The Best Reptile Incubator Reviews And Buyer Guide

Caring for Reptile Eggs

Most snakes and lizards are “oviparous,” meaning they are born from eggs in the same way that chickens and other birds are. A few species of reptile actually give birth via live birth (like humans and other mammals), but this is rarer. These types of reptiles are called “viviparous.”

Basically, a reptile incubator is a machine that replicates the ideal conditions to hatch eggs for oviparous reptiles. Whether you want to hatch snakes, lizards, turtles, or tortoises, you have many options for commercial reptile incubators that can make it happen.

Things to Consider When Buying a Reptile Incubator

Here are just some of the things you will need to know when searching for your reptile incubator.

1. What Type of Reptile Are You Trying to Hatch?

First, you need to know as much about the species of lizard, snake, or turtle you want to incubate. Reptiles aren’t monolithic. They all have different requirements in terms of light, incubation period, and food that they need to grow and thrive.

It should go without saying that you don’t want to mix reptile eggs, especially when you are new to this process. Only focus on hatching one type of reptile at a time

2. How Long Does the Incubation Process Take?

As mentioned above, the more you know about your reptile species the better. Each species and subspecies will require a different amount of time for incubation. You need to know this ahead of time and plan accordingly.

3. How Hot Does the Reptile Incubator Need to Be?

Temperature is very, very important when it comes to incubating reptiles. A few degrees difference in temperature can create dramatically different results! In some cases, you can easily kill your baby reptile with too much or too little heat.

Changes in temperature can also change the sex of certain lizards while they are in the egg. For example, if you are incubating leopard geckos, then a lower temperature (between 80 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit) will generate mostly female lizards. A higher temperature of 86 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit will birth mostly males. But if you go even higher, from 92 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit, the ratio flips again. Only, this time, the females are aggressive and unable to breed. These female leopard geckos are called “hot females.”

4. What Humidity Levels Need to be Set in the Reptile Incubator?

Reptile eggs need moisture for the lizard and snake embryos to grow properly. The eggs are actually porous, which is how the reptile babies breath and get moisture while still in the egg. Too low a humidity setting will dry the egg and can actually take moisture away from the growing embryo.

If you have too much humidity in your reptile incubator, then you can have the growth of mold, bacteria, and fungus, which is not good for your reptile eggs. Even so, you will often need a humidity level of 75% to create the ideal conditions.

Finding the Right Reptile Incubator for Your Egg Hatching

Now that you have an idea of the conditions that will need to be in place to support your reptile eggs, you can more easily find the right incubator.

Some incubators, such as the Happybuy 23L Reptile Incubator ReptiPro 6000 Reptile Egg Incubator, provide the ability to both heat and cool eggs. This particular reptile incubator does not manage humidity levels for you. For that, you will need to purchase a hygrometer to measure humidity and then put water in the incubator to reach the desired level.

Dig Deeper When Doing Research

Finding solid information on some incubators can be a little challenging. Many listings for the Rcom Juragon RX Reptile Incubator come up with very little info. However, with some digging, you might find the Rcom Juragon MAX 60 Reptile Incubator, which has both temperature and humidity settings built in. While these advanced incubators are much more expensive, they can be worth it.

Since reptile breeding is very much a niche interest or hobby, you won’t easily find tons of users reviews on the various incubators, and the selection of reptile incubators on major online retail websites is slim. Your best bet in getting some information on the best incubators is to find a reptile club, either online or offline, and ask the members.

Buy a Reptile Incubator!

A reptile incubator can be an investment, but if you are into snakes and lizards, there is nothing like nurturing and growing some live eggs and watching them hatch.