New Wilbanks homeostatic incubators

[HypercolorChameleons]

Anyone else want one of theses awesome incubators? A lot better than the ones built in the past for heating and cooling. What are your thoughts?
https://www.wilbanksreptiles.com/pages/wilbanks-homeostatic-incubators

 

[ChameleonParadise]

Wow have been waiting for this for a long time.
And now with even more temperature extremes, good timing.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[JacksJill]

Have you used one all the way through hatching yet?

 

[IanGlo]

Holy smokes. The smallest one is a grand ($995). I've seen a lot of people successfully use plastic tubs and a closet or dresser drawer.

I'm thinking this might be what I do if I ever decide to incubate some eggos with technology:

• Find an old dorm fridge or cabinet cut small holes for ventilation
• Humidity switch $50
  https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Controller-Humidistat-Greenhouse-Dehumidifier/dp/B07XGQ7Q53/
• Humidifier $20 - $30
• Temperature Switch $40
  https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/
• Low wattage ceramic heating bulb placed in the bottom
• Top mount a fan

 

[HypercolorChameleons]

Have you used one all the way through hatching yet?

These just came out a few weeks ago. It will be a year or so before anyone can answer this.

 

[HypercolorChameleons]

Holy smokes. The smallest one is a grand ($995). I've seen a lot of people successfully use plastic tubs and a closet or dresser drawer.

I'm thinking this might be what I do if I ever decide to incubate some eggos with technology:

• Find an old dorm fridge or cabinet cut small holes for ventilation
• Humidity switch $50
  https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Controller-Humidistat-Greenhouse-Dehumidifier/dp/B07XGQ7Q53/
• Humidifier $20 - $30
• Temperature Switch $40
  https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/
• Low wattage ceramic heating bulb placed in the bottom
• Top mount a fan

Yes it’s up in price but you get what you pay for. I get that it’s not for everyone. Also there are people that don’t have that luxury of having the right temps year around. I would never put my eggs in the hands of all those Amazon products you mentioned .

 

[ChameleonParadise]

Correct me if i am wrong, but i haven't seen incubators that COOL. only heat
That is what is exciting.

 

[IanGlo]

Correct me if i am wrong, but i haven't seen incubators that COOL. only heat
That is what is exciting.

I hadn't considered the cooling part to drop below room temp. They do look pretty slick. It would be hard to match with the kit-bash list I was thinking of.

 

[Action Jackson]

The test will be reliably. If you are cooling and the ambient temps are high, can the incubator hold the internal set temperature. Dvm makes heating and cooling incubators from converted wine coolers and they have proved unreliable from what I have heard. I’ve been using heating and cooling incubators for 10 years now. The ones I use, although not perfect, can hold 55F when external temps are in the high 80’s F. They aren’t cheap ether and wear out after a few years but they are very reliable. If you are incubating near room temps it’s not as big of a problem imo. Nobody wants to gamble with $80,000 or more worth of eggs. Pro tip: Use a backup power supply too.

 

[HypercolorChameleons]

The test will be reliably. If you are cooling and the ambient temps are high, can the incubator hold the internal set temperature. Dvm makes heating and cooling incubators from converted wine coolers and they have proved unreliable from what I have heard. I’ve been using heating and cooling incubators for 10 years now. The ones I use, although not perfect, can hold 55F when external temps are in the high 80’s F. They aren’t cheap ether and wear out after a few years but they are very reliable. If you are incubating near room temps it’s not as big of a problem imo. Nobody wants to gamble with $80,000 or more worth of eggs. Pro tip: Use a backup power supply too.

Agree with having it placed in an area where the ambient temps are somewhat close to where you need your incubation temps at. But in this video right from the start they mentioned it will maintain your temps no matter what the room temperatures are.

 

[HypercolorChameleons]

These are not your generic DIY Incubator like DVM.

 

[timnealon]

I bought two of these when they first came out - not the largest one, but the next step down. Obviously, I haven’t had chameleon eggs in them through hatching - but I’ve had numerous Uroplatus clutches that I’ve hatched out successfully in them. The cooling feature really come in handy. And they do look great - but I’ve experienced a few issues with them.

The biggest is that the built in thermometer is not always correct. There have been times when I’ve had the temp set to, let’s say 72. The display will show that the temps are 72 - but all of the thermometers I place inside will read 68-69. Other times, the built in thermometer will show 72 and the temp will actually be 72. While the built in thermometer will show consistent temps, the actual temps do fluctuate. Go figure…

There is also no way to do a night drop, aside from manually adjusting the settings..unless I’m missing something, but I don’t think I am.

Not terribly applicable to Chams, but it seems to struggle heating. I decided to throw some Leo eggs in one, set to 88. The room temp was 74 - and the incubator had issues reaching and staying at 88. I know that room temps can impact incubator temps - but these things are essentially refrigerators. It shouldn’t be that much of an impact, especially when the ones I have from Nature’s Spirits can do so without issue.

The cooling function works much better. Occasionally, the room I have my incubators in will rise into the high 70’s/low 80’s. These units have never struggled to keep the internal temps in the high 60’s - for example.

I know not all of this applies to everyone - but I figured I would share my experience in using them.

 

[HypercolorChameleons]

I bought two of these when they first came out - not the largest one, but the next step down. Obviously, I haven’t had chameleon eggs in them through hatching - but I’ve had numerous Uroplatus clutches that I’ve hatched out successfully in them. The cooling feature really come in handy. And they do look great - but I’ve experienced a few issues with them.

The biggest is that the built in thermometer is not always correct. There have been times when I’ve had the temp set to, let’s say 72. The display will show that the temps are 72 - but all of the thermometers I place inside will read 68-69. Other times, the built in thermometer will show 72 and the temp will actually be 72. While the built in thermometer will show consistent temps, the actual temps do fluctuate. Go figure…

There is also no way to do a night drop, aside from manually adjusting the settings..unless I’m missing something, but I don’t think I am.

Not terribly applicable to Chams, but it seems to struggle heating. I decided to throw some Leo eggs in one, set to 88. The room temp was 74 - and the incubator had issues reaching and staying at 88. I know that room temps can impact incubator temps - but these things are essentially refrigerators. It shouldn’t be that much of an impact, especially when the ones I have from Nature’s Spirits can do so without issue.

The cooling function works much better. Occasionally, the room I have my incubators in will rise into the high 70’s/low 80’s. These units have never struggled to keep the internal temps in the high 60’s - for example.

I know not all of this applies to everyone - but I figured I would share my experience in using them.

Have you tried reaching out to the company? From what I have seen they stand behind their product. Perhaps they may of had a bad shipment or something. I’m sure they would like to know the issues you are experiencing.