Hovabators and Thermostats

[Mack Leo Boy]

I am planning on getting a Hovabator and thermostat when I breed my geckos. I have a couple questions though. When you buy a Hovabator the small kind without a fan what is its minumum and maximum temp? What is the best lowest cost thermostat to use with it? And when you buy a thermostat do you have to plug it into the Hovabator somehow and then type in a minimum and maximum temp. Sorry for the long read I'm a real newbie at leopard geckos. I would appreciate any help.:main_yes:

 

[gecko_man2]

I use the hova bator incubator and all I do is remove one of the red caps on top on set a digital thermometer probe almost to the screen and get my temp that way. I wonder also about thermostats. If you can use them on the hovabators I am gonna have to get a couple. Good luck.

 

[Gregg M]

When you buy a Hovabator the small kind without a fan what is its minumum and maximum temp?

With the waffer "thermostat" in a hova, there is no way to control min/max temps... It should be kept in an area with stable temps in order to keep the temps in the incubator as stable as you can...

What is the best lowest cost thermostat to use with it?

There is a good selection of thermostats on the market... Usually the less money they are the less reliable they are... It is never a good idea to skimp on incubation equipement or husbandry equipement period... If you can not afford $100 plus on a good thermostat, you will not be able to afford breeding leopard geckos...

And when you buy a thermostat do you have to plug it into the Hovabator somehow and then type in a minimum and maximum temp.

You plug the thermostat into the wall and then you plug the incubator into the thermostat... Then you put the thermostat probe into the incubator... You should totally disconnect the old waffer "thermostat"... You will set your min/max temps to what ever temp you plan on incubating... If its your first time breeding and using the incubator and thermostat, a good, safe start would be mid way in the incubation temp range (85*f)...

Sorry for the long read I'm a real newbie at leopard geckos. I would appreciate any help.:main_yes:

No problem... Its good you are asking questions like this before hand... Good luck...

 

[Mack Leo Boy]

Thanks a lot for the information. By chance do you know where to get or to order a conection cord to plug them both together. And what is a good thermostat to use with a Hovabator.

 

[Franks_Geckos]

Thanks a lot for the information. By chance do you know where to get or to order a conection cord to plug them both together. And what is a good thermostat to use with a Hovabator.

If you can spring for a little over a hundred bucks, I would recommend the Helix DBS-1000. It is really stable.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

You can control the temperature of an Hovabator using a thermostat, and I agree with Frank that you will need a proportional model like the Helix DBS-1000. When you set up your Hovabator, calibrate it to a few degrees over your desired temperature (85 degrees is the median temp.) Then plug it in to the Helix that is set at your desired temperature.

 

[Mack Leo Boy]

When I calibrate it to a few degrees over the desired temp do I have to use the wafer thermostat or can I do it without using it.

 

[Stitch]

You plug the thermostat into the wall and then you plug the incubator into the thermostat... Then you put the thermostat probe into the incubator... You should totally disconnect the old waffer "thermostat"... You will set your min/max temps to what ever temp you plan on incubating... If its your first time breeding and using the incubator and thermostat, a good, safe start would be mid way in the incubation temp range (85*f)...

^^^

 

[boutiquegecko]

Not sure if this will help. We got a hovabator last year and I had some trouble getting the temps to keep even. Eventually I got a styrofoam cooler, cut the top and made the hovabator top fit as the lid.
Then I plugged the incubator into the thermostat, wich is plugged into the wall. The thermostat has 2 extra plugs where if I wanted I could keep 2 incubators plugged into it. I have a digital thermometer taped at the top next to the thermostat reader and I have non digital thermostat on the bottom of the cooler. I also had to put in a bottle of water to help regulate the temps.
There is about a 1-2 degree difference between the top and the bottom, wich was fine for us since we were able to get both sexes last year by placing our egg containers either at the bottom or in the middle height of the cooler. Oh and take the wafer out, it's hard to control the temps with it in, at least that's what I've found and heard. I'll try for a pic if you want.

 

[Mack Leo Boy]

Hi thanks for the information and I would like to see a picture of how it came out. By the way what thermostat do you use.

 

[boutiquegecko]

Here's the pics. Not sure if you can tell, but I used duct tape as a seal all the way around and used the 2 cooler top ends to make the hovabator top fit, otherwise there would have been gaps. I think I'll switch to a second digital for the bottom as well soon. Now I didn't try the water bottle to help even out my temps with just the hovabator, at least I don't recall. But like Marcia said, if you can save up the money, I guess get the better incubator? There's a few breeders here who use it, but I'm not sure if they had temp trouble at first or not. Oh and I have the zoo med thermometer wich isn't the best-there is no numbet to set it on, it's more like a rheostat I think, but I got mine to work fine.