On our last hatch, we used the styrofoam 'bator, which we had had good luck with previously. Unfortunately, due to incubator wierdness--mainly random temp spikes up to 106--we lost ALL the eggs (there were 32). Not one to give up, I got myself a couple of Reptipro 5000s, set them all up, and ordered more eggs from the same sources (I REALLY want these birds!). Well, the Reptipros have a known issue with temp variation and the temp on the screen not matching actual temps top to bottom in the 'bator, so I have 4 different thermometers at various heights inside the 'bator's (yeah, just a wee bit paranoid now). I had to set the temp at 103 to get the appropriate temps throughout the 'bator and I have been rotating the eggs shelf to shelf and back to front each time I hand turn them. Seemed to be working great and the temps have been staying consistent.
Sadly, my 9 year old didn't understand about the thermometers and saw the screen display reading 103 today while I was sleeping (I work nights). He freaked out, sure that we were killing the eggs, and turned the incubator down. When I got up and checked the eggs, the temps in the 'bator were way low. Like about 8-10 degrees lower than they should have been. Mercifully, the Reptipros come up to temp fairly quickly, but now I am all kinds of upset. I know that a low temp for a couple of hours (it was somewhere between 2-4 hours) probably won't kill them all, but I can't help feeling this horrid sense of dread that we are going to have a repeat of the last disasterous hatching. These eggs are only 3-5 days into incubation (staggered) and I am now dreading that first candling instead of looking forward to it. I know my son meant well, and I've explained it very thoroughly to him (after I finished freaking out). I don't usually get so worked up about things, but that last hatch was so awful for us, I just can't help feeling a little helpless and very worried. Not that it does any good to feel that way, of course, but there you have it.
Sadly, my 9 year old didn't understand about the thermometers and saw the screen display reading 103 today while I was sleeping (I work nights). He freaked out, sure that we were killing the eggs, and turned the incubator down. When I got up and checked the eggs, the temps in the 'bator were way low. Like about 8-10 degrees lower than they should have been. Mercifully, the Reptipros come up to temp fairly quickly, but now I am all kinds of upset. I know that a low temp for a couple of hours (it was somewhere between 2-4 hours) probably won't kill them all, but I can't help feeling this horrid sense of dread that we are going to have a repeat of the last disasterous hatching. These eggs are only 3-5 days into incubation (staggered) and I am now dreading that first candling instead of looking forward to it. I know my son meant well, and I've explained it very thoroughly to him (after I finished freaking out). I don't usually get so worked up about things, but that last hatch was so awful for us, I just can't help feeling a little helpless and very worried. Not that it does any good to feel that way, of course, but there you have it.
