8
ENGLISH
FRANÇAIS
DEUTSCH
ESP
AÑOL
IT
ALIANO
NEDERLANDS
in the room where the unit is placed. Please note that there is also
a temperature variation between the top and the bottom of the
unit, with the digital readout reflecting the uppermost temperature.
Monitor this temperature over a period of 24 hours with a separate
thermometer (optional) to ensure the unit is set and working
properly. It is also recommended to check the temperature at each
location of the incubating eggs. When using boxes or deli cups with
a lid (and a few pin-holes for ventilation), the breeding substrate
in it will not vary more than 0.2°C, ensuring a constant incubation
temperature. Always have the unit operating for at least 24 hours to
monitor temperatures before placing the eggs inside the incubator.
Regular temperature checks are required with a separate calibrated
thermometer as
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY
claims for loss of eggs or
animals due to the malfunctioning of the unit.
PREPARATION of the EXO TERRA INCUBATION BOX using the
SUSPENDED INCUBATION METHOD (sold separately)
1. Open the Incubation Box and remove the egg tray.
2. Fill the box with 1 cm of substrate of your choice (vermiculite,
perlite or water-gel) and add 100 mL of water. Since the eggs
do not come in direct contact with the substrate, the substrate
can be saturated with water at no risk to the eggs. You can also
choose not to use substrate at all and just fill the box with 1
cm of water. We do not recommend this method because when
handling the incubation box, the free-standing water might
splash-up and damage or over-moisten the eggs, resulting in
the loss of eggs.
3. Place the egg tray back in the box and check if there’s still
sufficient space (minimum 4 mm or 1/6”) between the substrate
and the egg tray to allow optimal air circulation around the egg.
This will allow the egg maximum gas exchange, absorb oxygen
and moisture to maintain optimal levels for healthy development.
4. Remove the eggs from the egg laying site without changing their
original position.
5. Gently place the eggs in the egg cavities and close the
Incubation Box with the lid.
6. Place the box in the Precision Incubator PRO, set to the correct
temperature.
7. The lid comes with 1 pre-drilled pin hole for ventilation. The
combination of the pin hole, together with the weekly opening of
the lid while checking on the eggs, provides adequate ventilation.
In case you prefer not to open the lid on a weekly basis, or you
need to incubate very sensitive eggs that need extra ventilation,
you can add 1-2 extra pin holes.
8. If you notice that most of the water has evaporated (Incubation
Box becoming significantly lighter), you can easily add water by
removing the egg tray and adding some water to the substrate.
If you prefer not to remove the egg tray, you can use a pipette
or syringe to top up the water via the thermometer space in the
middle of the Incubation Box. Make sure that no water is spilled
over the eggs!
9. Once all eggs have hatched, the Incubation Box can be cleaned,
disinfected and stacked for storage until the next breeding
season.
PREPARATION of the incubation container using the
CONVENTIONAL SUBSTRATE METHOD
1. Choose an appropriate egg incubating container. Various
container types can be used, ranging from deli cups to all sorts
of plastic containers, depending on the clutch size and number
of the eggs.
2. Make sure the egg incubating container has 2 or more small
ventilation holes (1-2mm or pencil tip size).
3. Choose your preferred incubation media: for instance vermiculite
or perlite. Both incubation medias are handled in a similar way,
only the moisture/media ratio is different:
A. Vermiculite has a 1/1 moisture to incubation media ratio based
on weight (not volume).
B. Perlite has a 0,8/1 moisture to incubation media ratio based
on weight (not volume).
4. Place your empty egg-incubating container on a digital kitchen/
food scale to accurately measure the amount of water that needs
to be added to the incubation media. Push the “tare” button, so
the scale will reset to “0”, so you will only measure the weight of
the media that will be added.
5. Fill the container with incubation media up to 1/2 or 2/3 of the
height of the container while leaving the container on the scale.
Record the initial weight and add the same weight of water
as described above: 1/1 for vermiculite, 0,8/1 for perlite. For
instance: if the scale shows 100gr (3.5oz.) simply add 100gr /
3.5oz (or 100ml / 3,4 fl oz) of water in case of vermiculite, or
80gr / 2.8oz. (or 80ml / 2.7 fl oz.) of water in case of perlite.
Use
only bottled water or tap water treated with Aquatize (PT1979)
to remove heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramines
6. Shake the egg incubating container, to evenly distribute the
water.
7. Open the container, spread the incubation media evenly, then
push some indentations in the incubation media with your thumb
so that the eggs will fit in it horizontally, covering 50% of the
egg. This will prevent the eggs from rolling around and at the
same time, the contact with the moistened incubation medium
will allow the egg to absorb moisture when needed. The upper
50% part of the egg should not be covered and will assure
that the egg can “breathe”. In case the eggs stick together in a
clutch, make a cavity that will secure the complete clutch, with
the upper half (50%) reaching out of the incubation media.
8. Close the lid of the container and make sure there is ample
space between the eggs and the lid.
9. 9. Weigh the egg-incubation container once again, this time
including the moistened incubation media, eggs and lid. Record
the total weight on the lid, along with the date the eggs are laid
and the name of the species.
10. Place the egg-incubation container in the Incubator.
11. Check the weight of the egg-incubation container on regular
intervals (weekly) and add moisture if necessary (to match the
weight marked on the lid). If adding water, use bottled water
or tap water treated with Aquatize (PT1979), and make sure
that no water is spilled over the eggs! Spread the water evenly
along the sides of the container and in-between the eggs (not
on the eggs!).
INCUBATION GUIDE for POPULAR SPECIES (see page 65)
IMPORTANT:
The Incubation Guide for Popular Species lists the
AVERAGE incubation temperatures, and is intended as a guide ONLY.
For more specific information, or for information on species not
mentioned in the Incubation Guide, please thoroughly research in
specialised literature on the incubation temperatures of reptile eggs.
