Incubator

that really doesnt help me..

im sick of giving up 1/2 my eggs to the reptile shop for incubating them for me... i have a decent amount of money saved up to buy a decent incubator. i just want some input on what to get!
 
Most people incubate their chameleon eggs at room temperature. I do. I am not sure why you would pay a reptile shop half of your offspring to do what you can do in a closet. What species are you working with?

Heika
 
What do you mean that doesn't help you?! Heika just saved you a hundred dollars.

Chameleon eggs do well to have day night temperature varients, which most incubators will not provide. As for Tried, Tested and true... closet shelf, desk drawer, top of an upright freezer...

Don't waste your money if you don't have to.
 
currently were working with vields, but in about 2 or 3 months im going to try my first go at panthers.

alot of people ive talked to all use incubators But talked about using a closet to do it, but no one talks about how they do it. maybe someone can walk me through setting it up. im never done any work with my eggs so i dunno how to store them, temps, containers Lighting?
 
Use a tupperware container with 2-3" of vermiculite/perlite.
Moisten it using a hand mister, stir around, moisten again until it is evenly moist.
Pat it down softly and flat.
Stick your finger in, place the egg in the indent, and cover so only ~1/3 of the egg is showing.
Make rows so that each egg is about 1-2" from each other.
Put on the lid, put in a thermometer, limit opening the container.

Just one of many ways...



Eggs: Laying to Hatching by Bill Strand

Incubation Strategies by Francois Le Berre

Breeder Ethics By Kristina Francis and Jason Descamps

The Business of Breeding by Bill Strand
 
very good point... and thanks for that info... what about temps? sould they be checked daily or be around any temp?
 
The temps are up to you. There are so many different ways that have been successful. I linked you to articles, they will give you the authors opinions on what works. The authors are all trust worothy, so use the info and formulate your own process.

Its a learning experience, so don't depend on the first couple clutches being completely successful.
 
Howdy,

I'll add that it isn't always an issue of how to keep them "warm" but sometimes it's how to keep them from getting too warm! I was targeting 68-74F for the batch of panther eggs that I've been incubating and when we had a heatwave a few months ago and the temp went up to >80F in the coolest spot in the house, I was getting a bit worried. If I am going to do this again someday, I might talk myself into getting what a friend uses. She has one of these little hot/cold "frigs" that allows her easily set temps like 70F and keep it there with no effort. I've never spotted one of these units in local stores, just online. Maybe in one of those "NY" electronics stores would be a good place to do a walk-in purchase. Anyway, she's been using one for some time now and loves it. I'm a little less worried about my eggs since one finally hatched Friday night. 9 more to go... There I go again, counting my chickens before they've hatched :). Oh, by the way, I see no issue with the temps varying up and down some. Soil tests have shown that chameleon egg clutches in the wild stay in the 68-74F range all year long.

One online location:
http://www.ekitchengadgets.com/demifrwiprth.html
 
We used a home made incubator for our clutch and so far we are having wonderful success with them! The clutch is from our Veiled Chameleons Pantera & Bumble. The eggs were laid April 1st, 2006. We asked at the pet store if we could have one of the styrofoam containers they recieve their fish in and cleaned it out, set it up with an acrylic window and thermal heating coil with a regulator (The hubby did the work). We want to try doing the closet next viable clutch, we were just concerned it would get too hot for them. We live on the SE coast of TX and it is great for humidity, but the temps in the summer can get nasty and we do not have central air & heating in the house we own. Our room gets super heated in summer and we worry it may be too much for the eggs. We keep the incubator in our dining room area so the temp doesn't get too hot. So far we have 14 hatchlings who are all nailing 1/8 inch crickets. They started hatching the 11th of October.....we still have 29 eggs looking good and some are sweating and pipping. Can't wait to see if they all hatch, now that would be a miracle!!

IvorySerpent
 
fabos...what species are you wanting to incubate?

I have my own set-up that works well for veileds, deremensis and C. chamaeleons and other chameleon eggs that need a warmer incubation temperature than room temperature, as well as many other species of lizards (geckos, coneheads, water dragons, etc. ) and tortoises/turtles.

It consists of a human's heating pad with a wooden (2"X2") frame that fits over it. The frame is covered with screen to support the egg containers. The temperature can be adjusted on the heating pad with its three different settings in combination with raising the frame until you get the temperature you want in the egg container. I have it set up in an area where it is always dark so that the light won't "bother" the eggs. This method gives some daily fluctuation in temperatures since its not closed completely in.

I have had close to 100% hatch rate with the species mentioned for every clutch using this method.
 
i just hatched all 37 veild eggs in my incubator and it was just beside my chameleon encloser with the light on it all day and dark at night (OBviously), i didnt have it in a dark closet and they did fine i had pretty good sized babies and they all hatched so i dont think it matters if there in a dark area or not
 
Interesting deduction Boothy,
before we go making correlational statements you might want to replicate your method with a control group in no light, a group in 24 hour light, and a group incubated as you stated. Then longitudinal data collected measuring growth, fitness, etc of the offspring hatch through death. At that point we might have some reasonable data to support your guess of what matters and what does not.
 
I just ordered the same mini fridge Dave posted a link to. I have seen one up close and they are kind of small for my liking but I wouldnt put my brev eggs in there since I dont normally have issues with them. I plan on using it for brookesia and lateralis eggs.

Anyone who decides on the one Dave listed, use the coupon code "Lucky" to save 10%. I am not entirely sure that the code will work but I have a feeling that its not just a "one time" coupon code.

-roo
 
yea your right zerah morris i will be back with an asnwer for you as soon as i get some more chameleons and try it out. but this was my first time and all my eggs hatched so does this mean i have a 100% hatch ratio ?
 
yea your right zerah morris i will be back with an asnwer for you as soon as i get some more chameleons and try it out. but this was my first time and all my eggs hatched so does this mean i have a 100% hatch ratio ?

Technically yes, but it stands for nothing unless it is completed successfully several times with the exact same parameters.
 
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