs? and is the temp 31 in the incubator or in the egg tub? I find with those incubators they need to be set at 33degs for the egg container to be 30deg I would have the thermometer in the egg container if you haven't already. and make sure the container has some small ventilation holes 1-2. would love to see pic's.

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plus if you feel your girl is of good condition and the eggs are looking ok then leave her with the eggs if the enclosure is properly set up. she needs a good box that will keep the humidity in, you'll find humidity to be a lot lower then that of the incubator but as long as mum is doing her job she will pee in the box or bath in the water bowl every now and then to raise humidity for the eggs. if she pees in there it will make to eggs stained and sometimes it gets mistaken for bad looking eggs and mould. they may become flat from her coiling them but they still hatch like this.

it takes a good couple days for an incubator to settle and sit at a constant temp, and egg container will go up in temp once the eggs are in it.

 

[GeckoJosh]

Ok, I went and got a Exo terra incubator from Kellyville Thursday night after the great sales pitch...That night I completely set it up IAW the instructions...(Not hard)

Now my problem is I only get 55% humidity...What am i doing wrong ? I believe im meant to have 80 ?

I have added a extra water dish. The inside temp is 31 deg C.

Mother has been on her eggs 5 days now. Is there a time when i should not remove the eggs ?

Should I just return it ?

How much is the temp fluctuating?

I hatched quite a few gecko/dragon eggs with my Exoterra until the heating element broke halfway through the season.
I now use a DIY fridge,fan heat cord etc and it holds temps within 0.2 degrees and has been super reliable. After seeing how the DIY rate when compared to the Exoterras there is no way I would recommend them to anyone unless they had no other choice.

 

[PetPac]

It sounds like you have open eggs inside the incubator. If you use a sealed container you will achieve the humidity you require.
One advantage of the Exo Terra unit is that it cools as well. I need to keep Boyds eggs at 25-26C, not 30, if you have the incubator in a warm/hot room it can turn off and the eggs can still get too hot - this incubator will pull the temperature down.
Any incubator that has a "digital display" means you have a 'guide' - you would always use a separate thermometer to determine the temperature where the eggs are.
Also FYI the Exo Terra incubators on the market this season are made in a different factory to those sold last season as there were a few issues.