Basic Incubator for slings & juvies (Cheapish too!)

antinous

Pamphopharaoh
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
1,668
So I promised I'd explain my set up that I use for my slings/juvies that are still able to fit comfortably in 16 oz-32 oz deli cups (you can put larger, just depends on the size of the enclosure and the 'incubator' you're using). This is great for pushing small slings out of the 'fragile' stage or just keeping your T(s) at a more appropriate temp (I keep mine 87 during the day/80 during the night). Note: You may want to have a deli cup filled with water to increase the humidity, I don't do this since I make sure to always fill their water bowls, but in case you don't do it that often.

What you'll need:
Styrofoam Ice Chest/Cooler
RELIABLE Thermostat (I use an old Herpstat 2)
Heating Pad - needs to fit along the sides inside the ice chest (I use a UTH)

(I'll add in photos later on, not at home right now)

First, I made a small indent on the lip of the ice chest to allow the wires (temperature probe and heat mat) to run out to make sure there aren't any openings when you close the chest.

Second, you're done! Just add in your heat mat and hook it up to your thermostat (give it a run for a day without anything in it to make sure no malfunctions occur) and then add in the enclosures and watch the growth spurt increase! Make sure to spot clean as often as possible as they can mold up a bit faster in the increased temps.

I know this was pretty much simple, but if don't have the money to make a heated cabinet/shelf (like I did), this works pretty good.
 

antinous

Pamphopharaoh
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
1,668
Also make holes on the cover of the ice chest, I made about 10 (otherwise it will quickly overheat). And another thing to add on for temps., I noticed when I put them in and set the temp to 82, it equaled to around 87 in the enclosures, and when I set it to 83, it equaled to 89-90. So just be mindful of that.
 
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