Learning to build an incubator

[Sana]

Instead of full on thread resurrection I'm going to bring over the specific post that I'm interested in a discussion of. I'm learning to make an incubator and I wanted to know if this is a preferred method or if other options or additions/subtractions work better. I know this user gets successful sacs as I've gotten slings from him previously. Thanks guys!

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.

 

[viper69]

Catfish is one of the most successful breeders on the forum. There are others who are as well, but they don't talk about that aspect as much.

 

[Sana]

I'm really hoping that the experienced breeders will drop in and offer me tips. It looks like a pretty good setup to me but husbandry changes over time with more knowledge and experience and this post is a few years old.

 

[viper69]

I'm really hoping that the experienced breeders will drop in and offer me tips. It looks like a pretty good setup to me but husbandry changes over time with more knowledge and experience and this post is a few years old.

I hear ya and I'd do the same, not knocking ya, but the old adage, "if it aint' broke, don't fix it" may apply here

 

[beaker41]

I'm probably as obsessed with building things for my t's as owning them. I originally built my cradles like robc on you tube with sterlite containers and little foam bumpers to try to keep them corralled. My last hatch proved to have much more wanderlust than previous ones, so I had to simplify my rig. I ended up just getting 2 cheap Tupperware style containers, trimming one down to 2" high, covering that one in black cotton rights and slipping it into the other one. This enables me to have a higher wall for the slings to dogpile against, as well as a secure lid for any of them that managed to reach the top of the pile.

 

[advan]

I use Tupperware with a rubber seal and moist substrate. No ventilation.

Pull the sac at 30-42 days. Open and set it in the incubator. Done.

They will crawl out at 1i. Separate at 2i. Keep it simple.

 

[Haksilence]

I use Tupperware with a rubber seal and moist substrate. No ventilation.

Pull the sac at 30-42 days. Open and set it in the incubator. Done.

They will crawl out at 1i. Separate at 2i. Keep it simple.

substrate? ive heard of people using damn paper towels and such? so you basically just have a super humid sling enclosure for them to meander out to as they please?

 

[advan]

substrate? ive heard of people using damn paper towels and such? so you basically just have a super humid sling enclosure for them to meander out to as they please?

Yep, just like if they hatched in the mother's enclosure, just more controlled and they are contained.

 

[Sana]

Hey Chad thanks! No ventilation huh? And no issues with mold or anything? How often do you check on your slings?

 

[MikeC]

I use Tupperware with a rubber seal and moist substrate.

By rubber seal, are you meaning the lid?
I've seen some with rubberized tops instead of the harder plastic.

/end dumb question

 

[Haksilence]

Also do you provide a hide of sorts?

 

[Pociemon]

I use:

fishnet stockings(my wifes)
2 tubs

Looks like this:

As you can see i cut the one tub of and use it to apply the fishnet stockings, i fill the intact tub up with water almost halway, i make a few ventilation holes on the sides and put the top tup in it with the fishnet stockings attached. Make a hole in the top and you have an incubator that works.



And lastly, i use the stockings to pull over the tubs so i dont get problems with small flies and other nasty stuff....


This inkubator might take some more time to make, but its advantage is that you dont have to apply extra water all the time, it just needs to be put in a warm spot and left alone. Only the normal maintainance is needed of course....

 

[Sana]

Thanks Pociemon! I can definitely see the advantages to not having to add water as often.

 

[Sana]

Exciting new question to add to this thread. When I look at everyone's pictures I see that the incubator has a single layer of eggs/slings with a fair amount of space around them. How much space do they need? If I'm using a method with deli cups, how many slings (very approximately) per cup? I'm trying to guess how much space is required for a G. pulchripes sac specifically, but I'm hoping for plenty of future projects so I feel like it would be helpful if there is some general way to estimate how much space would be needed for a sac from any given species.

 

[beaker41]

They actually don't seem to need any space , the first thing they do when I empty them into the incubator from the egg sac is make a huge dogpile. My theory is that they use their surrounding sac mates as leverage when molting. It makes sense that they would try to recreate the conditions inside the eggsac, so extra space in the incubator is probably insignificant, except when it comes to retrieving the molted slings from the rest. At that point it is nice to have a little room to corral them up .

 

[Austin S.]

Pretty easy to make an incubator. Here are a few examples of mine.

Hose over the top, and the lid to the deli cup was cut so just the outer rim would fit. Doing so makes it so if the ewls roll around, they don't go over the edge. When they hit 1i, I would move them into a different style, or would dump the water out from inside the pictured deli cup, and add substrate and put them on it. But, being this this is a Brachypelma, I made three deli style incubators.
--The below pictures of various different species

Basically what I use now:

The above incubator is your basic tuber ware container, or shoe box. I make 4 small holes in each side of it with the soldering iron, and two rows of holes on the lid.
I followed Catfish, and Ryan Nefcy's ideas.
Once they hit 1i, again they were changed to substrate:

I cut out the lids as such to provide ample ventilation. When they were 2i and able to crawl out, I just used regular lids with a lot of ventilation holes.

As my buddy Beaker mentioned, space is not important. They like to huddle:

Then the fun part of separating:

Hope this helps some!

 

[Trenor]

Then the fun part of separating:

I don't know if fun would be the right word.

Do you sale your slings or do you bulk wholesale the resellers?

 

[Austin S.]

I don't know if fun would be the right word.

It is fun depending on the species, IMO.

Do you sale your slings or do you bulk wholesale the resellers?

Both.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I don't know if fun would be the right word.

Do you sale your slings or do you bulk wholesale the resellers?

After you spend a day separating and straw packing a L.parahybana clutch , assuming clutch is the correct term for a wheel barrow full of LP slings , you start to feel like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest .

 

[Sana]

New question.... Why is it that every answer comes with one? When you say bulk to a reseller are you shipping a box with a few hundred separated slings at 2i or a deli cup without separating? Also how do I learn about reasonable wholesale rates and TOS? I searched and came up with a few examples from the classifieds of people selling large groups of slings for a given dollar amount with what appeared to be fairly standard TOS from what I'm used to (LAG overnight). Is the accepted method of wholesale to post in the classifieds or to contact dealers?