Best incubator? Reptipro 6000?

[NorCalAl]

I find myself in immediate need of an incubator and I need one that can maintain temps regardless of ambient conditions. Within reason - I'm not sticking it in the snow and expecting it to maintain 84 nor will I shove it in the desert and expect the same thing.

But I do need it to even out the changes in my house - which can range from the low 40's at night in winter to near 90 or better in summer. The Reptipro 6000 looks like it would work, but like many things, there's a lot of reviews (on chicken breeding sites, no less) of it failing miserably or working wonderfully.

Right now, a DIY model is NOT going to work. I need to depend on the thing working and I don't want to experiment with the eggs in it. I can build one later on but I'm hoping here for recommendations. Quickly. Anyone use the Reptipro? Any feedback??

TIA!!!

 

[laurarfl]

I've seen good reptile reviews of reptipro6000. Are they available now? They are frequently backordered.

 

[NorCalAl]

They show available on their site. I will call today.

 

[NorCalAl]

Ordered and here in five days. Free FedEx ground shipping, too. They come in stock again tomorrow.

 

[laurarfl]

Very cool. I was looking at them a while back but they were out of stock for weeks.

 

[naturboy87]

Thats the one that i have Roxys eggs in right now and that i had Purls eggs in got it for a 100 bucks used ... But its to small to fit a hole cluch of tegu eggs it only holds about 24 eggs two tubs of 12 each with vermiculight, purlight 50/50 3 to 5 inches deep ... but to works weel besides u have to open it every day and cleen the condisation off he glass and let the air exchange other wise u start to get mold on the eggs rapidly with out fresh air every day . i know becus im dealing with this right now ... but its ok i gess to small realy thow ...

 

[Bjarki]

We bought a ReptiPro 6000 and set it up with ball python eggs about a month ago. We had no problems up until now, but this morning we came in to check the eggs and the temperature had skyrocketed from 90 degrees to 150 degrees sometime between 4am and 10am this morning. The eggs were shriveled up and measured 120 degrees when check with an IR thermometer. The hygrometer we placed inside with the eggs got fried as well. Up until today, temperature and humidity were fine. According to the person I talked to when I called ReptiPro, condensation can form between the glass in the door and thereby reach the electronics and short out the system. The incubator is supposed to be insulated to prevent this from happening, but ours apparently wasn’t and we lost about $3000 in eggs. ReptiPro offered to replace the unit and include a hygrometer at no charge.

 

[ReptiPro]

We are happy to assist any customers with any issues if they call us at 1-800-259-9755.

The individual above named Bjarki ordered their unit well over a year ago and now expects a refund after a full year of use and who knows what. For some reason that vital bit of information was not mentioned in their post nor was the fact that they have told us that the value of the eggs was $2000. Also our representative never stated that moisture can form between the glass in the door and reach the electronics. This is simply not possible as the door contains no electronic parts. There can however be condensation that forms on the door which happens because of the temperature difference from inside to outside. This is a natural occurrence and can not be prevented without removing all the moisture from the air. They also stated to us that they did not have a hygrometer when we tried to do some troubleshooting with them but then again stated they did have one in the message above.

Also please take note that this person has only posted 1 message and joined all of these forums just today (as of this message)

If anyone has any questions, concerns, or comments for us as a company please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-259-9755. We would love to hear from you and constructive criticism is always welcomed. It is our goal to not only offer high quality reptile supplies and incubators but to also offer the best support we can.

Thanks,
Chris
Owner/President

 

[laurarfl]

Thank you for posting, ReptiPro. I just placed my order this week and look forward to posting a review of my own.

 

[dragonkeeperblue]

Ive bought two and frankly am not impressed at all. They do not hold a temp worth beans, the digital read out is never the same as the temp inside. I called the company and they told me to put more water in it. I have to keep the room its in at a steady temp above 78 or no luck. The closest either one holds is 4 degrees good enough for beardies but not much else. I think I'm just going to build one. They cost what 170? Not worth it! I'm just one guy though.

---

Wow just priced these things on ebay 600 and up that's just crazy. I bought mine less than a year ago new for 170 unless the unit has changed in the last year which I doubt. At that price I would never ever recommend this incubator. Its not worth the money I paid.

 

[ReptiPro]

The incubator readout is an air temperature readout from inside the unit. Yes, the air temperature inside the unit does fluctuate about 4 degrees. This however does not cause eggs that are inside a nest box or larger eggs such as chicken that do not require nest boxes to fluctuate at the same rate.

These items have thermal mass much greater than that of the air inside of the unit therefore they hold the mean temperature of the unit interior. This is the average temp.

Say that you need your eggs to be 88 degrees F. You would set the unit at 88 degrees and place your water container inside. This container can have a large surface area for high humidity needs or a small surface area for lower humidity needs. Also the humidity can be raised or lowered by moving the water container directly into or out of the path of the fans. Some testing is needed here to get things just right but typically a small coffee mug works well to maintain 60-70% humidity.

After about 2 hours you can check the temperature of that water. If the water temp is 87 degrees F then you would know to dial the temp up on the unit 1 degree. Similarly if the water temperature was 89 degrees F then you would dial the temperature down one degree.

Now you can leave the unit for another hour and test your water temperature. It should now be right at 88 degrees. If you continue to test water temperatures at any time interval thereafter you will see that the temperature is 88 degrees F. This is because the water has a similar thermal mass to your eggs (which are mostly water after all!).

The digital readout from the air temperature inside the unit updates it's readout fast so you are seeing those fluctuations in real time. You will notice that the temperature when set at 88 degrees may fluctuate from roughly 86 degrees up to 90 degrees F. The water temperature is not fluctuating at this rate and is staying somewhere in the middle (the average or mean temperature).

We urge everyone incubating in any incubator to always use the water test method instead of the digital readout when accurately calibrating your temperatures. Digital readouts are not reliable but in the most expensive units and should never be trusted. That is not to say that some are not accurate. There is just not enough consistency in their accuracy for trust to be placed in them.

When doing any temperature testing, multiple thermometers should be calibrated and used to check each time.

Here is a video that explains the calibration process. [video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpJULQICiGM[/video]

If you still have any issues or have any further questions feel free to call us anytime at 1-800-259-9755.

Your feedback and support is important to us and will help us to be better and better everyday. We care about not only our customers but also the creatures that we help provide husbandry for.

Thanks,
Chris

---

By the way, the price increase was due to us being out of stock, and due to ebay's listing policies, we decided that we would rather raise the price and keep our watchers (people who are interested in the product), rather than remove the listing. It was really with customer service in mind(and don't worry, we haven't charged anyone more than our standard rate!) They will be back in stock this week, and you will see the ebay price listing drop dramatically (back to the standard pricing of 169.95 + Free Shipping for the 6000 model with no turners).
Also, the only official listings for ReptiPro's on ebay are sold by ReptiPro.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[dragonkeeperblue]

I'm just sayin you came out a little strong with the first guy who didn't like your product which he said he bought used. For some reason you mention he wanted a refund? From who? Do you sell used units? Also your unit skyrockets in temp from time to time as much as 10 degrees. I understand using water but even that doesn't work. The units regularly increase and decrease internal temps by 4 degrees or more which you admit. However when buying you advertise a 1 degree variant. No way. I'm just saying you can do better. A 99 dollar incubator works just as well. Also why doesn't amazon even carry your product anymore. This is a great website where people can come see conversations like this one and deside for themselves, once again I'm just one guy. Maybe if you post some reviews of this product good and bad it will make it easier for you to make your point.

 

[laurarfl]

I just bought mine and paid less than $170. I'm rather obsessive and have multi thermometers and check constantly. Not saying that we all don't do the same. But I set up and add a digital thermometer to the inside of the incubator as well as the medium with the eggs. The temp in the egg box is what I concentrate on.

 

[ReptiPro]

I'm just sayin you came out a little strong with the first guy who didn't like your product which he said he bought used. For some reason you mention he wanted a refund? From who? Do you sell used units? Also your unit skyrockets in temp from time to time as much as 10 degrees. I understand using water but even that doesn't work. The units regularly increase and decrease internal temps by 4 degrees or more which you admit. However when buying you advertise a 1 degree variant. No way. I'm just saying you can do better. A 99 dollar incubator works just as well. Also why doesn't amazon even carry your product anymore. This is a great website where people can come see conversations like this one and deside for themselves, once again I'm just one guy. Maybe if you post some reviews of this product good and bad it will make it easier for you to make your point.

I guess that guy removed his post but he stated he bought it new. Not sure where his post went.

Our products are not listed on amazon currently because they are out of stock. Ebay does not have an out of stock status.

From the units we test the 1 degree variant is true with the water test method which is the scientifically correct method if the substance in questions cannot be directly tested as they have a similar thermal mass.

Either way a couple degrees variance will not effect but the most fragile of species but has been proven in avian species (which are reptiles) to increase embryonic and hatchling vigor.

 

[dragonkeeperblue]

I just bought mine and paid less than $170. I'm rather obsessive and have multi thermometers and check constantly. Not saying that we all don't do the same. But I set up and add a digital thermometer to the inside of the incubator as well as the medium with the eggs. The temp in the egg box is what I concentrate on.

Ya I guess everyone does. I'm pritty anal about my eggs check on them at least 3 times a day. I keep both a digital and a hand held that tells humidity. Everyone should. Guess the bottom line is be ready when the eggs come lol.

 

[Bjarki]

I'm not sure where my original post went either, but I didn't delete it. Luckily, I saved a copy of it. My original post follows:

"We bought a ReptiPro 6000 digital incubator and set it up with ball python eggs about a month ago. We had no problems up until now, but this morning we came in to check the eggs and the temperature had skyrocketed from 90 degrees to 150 degrees sometime between 4am and 10am this morning. The eggs were shriveled up and measured 120 degrees when check with an IR thermometer. The hygrometer we placed inside with the eggs got fried as well. Up until today, temperature and humidity were fine. According to the person I talked to when I called ReptiPro, condensation can form between the glass in the door and thereby reach the electronics and short out the system. The incubator is supposed to be insulated to prevent this from happening, but ours apparently wasn’t and we lost about $3000 in eggs. ReptiPro offered to replace the unit and include a hygrometer at no charge."

Clarifications: The date of our original order was Feb 25, 2012. When it arrived, we turned it on and let it run for two weeks just to make sure it worked, but since we didn't have any clutches laid last year it was put back into the original packaging until January this year.

The order wasn't "over a year ago", there was no "full year of use and who knows what".

The estimated price of our lost eggs is irrelevant. We were not asking for damages, just a refund of the cost of a defective piece of equipment.

My answer to the original poster's request for reviews of this product are factual, as is my account of my phone call with ReptiPro. Our eggs are gone and they aren't coming back whether or not we get anything refunded from ReptiPro. My only interest in making these posts is to prevent this from happening to someone else and their animals.

 

[laurarfl]

One of the moderators selected the post to be reviewed upon request by one of our members. It isn't deleted, just hidden. However, I'm off the mind to let the posts remain visible and let each party air their side in a respectful manner.

 

[Bjarki]

One of the moderators selected the post to be reviewed upon request by one of our members. It isn't deleted, just hidden.

That's very interesting. Forgive me if it is against forum rules to mention this, but after I read that I went to some of the other forums where I posted reviews yesterday to see if something similar had happened, I found that my reviews had been removed from most of them. In one case, I received a reprimand from a moderator about "bringing drama" to the board concerning my review. I can only assume someone cried foul there just like here.

When we last talked to ReptiPro on the phone yesterday, they told us they would call us back today about returning the ReptiPro 6000. The call never came, but on all the forums where I posted this review yesterday, especially the ones that had hidden or removed my post, there is a new post by ReptiPro time stamped from today saying how helpful their customer service was and to call them with problems.

Post a review online about it though, and you will be ignored, silenced and marginalized. They will be far too busy doing damage control to talk to you.

I have nothing to gain by contorting the truth, which is my ReptiPro 6000 during normal use exceeded its set temperature by 60 degrees killing everything inside. I don't want that to happen to anyone else. Use at your own risk.

 

[TeguBlake]

I have a friend that breeds Bps and he has 6 of them. and he said that they get warm quickly and it fogs alot. so you have to watch carefully.. maybe its just poor ventalation?

 

[laurarfl]

I understand, Bjarki, and it is controversial. All we can do is hear both sides of the story and make our own decisions. I'm glad you re-posted and I'm also glad ReptiPro had a chance to respond. I like to gather a lot of information. I also think it is important for negative reviews to get out as well as positive. I'm sorry for what happened to your eggs. Perhaps it a chance for ReptiPro to improve something on their end if needed, or a chance for users to improve use on their end if needed. Hopefully your loss will not go in vain and something positive will come out of it somewhere out there in the universe.