Hova-bator 1602

[Up_North]

Getting my incubator set up....first time breeder and I need help from some one that uses this model! There are two troughs to fill with water on the bottom of these for humidity. With the leo eggs I know they like moister. the instuctions say to just fill the small one,but for leo's I am thinking I should fill both? Can some one help me. I plan to keep the egg in those glad press and seal contaners in vermiculite I also need to know will I need to put holes in the top of them for air or just lift the top every few days?

[RDexotics]

I keep both spots filled with water, it keeps the humidity up around 90-95%

[TLH_Wär§cöötmän]

Yea keep both troughs with water, try to get as much humidity as possible.

As for the containers I keep mine in small containers that I got mealworms in, covered them with saran wrap and poked holes (about 20 holes) with a toothpick. You can open the containers every day or two, but I think thats risky, and prefer to advise using holes. hope it helps.

[Gregg M]

No need to even put water in the incubator..... Just go by these 9 simple steps and you will never need to worry about humidity issues.....

1- Get a deli cup with a lid.....

2- Put an inch and a half of perlite in the cup.....

3- Weigh the perlite....

4- Use another deli cup and put water in until it becomes the same weight as the perlite.....

5- You can either pour the water in and mix it up or you can put the water you weighed into a spray bottle to more evenly distribute the water into the perlite..... What ever you do not get into the perlite from spraying, you can just pour the rest in....

6- Make thumb impressions in the moist perlite and bury the eggs about half way......

7- Make one little slit in the lid and place it ontop of the deli cup tightly......

8- Put the deli cup in the incubator.....

9- Open the delicup ever 3 to 4 days for about 5 seconds so there is a good oxygen exchange....

[Stockwell]

Like Gregg said, you don't need open water in the incubator. All that does is corrode the electrical parts and shorten the lifespan of the unit, not to mention making a mess and adding to the risk of shock.
Remember Hovabators are made for bird eggs, not reptile eggs, so you can ignore the instructions.
You want your humidity where your eggs are.. and that is inside your egg container. You're deli container, food saver or whatever you are using.
Putting in one or two very small holes is OK, but remember the more holes, the quicker the substrate will dry out.
Its fine to use no holes and just open it every now and then.
Personally I like vermiculite better than perlite, because you can mix it without a scale. Simply add water and squeeze a snowball.. If it drips its too wet, simply add more dry material until it clumps and holds its shape, makes your hands moist but doesn't drip...
I've also used Sphagnum moss the exact same way.