# Incubator tutorial



## catfishrod69 (Mar 17, 2013)

I have been meaning to do this for some time, and finally getting to it. This is a tutorial on how to set up a incubator. This is what works good for me, and is no way the only or best way to do it. Feel free to ask questions, or comment. 


The incubator consists of these things:

Plastic shoebox, sterilite tub, or something similar
2- plastic delicups
Paper towel or toilet paper
2- coffee filters (when needed)
Coco fiber (when needed)


This is how to get the incubator started. I use only Sterilite 6 quart shoeboxes. 







I then drill (6) 1/4" holes into the lid, like so:







Then i line the bottom of the incubator with either moist coco fiber, paper towels, or toilet paper (when i have no paper towels). I usually make the layer thick, about 1/2" or so. 

After this, you will want to place your 2 deli cups into the incubator.


Here is the part where either coffee filters or coco fiber will be used. 

If you pull your sac, and have just eggs, use coffee filters inside the cups, do not get the eggs wet. Just pour water into the bottom of the incubator below the cups (not inside the cups). 

If you pull your sac and have ewls, you can either use dry coffee filters in the cups, or moist coco fiber. It is up to you. What i tend to do is put the ewls on dry coffee filters, then once they start darkening up to molt to 1st instars, i switch them onto moist coco fiber. 

If you pull your sac, and have 1st instars, i place them straight on moist coco fiber. At this stage they will need to stay hydrated to have successful molts. This is how i do it, and if the slings go into the incubator with no problems, than almost always they all molt with no problems. The same goes for 2nd instar as well. But at that point you will have to choose to leave them in the incubator and chance cannibalism or seperate them individually. I sometimes also take 1st instars and seperate them into individual cups/vials on moist coco fiber, then place the cups/vials into a large sterilite tub. This makes it alot easier dealing with the slings being they are not 2nd instar yet, and easier to work with. 

Here is what the final incubator will look like with ewls in it, and on dry coffee filters. 







Here is the incubator with 1st instar, and moist coco fiber in the cups. 







---------- Post added 03-17-2013 at 04:38 PM ----------

Here is 1st instars darkening up to molt, on moist coco fiber.







---------- Post added 03-17-2013 at 04:42 PM ----------

Just another pic.

Reactions: Like 19 | Thanks 1


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## Oreo (Mar 17, 2013)

Great tutorial! I've always wanted to see something like this. I'm going to make some babies now.

Reactions: Like 1


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks! Hope it helps out. Well hurry up. 





Oreo said:


> Great tutorial! I've always wanted to see something like this. I'm going to make some babies now.

Reactions: Like 1


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## MarkmD (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks for sharing this Info, I'll use it in future.


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 17, 2013)

Your welcome, good luck!





MarkmD said:


> Thanks for sharing this Info, I'll use it in future.


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## tyrantuladub (Mar 17, 2013)

MarkmD said:


> Thanks for sharing this Info, I'll use it in future.


+1 on this! Haha, bookmarked for future reference

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ximmanis (Mar 17, 2013)

I'm confused. Do you keep lids on the delicups? I'm guessing yes, but hard to tell from photos. If no, I would imagine spiderlings simply climbing out of the cups and potentially drowning themselves (depending on how moist the bottom of the incubator is)?

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## catfishrod69 (Mar 17, 2013)

The bottom of the incubator i keep really moist. There is a little excess water. But no, i dont keep the lids on the cups. The slings wont be able to climb up the plastic until they are 2nd instar. And at that time you will be able to seperate them. They also wont go far from thier siblings. Usually they will all huddle in groups. 





Ximmanis said:


> I'm confused. Do you keep lids on the delicups? I'm guessing yes, but hard to tell from photos. If no, I would imagine spiderlings simply climbing out of the cups and potentially drowning themselves (depending on how moist the bottom of the incubator is)?
> 
> Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk HD

Reactions: Like 1


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## grayzone (Mar 17, 2013)

awesome thread John. Glad to see you finally got around to starting it.
Very helpful


I will vouch that this method works as well. John has helped me with a lot of breeding questions, and this is the method i used with my last sack full of 1i slings. 2 weeks in, and so far all is well.


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks bro. Yeah procrastinating is one of my other hobbies . 



grayzone said:


> awesome thread John. Glad to see you finally got around to starting it.
> Very helpful
> 
> 
> I will vouch that this method works as well. John has helped me with a lot of breeding questions, and this is the method i used with my last sack full of 1i slings. 2 weeks in, and so far all is well.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ximmanis (Mar 18, 2013)

catfishrod69 said:


> The bottom of the incubator i keep really moist. There is a little excess water. But no, i dont keep the lids on the cups. The slings wont be able to climb up the plastic until they are 2nd instar. And at that time you will be able to seperate them. They also wont go far from thier siblings. Usually they will all huddle in groups.


Ah, I wasn't aware of them not being able to climb.  *enlightened* 

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## Scar (Mar 18, 2013)

Nice.  Thanx for this info!  So are you saying that you can separate them as 1st instars to help keep the cannibalism down?  Is there a certain stage that they tend to start eating each other?


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 18, 2013)

Your welcome. Yep you can seperate at 1st instar and it will reduce the cannibalism, and make it easier to seperate them. Because once they hit 2nd instar, they are harder to work with. I only do this for ones that i really want to get every single one out of. I used all the above methods and hatched 271 C. marshalli, and 111 C. darlingi, without a single loss to 2nd instar. I think with cannibalism it just completely depends. I have read and seen pics of ewls cannibalizing. 





Scar said:


> Nice.  Thanx for this info!  So are you saying that you can separate them as 1st instars to help keep the cannibalism down?  Is there a certain stage that they tend to start eating each other?

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## grayzone (Mar 18, 2013)

I can attest to that.
With this A avic sack i opened (to 97 1i, i noticed that 3 of them were being eaten.

I believe by looking at the size of some of the abdomens, the early bloomers were already eating siblings.

I left them together for the first couple days and split most of them up into their own condiment cups.

SO FAR i have experienced no losses, but then again i havent checked on them for like 5 days now. I will be going to look at them, and to change out towels and such tonight or tomorrow

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## tarantulagirl10 (Mar 22, 2013)

Ok, here is a dumb question. Does the cocofiber stay damp or do you have to wet it now and again with the 1i in there? If so, how do you wet it? I would think with all of them in there if you misted they would get all wet? I'm just trying to figure stuff out . I'm assuming it probably stays damp on it's own.


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## LuiziBee (Mar 22, 2013)

I just got an MM for my female GBB so hopefully I can get to this point with a successful breeding. Does the water need to be hot or just room temperature? My T room stays around 70-75 degrees. 

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## Scar (Mar 22, 2013)

LuiziBee said:


> I just got an MM for my female GBB so hopefully I can get to this point with a successful breeding. Does the water need to be hot or just room temperature? My T room stays around 70-75 degrees.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


Please let me know how that goes!  I've heard those GBBs can be tricky!

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## catfishrod69 (Mar 22, 2013)

Room temp works just fine. Either way it will cool/warm to the temperature of the room. Good luck with those. You are lucky to have found a mm. I have a fresh female, but no male .





LuiziBee said:


> I just got an MM for my female GBB so hopefully I can get to this point with a successful breeding. Does the water need to be hot or just room temperature? My T room stays around 70-75 degrees.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


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## LuiziBee (Mar 22, 2013)

Well, I'm starting to feel less confidant that my female is mature so if I decide not to try and no one local wants him, I could probably send him your way if you wanted.  

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## MrCrackerpants (Oct 26, 2013)

Great thread. Thanks for the very useful information.


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## MrCrackerpants (Dec 16, 2015)

Update from catfishrod69 where he addresses if he still uses the incubator in this thread: "Not exactly. I dont use that kind anymore unless there is around a thousand slings. Now i just use one deli cup with a coffee filter draped over the cup, then the lid put on to keep the filter in place like a hammock. I put water in the bottom of the cup before placing the filter in. Once the slings hit 1st instar i take the water out, place in slightly moist coco fiber, and put the slings on it. Kinda easier and quicker than the larger version."

---------- Post added 12-16-2015 at 09:01 PM ----------

Still a great thread. Thanks for the very useful information!

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## viper69 (Dec 16, 2015)

This should be a STICKY

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