Poll: PLEASE help settle this stupid debate i'm having over incubator fan vs. no fan

[JordanAng420]

So...i'm having this STUPID debate with someone. He says reptile eggs would do BETTER with an incubator that has a fan, because it would circulate the heat and therefore stablize the temperature wrong. I told HIM that they make incubators with fans for CHICKEN EGGS so that they don't dry out...I also told him that reptile eggs need to be in a closed container with a MOIST substrate. He insists that the eggs would be fine as long as they're in an airtight container. I told him he's wrong. He's a hothead, opinionated italian who won't take no for an answer.

SO PLEASE for the sake of (whats left of) my sanity, settle this stupid debate for me. Tell me weather you use a fan in your incubator, and exactly why or why not. I'm interested in real, in-depth kinda answers, because my brain just isn't having any more of this.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

I used still air incubators for both my bearded dragons and geckos.
The fan lowers the humidity to fast for my taste.
Im a hotheaded opininated Itailian as well....lol

 

[JordanAng420]

Really? That's interesting. I'm interested in all kinds of answers, so thank you for responding! How's your hatch rate been vs. eggs lost?

 

[KelliH]

My Nature's Spirit incubators all have fans in them. It keeps the temperature more constant throughout the incubators. I do not have issues with vermiculite drying out.

 

[JordanAng420]

Wow...that's really crazy. I woulda never thought. Now I feel kinda stupid.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

My honest opinion is there is no right or wrong way. Just whatever works...lol
My hatch rate with beardies is about 98% I dont know my hatch rate with Geckos yet, but I will let you know as it happens.

 

[KelliH]

My honest opinion is there is no right or wrong way. Just whatever works...lol
My hatch rate with beardies is about 98% I dont know my hatch rate with Geckos yet, but I will let you know as it happens.

Exactly... Maia you have nothing to feel stupid about. I used to have some of the Hovabators with fans and I always clipped the wires on them. Never used them. The NS incubators I have came with fans and they were designed to work with them, so I leave them in.

 

[Gregg M]

Depending on where the heating element is, fans will be benefitial in circulating the heat turning it more into an ambient heat rather than a radiant heat... There is a huge difference when it comes to incubating reptile eggs...

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I also have fans in my NS and think that they are needed for any incubator with some size to it. They help stabilize the temps and prevent heat variants throughout the incubator. I do not see how a fan would reduce the humidity since the eggs are in individual/grouped containers. If you are someone who puts vent holes in the containers then MAYBE it would affect it but I wouldn't imagine much difference. Its not like a room fan blasting away at the container but a small computer fan simply rotating/circulating the air. SO, in my opinion I think that anything bigger than a hova (vertically for sure) needs/should have a small fan to provide stable temps.

 

[JordanAng420]

I knew I could count on you all for the brutally honest truth. Thank you all.

But...well, that's just great. Now I actually have to apologise to the hotheaded italian, and worst of all, tell him he was right. Grrr. LOL.

 

[robin]

i think the size has a lot to do with whether or not you need a fan or not. in larger incubators a fan might be benificial but in a smaller incubator not so important.

 

[SFgeckos]

I agree with the other comments, the SIZE of the incubator and the placement of the heating element will determine if better air circulation (fan) is needed. I don't think either party was right or wrong, because like everything else in the animal world, there is no "always correct" answer. As we say in the biomedical field, animals don't read books and they don't know our rules =)
ps- other factors such as environmental temperature/humidity can greatly influence air circulation needs

Jon

 

[roger]

fan will dry out eggs.i use the hovobator with thermal heat,no fan

 

[Franks_Geckos]

I only use Hovabator style incubators (some home made) without fans on Helix DBS 1000 thermostats. I have never tried anything else because it works for me, but I used to always hear how the temps in the fan equipped Hovabators couldn't be kept low enough for Gecko eggs. Unless the egg containers are not airtight, they shouldn't lose humidity. I always had my eye on a Nature's Spirit incubator, but haven't gotten one yet. Something of that size should definitely have a fan to keep steady temps throughout the entire height of the incubator.

 

[fallen_angel]

Mine does not have a fan but I also use a Hovabator. I read (when buying my incubator) that the Hovabators with fans tend to get way too hot for leopard gecko eggs.

 

[spykerherps]

Fan for the same reasons as mentioned. they are not critical in small incubators but help alot in larger ones especially ones that are tall. I use natures spirit with fan and homemade small refrigerator incubator both with and with out fan. the one with out the fan tends to have a high and low temp from top to bottom.