Incubator????....

What is the best stuff to use to incubat a leo????are pebbles about 2/8ths of inch good?




-John

I like perlite when using the "albey" method of sealed containers.

Vermiculite is also popular!



Tony

I as well use the Albey method with Perlite. You can find perlite in any home and garden store like Stien's

Hey John, Im thinking by pebbles you mean rocks, that would not be good.

I would also say perlite, its the white fluffy looking(even though it is hard) material you see mixed into potting soil sometimes. I dont think the size of the perlite matters.

You can buy it by the bag at a some hardware stores, or garden supply type stores should have it. Sometimes even the garden section of a department store.

I would not use vermiculite, you are young, and there is a potential risk of hazardous asbestos when using it. You would not want to bring that stuff into your home. If you have to use it, open and possibly keep it somewhere other than inside your house. Even then wetting it while still in the bag, to keep the dust down is a good idea.

I never knew there was a hesbestos threat with vermaculite...
Anyways, what exactly is the "albey" method...?

Yep, vermiculite can have asbestos fibers in it still.

Albeys method is using sealed containers and a water ratio of 0.8 to each gram of weight of medium. I think it is too much water for some of us folks who have higher humidity though.

Yeah, I have time to fool around and make the right conditions though... I just need to pick up a few hovabators. I wont have enough eggs to need a big incubator, but I need 2 to cook my males and females!

Albey's Info:
http://www.albeysreptiles.com/incubate-eggs.htm

The asbestos threat grew out of the Libby, CO vermiculite mine that was heavily contaminated - they mined tons of the nasty stuff for almost 70 years. Asbestos contamination is theoretically only a concern with "popped" vermiculite - not the raw stuff that people use for incubation. When vermiculite is heated to a certain heat it exfoliates and it "pops" into this fuzzy, light-weight material that is great for insulation, packing, etc...unfortunately this method of expansion also asbestos fibers from any contaminated vermiculite into the air. So the expansion factories in places like Libby and the unfortunate people who ended up with the "popped" insulation in their homes are at a major risk for asbestos-related diseases - yucky stuff.

Most vermiculite is supposed to be OK and raw vermiculite like reptile keepers use is supposed to be fine but since it contains unregulated amphiboles like winchite and ferro-edenite, I'd just assume not play with fire...I guess its like keeping your leo on sand? (hehe, bad analogy! )

Anyways, perlite is the best but its also harder to use the first time around. The most common starting problems with incubation are too much moisture/humidity and not enough moisture/humidity. Too much kills the embryo and not enough dries out the suckers. Sounds trite, but once you figure out what works best for you, its all good....I personally think too much fussing with the eggs and reopening the containers is the foremost problem when you're just starting out.

Ok, I will shut-up and stop rambling like a raving loon now

I also use Albey's method with Perlite