Building an incubator for turtle eggs.

Two versions I have built in the past

I will get some pictures on here to illustrate this option soon.

The first uses a chest cooler. I placed a few bricks in the bottom and then added water to just below the top of the bricks. I added an aquarium water heater and adjusted it until it kept the air at the desired temperature. I placed plastic shoeboxes holding vermiculite and eggs on the bricks. I drilled holes for air flow on the sides of the plastic boxes, this way condensation collecting on the cooler top didn't drip into the egg trays and saturate them.

The other version uses an old refrigerator. Heat can be provided by adding an incandescent bulb, heat tape, or a small aquarium heated by submersible aquarium heater. The first two require that you provide humidity with a water pan or misting.

I have used the middle option. I found an old upright freezer that was in good condition. Its Freon was depleted so I was able to lighten the unit up by removing the pump. The fact that is wasn't a fridge-freezer combo meant there was more shelf space for egg trays. I ran heat cable around the inside which is controlled by a thermostat. A separate thermometer was also run into the unit to verify operation. A pan of water with wicks adds humidity to the inside.