Make your own incubator

it isn't that difficult, really!



Incubator, © Gunilla 2002

Incubator

Please remember that I am Swedish. I sometimes have a problem with finding the right words when I write this "technical stuff" - so please overlook that. :)

Important
Have your incubator ready some time before your female is ready to lay. It takes a while to get the temperature right. And you'll never know exactly when your female is about to drop her eggs. Some females shows clear signs - some don't. I usually takes about 2-4 weeks from mating to egglaying.



You need:

  • A petbox or some other container with a lid -
      but there must be some holes for oxygen.

  • Some kind of submergible heater under the water (used for aquariums)

  • A brick or two

  • A plexiglas- cut to the size of the petbox

  • Two pieces of plastic "lines"

  • Digital thermometer
      (for temps inside and out. You put the cord in the eggbox)

  • Vermiculit
      Vermiculite is good because it keeps the moisture well.

  • Plastic box for the eggs.

    Note that a bearded dragon female often lays several clutches of one mating. So make the incubator big enough for several clutches if you want to keep all the eggs.

    My incubator, Photo © Gunilla 2002
    My homemade incubator. At this pic I have removed the cover to show how it looks like. The eggs need darkness. Se picture "Pictures the eggs".


    This is how you do

  • Take a piece of Plexiglas and cut it to the right size for the petbox. You need this so the condensed water doesn't drip on the eggs. Drill two holes at each side of the plexiglas to be able to hang it over the eggs.

  • Tie a piece of rope through the holes in the plexiglas so you can hang it on the petbox edges. I used some clothes pegs to hang it up. The glass has to be tilted a little bit so the condensed water can drip down.

  • Moist the vermiculite. Mix the same amount vermiculite and water in WEIGHT - not volume. (Take 40 grams water and 40 grams vermiculite for example). Then it's usually moist enough.

  • Pack the vermiculite lightly in the plastic box.

  • Put one or two bricks at the bottom of the petbox.

  • Fill up with water so just a little bit of the brick is above the water. Note: Put some kind of cover over the water so the babies won't fall in and drown when they hatch. A plastic net or something like that will do.

  • Fasten the submergible heater at the side of the petbox and adjust the temperature to around 84 degrees F. You'll probably have to adjust the temperature over a few days.

  • Put the plastic container filled with vermiculite at the brick

  • Put down the "loose end" of the digital thermometer about half an inch into the vermiculite.

  • Fasten the plexiglas with the rope.

  • Put the lid on the petbox

  • Wait 24 hours or so to see if the temperature is right. You probably have to adjust it.

  • The temperature shall be between 81 - 85 F. If it goes over 89,5 the embryos will die so be careful! If it gets too cold they will die too. But it is not as much danger with coldness as it is with too much heat. If the submerged heater stops working - there are no emediate danger. Don't panic - get a new heater and the eggs will be fine. They will just take a little longer to hatch.

  • Cover the petbox with a towel or something since the eggs shall be in a dark place. Just make sure not to cover it up too well - oxygen needs to get in!




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