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 joemerlin |
Reptile Incubator |
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Posts: 114 (05/16/08 11:24:48) |
i have been collecting herps for a long time and never decided to breed them, but i would like to start.
so the question is what are you using to incubate your eggs? what type of incubators do you use or prefer? namaste, joe "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own,
having a dog makes you rich." |
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Chris Dunlap |
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Posts: 754 (05/16/08 11:58:00)
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 KEVIN KOPF |
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Posts: 78 (05/16/08 13:35:43)
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Forma scientific.
kevin |
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Brandon Osborne |
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Posts: 685 (05/16/08 13:45:43)
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Forma Scientific 3326
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Sony Raju |
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Posts: 1076 (05/17/08 05:51:27)
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if you dont mind me asking, where can you get the formas for decent prices. and as far as reliability and bells and whistles, how do the formas stack up
against the hs units? the only thing that scares me about formas, is that in the past two or three years, ive heard quite a few people tell me that their
formas just wernt out on them for no rhyme or reason.
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Brandon Osborne |
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Posts: 687 (05/17/08 08:34:05)
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My forma came from Tim Graichen. I can tell you this, it is absolutely the most solid incubator I've ever used. It's been set up for around 3 months
and has not fluctuated even 1/10 of a degree and I would guess this thing would hold 150-200 Burmese python eggs comfortably . The only downside to these is
they are HUGE and EXTREMELY HEAVY. My unit with both water jackets filled weighs around 800lbs. If you do a search on google, you can find many places selling
formas and I've seen prices range from $1000-6,000. If you do find one, just be sure you have really great friends........you are going to need them.
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bigsnakes |
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Posts: 317 (05/17/08 11:46:52)
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If you decide on a Forma or other type of scientific incubator, try an internet search for laboratory equipment vendors in your area. As Brandon mentioned,
these things can weigh a lot and shipping can be outrageous. I have seen pre-owned Forma Scientific 3000 series incubators in the Chicago area for as low as
$500 if you are able to pick up. Personally, I have been happy with my home-made igloo cooler incubator. It has four separate egg boxes and holds 80 - 100
chondro eggs at a time. Somehow it comforts me to know that I can repair it on the spot if something konks out.
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joemerlin |
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Posts: 116 (05/17/08 18:33:26) |
thank you guys for all of your help
and if anyone else has any more advice feel free to post on. i am looking in to the Forma scientific, but i am up to other options. namaste to all that have shared there thoughts. namaste, joe "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own,
having a dog makes you rich." |
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Mike C.chondroforum |
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Posts: 52 (05/18/08 05:47:37) |
Joe,
I recently had success with a cheap old cooler, and actually was prety impressed with the stability in it. It's an Igloo Icecube, and is set up easily. It has a couple wire trays inside, on the bottom is a tub of water, on the top it has a few computer fans mounted to circulate the air, and it has 2' of 12" heat tape hooked to a Helix thermostat, with the probe going into the top nest box. Simple and inexpensive, and it works. 
One thing to remember, your incubator is ONLY as good as your power source. I had a power outage and my eggs dropped to 62 degrees one morning. Have a back up plan ready for any situation like this. Mike
____________________________________________________________
/ Mike C / mclark202@insightbb.com / / _______________________________________________________/ |
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cofeenan.chondroforum |
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Posts: 1 (05/18/08 06:03:33) |
No Post
Last Edited By: cofeenan
05/18/08 06:13:17.
Edited 1 times.
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Christopher Feenan |
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Posts: 410 (05/18/08 06:11:02)
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The Forma is probably more incubator than you are going to need if you are just starting some breeding projects. I don't know it's
capacity, but I saw Andrew Kelleys, and it is a beast ! I think his crapped out on him last year too. He incubates some very valuable eggs. Heck with that...
Many build incubators into a very large igloo cooler. Damon Salceies has a design posted here , most folks modify that design a bit.Cooler $50, heat rope $25 (heat tape not safe in wet conditions) a high quality thermostat (Helix or Herpstat) about $120, and $5 worth of PVC is about all it takes. You can build one in an hour or two for $200. Those thermostats are unlikely to fail, but if reliability is a concern, buy a backup thermostat, or better still, build a backup incubator. Those thermostats will keep things within .1 degree of set temperature, no commercial incubator can claim greater accuracy. I have two refrigerators that are turned into incubators. High capacity, and the same reliability. I have six gallons of water as a heat sink in each. I can open them for a few minutes to inspect the eggs, and when I close it, it is still at the set temp. The probe is in one of the egg boxes. Mike is right, the likelihood of incubator failure is much less than the likelihood of a power outage. For $20 you can get an adaptor to plug inot your car lighter that will power your incubator for as long as you need. Another advantage of these small incubators, they are portable ! |
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Keith Thompson |
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Posts: 310 (05/18/08 07:45:34)
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Another option in between the forma and making your own is the Avey 100. It was designed with chondros in mind and quite a few of us use it. I routinly get
100% hatches in the 100.
http://www.aveyincubator.com/rept100.htm |
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