Just wanted to keep you posted.  Ever since i got the modified lid from you guys i have had 100% hatch rate over 30 leos!  Love your product and thanks for working through all the trial and error of figuring out the modfied lid.

The problem is not the SIM. The problem is the Hovabator being the common denominator for collapsing eggs. Hovabators were designed with bird eggs in mind, not reptiles. Although the Hovabator does work for reptile eggs half buried in substrate, eggs in SIM set ups are not building the humidity high enough because of the top heating element. If you are using a mod fridge type incubator or custom that is heated from below, collapse should not be an issue. 

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=57079

Hi Alan,

we are using most spaghnum moos and it works just well. We also had problems at the beginning, but once you figured it out, it is just an awesome product to work with. Here is a link to a discussion about this topic:

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=57079

Max

MXWreptile

Would it be possible to answer the post below?  I have heard of several people using the SIM and not getting to work well with Leopard Geckos and the eggs drying out!!

I have also heard of other people on forums having success with the SIM.

Could you actually recommend a substrate / water ratio for leos.  

Also, David seems to think that the egg will collapse underneath, is this possible, is it possible that the leopard geckos eggs will not get enough humidity, if incubated at the lower temp?

Would it be possible to collect the data from people that have incubated leos and post the substrate medium they used and water to substrate ratios.

Thanks

Is it possible, if you incubate at female temperatures, that the water will not condensate as much as if you incubate at male temperatures? I never get over 75% of humidity at female temperature. And trust me, I tried many different substrates and ratios.  And if you incubate leopardgecko eggs without substrate you need a humidity of 90% - 100%. So the SIM is useless for leopardgeckos. Because the eggs get shrunken on the bottom, due to low humidity.

Hi Matt,

I have used 50 / 50 mix of perlite and water for my dwarf monitors. Others had a higher percentage of water and had success. My suggestion is to add less water and see what kind of condensation build up you get. If you are getting heavy drippy condensation on the lid, you have too much water. What I like is a fine mist on the side walls, with minimal to no mist build up on the lid. The goal is to have the grid and rod surfaces to stay dry. The eggs should also remain dry. 

What is the recommended water to perlite ratio for the S.I.M?