Building an Incubator Pictures

[MorphCapital]

Here are some pictures of an incubator I built from an Animal Plastics A10 arboreal cage and a shelving unit from The Container Store.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/1_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/2_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/3_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/4_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/5_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/6_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/7_inc.jpg
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/photopost/data//505/8_inc.jpg

[Cat_72]

Wow, that looks really nice!

What do you use for a thermostat?

[MorphCapital]

Thanks, I will be using a double Ranco thermostat from ReptileBasics. I use the double Rancos for almost all my racks and cages as well.

[clarinet45]

*****

[garweft]

Let us know how it holds temps. I just put together one from a 4.9 cubic foot dorm fridge. I put in 2' of the 11" tape, and it is too much!? :shrug01:

The temps shoot past the target 89.5 way up to 95+, and then take 24+ hours to get back down. I will have to try a 1' section and see if that works. If not at least I can reduce the power sent to the tape through my Herpstat. :thumbsup:

[FireStorm]

Nice! I like that you can see in without opening the door. What kind of fan do you use?

[MorphCapital]

Thanks

The fans are 4 " 120 VAC fans from Radio Shack. Here is the link.. Link to Fan (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102825&cp=&origkw=ac+fan&kw=ac+fan&parentPage=search)

[FireStorm]

Thanks for the link. That's exactly what I needed. :D An incubator is my next project (after I finish my rack, lol).

[Schlyne]

It looks great. Let us know how it works.

[INSANE CANES]

Wow..Awesome looking incubator

[g0pher]

looks great!

[catawhat]

Very nice!

[PaulSage]

Very nice! AP should market those!

[6y0ballpython]

That looks all fine and dandy if you know what you are doing!!! All those wires, plexiglass door, shelving, etc, etc, etc, looks very intimidating and pricey for someone just starting out without any "carpentry" or "electrical" know how. I just ordered and finally watched that new DVD that's out called "Ball Pythons in the wild" and they know what they are doing in a very simplified and inexpensive way for obivious reasons of being a poor nation. They put them in a simple plastic lined, wooden chest of drawers filled with about a foot of mulch, put the temps at 30 deg.Celsius and of course the humidity is already in the atmosphere because of their own climate (one thing they don't have to worry about). Your incubator looks like you could sell that puppy for $500 or more and I am sure it would hatch a lot of healthy babies, it's just not practical for a lot of people without your extensive and appreciative knowledge of making such a contraption. I envy you......and thanks for showing us something that probably most of us could not even dream of knowing where to start.

[FireStorm]

Actually, building an incubator is pretty simple. It looks like MorphCapital used the same setup that you would use if you were converting a freezer except for the shelving that he added. A friend of mine just showed me how to build one, and it's not hard at all. Here's the basic idea: You take a freezer or refrigerator (prefferably one that's not working, it's cheaper) and have the compressor and coils removed so it's lighter. You could probably even leave the compressor and coils on if you wanted. Then you just add some flexwatt heat tape (hooked to your thermostat) and a fan and you're all set. The only thing you need to wire is the heat tape (very easy) and the fan. You would probably have to use heat tape if you used the chest of drawers, too, since you need a reliable heat source.

I'm not sure I explained that very well, but I know I've seen links on converting freezers, and there may be a thread here, too. I don't have time to find them now, but I can look tonight. Maybe someone else can explain it better. The great thing about using a freezer (or MorphCapital's design) is that it's easy to keep clean. If you check with a used appliance store or look in the paper you can usually get a broken freezer or refrigerator for free.

I hope this helps, and if you need more info feel free to ask.

Shelly

[MorphCapital]

Thanks! The wiring was pretty simple, you just want to make sure you use an AC fan, if you were to use a DC fan you would need an AC/DC converter. As far as the heat tape.. you can buy the clips and insulators from Rich @ ReptileBasics, all you need to wire those is a pair of pliers.

Kevin's (N.E.R.D.) new book does a great job of describing the basic principles behind incubator set up. He suggests using a false wall, I think I might try that on the next one.

I actually talked to AP and they said they are in the mist of creating an affordable incubator, cant wait to see what they will come up with!

Also, I will throw some pictures together of how I wired the fans, etc this weekend when I remove some of the heat tape, I think I may have "over shot the mark" and added too much heat.

[FireStorm]

Thanks for the input. :) I'll definately look into Kevin's book.

Thanks,
Shelly

[Lauren Summey]

Wow, what a great idea! Very nice. :)