Is an incubater necessary??

[ChamChick]

I have heard conflicting info on this topic, and just wanted opinions. I've heard of people that swear by incubators for their eggs, and also people that say it is not necassary, and you can keep the eggs in their containers, in a dark closet, at the right temps. I plan on breeding my Ambilobes, and want to make sure I keep as many eggs as possible when the time comes.

 

[kinyonga]

You can use an incubator or a closet as long as the area is dark and the temperature is right, etc.

 

[thephotoprincess]

I would like to hear some thoughts on this as well ... for veiled eggs. I'm in SoCal and the temps vary in my house - and in general this time of year. Maybe 60s at night and not consistent from day to day.

Would an incubator be better - at least until summer when temps warm up and are more consistent?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I have not incubated many eggs but it makes sense that if you do not have correct temps naturally or consistently in your house then the closet method will be less ideal because eggs need a specific range of temps consistently, which varies by species. If this cannot be achieved easily then an incubator would probably be a good idea because they reduce fluctuations and give you more control over the temps. You should consider the type of eggs you'll be incubating, find their temperature range specifics and then put thermometers in different areas of the house and look at them periodically throughout the day over a span of at least a week to see if you could maintain those temps successfully anywhere. If not, an incubator would probably be a better option. It just depends on where you live and what you have.

 

[kinyonga]

I live in Ontario (Canada) and I use an incubator of sorts. Its not enclosed...it consists of a human heating pad placed under a wood and screen form in the dark in the basement...so the air temperature fluctuates a couple of degrees from day to night and day to day depending on the time of year.

I have hatched several species of chameleon eggs using this "incubator" as well as several species of geckos, conehead, waterdragon, turtle eggs, etc.

 

[ChamChick]

You should consider the type of eggs you'll be incubating, find their temperature range specifics and then put thermometers in different areas of the house and look at them periodically throughout the day over a span of at least a week to see if you could maintain those temps successfully anywhere.

Good idea