Hova Bator?

[lele]

OK, this is a little off-topic but it would get lost if I put it under "Other Lizards" forum. I am thinking of getting the Thermal Hova Bator for Ana's eggs. She is the bossy half of my side-blotched lizard couple and produces about 5 clutches of 4-5 eggs (size of tic-tacs) b/t April and August. I made my own last year and had a heck of a time maintaining temps and moisture and ending up with only one surviving (later died). It seems like a lot of space for such tiny eggs but they incubate for 40-60 days and I think I would like some better success. I am very busy in the summer with my Lep rearing so not having to worry about the eggs would be really nice.

Is this model OK? What do you guys use? Any suggestions? If there is another thread please let me know, it is not usually something I pay attention to with all the boys in my house!

thanks!

"Hey, that's MY cricket!" (that's Ana on top of Stan - lol!)

 

[Canopy Chameleons]

I use that model for snake and gecko eggs, and it works great. I've never had a problem with it at all. For the price, it's a great little incubator.

 

[lele]

thanks! I'm getting anxious to order as she is getting fat and from last year my guess is she'll be ready to lay within the next weeks or so. This model doesn't have a fan, right? I was told that the fan type can dry things out (maybe better for poultry or some other animals).

 

[Canopy Chameleons]

Correct, there's no fan at all. Just a heat element. I open mine up once every couple days, maybe every 3-6 days, just to give it some fresh air, and other than that, it's a no worry no stress model.

 

[lele]

thanks for your input, think I will order it tomorrow

Speaking of eggs...how are yours looking?

 

[Canopy Chameleons]

They're looking great. All look nice and healthy still, calcifying really nice. I'm impressed with how they are doing actually. I'm going to candle them in a week or two, and see what's actually in there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though.

 

[lele]

I'm glad they are doing well and I am sure you will have several little Cadavers running around in a few(? - more like 8 or 9, huh?) months.

I do have to ask - how did you come up with that name for her??

 

[boothy]

the only thing i find bad about the hova bator is that it doesnt cool its self so make sure you put it somewhere where its nice and cool pretty much room temp 75 f the hole day and put it there cause i had one awsome time tryin to cool down my incubator lol i had it right on the cement floor in the basement and that was the only thing stopin it from goin over the regular temp so just make sure you all put it somewhere that doesnt get hot in the summer cause your eggs will be COOKED and then all yea need is bacon toast and homefries lol ahah

 

[lele]

Thanks for the tip! That was part of my problem last year, trying to regulate temp of substrate as the ambient room temps would fluctuate. I have a bug/plant room that is the coolest spot in the house so I will put it in there. I have a basement, but it is all earthen floor and stone walls (original) and is very damp so I don;t think that would be a good place.

lele

 

[Canopy Chameleons]

As for the temperature, that's why you open it up every few days too. And it is common sense to put the incubator in a room that doesn't get too hot, or it's obvious what will happen. The room you're planning on putting it sounds great.

As for her name, they were a trio. Cadaver, Rigamorty, and Carrion. Why I picked them, who knows. That's just the style of things that I'm into I guess. I wish I could tell you why I named her what I did, but it's just my taste, lol.

 

[lele]

As for her name, they were a trio. Cadaver, Rigamorty, and Carrion. Why I picked them, who knows. That's just the style of things that I'm into I guess. I wish I could tell you why I named her what I did, but it's just my taste, lol.

lol! Rigamorty It's always interesting to find out why folks come up with the names that they do. Sometimes there is a story or reason other times there's not. I never intended to have all my female animals names end in the letter "a" but I realized on a 3rd cat that just by chance I was doing it, so it has become my standard and all females in the house (except me ) HAVE to end in "A"!! Makes naming even more of a challenge. My frog's name doesn't but she was an adoptee from a classroom and came with the name skipper - they told me it was a boy, but once I found out it was a girl, well she's always been Skippy to me. Oh well, names are fun!!!

lele

 

[lele]

thanks for all the tips and input! I ordered it last night

 

[Cam]

I like you taste in names. Our 10 year old named his glass fish "Decomposed" because you can see her skeleton and everything. He also has a knife fish named "Machety" (sp?) and another fish named Metalhead.

 

[Cam]

OK, this is a little off-topic but it would get lost if I put it under "Other Lizards" forum. I am thinking of getting the Thermal Hova Bator for Ana's eggs. She is the bossy half of my side-blotched lizard couple and produces about 5 clutches of 4-5 eggs (size of tic-tacs) b/t April and August. I made my own last year and had a heck of a time maintaining temps and moisture and ending up with only one surviving (later died). It seems like a lot of space for such tiny eggs but they incubate for 40-60 days and I think I would like some better success. I am very busy in the summer with my Lep rearing so not having to worry about the eggs would be really nice.

Is this model OK? What do you guys use? Any suggestions? If there is another thread please let me know, it is not usually something I pay attention to with all the boys in my house!

thanks!

"Hey, that's MY cricket!" (that's Ana on top of Stan - lol!)

Your lizards are so beautiful. They look alot like our Rankin Beardie. If I search "side blotched lizard" is that the name they generally go by?

 

[lele]

Your lizards are so beautiful. They look alot like our Rankin Beardie. If I search "side blotched lizard" is that the name they generally go by?

Thanks! They were an impulse buy at a show last year - something I always warn others against doing and I did it myself! I fell in love with the blue on Stan. They weren't even a couple I picked them separately and she was gravid

Their common name is side-blotched lizards (and if you go to my webshots site you can see more pics of them) but the scientific name is Uta stansburiana. They are indigenous and common to our SW. I knew nothing about them, but asked how big they would get, what they needed, etc. and I already had what I need at home so for $6 each I got 'em!

I could not name them for the longest time but once she started laying clutches I had to come up with something, So if you look at the Latin name you can figure it out (all my girls end in "a"). I have a cute pic of Stan and Darwin (beardie) together. I was just looking at the pics and the set up is way out of date, but they still look the same. Ana is sleeping today (they burrow in the sand to sleep) so I am guessing she is doing a bit of incubating herself! Stan is always so unhappy when she doesn't come out to play- they are little cuties. Although they do resemble beardies (especially feet!) they are Iguanids! If the couple and the hova bator do what they're supposed to I may have babies for sale by fall!

here is where they get their common name

btw, Gary Ferguson (wrote Panther cham book) studied these a long time ago and he sent me pics of them in the wild, their habitat and the color variants. email or pm me and i'll send some to you.