hey guys, I'm re-opening this thread because I want to build or buy a mechanical mom, bt too pricey, so what are cheaper ways to do it? and what it "Stacked Humidity Tubs" ?

Wynster wrote: Can someone maybe do the same thread for constructing a incubater.

"Mechanical Mom" is a name we coined for a specific kind of tarantula eggsac incubator in the second edition of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide (TKG2). Like a lot of other trademarks (official as well as unofficial) it has been taken over by the hobby to mean any sort of incubator. That's fine with us. We're not interested in the big bucks. We just want to help the hobby.

In 1984 and 1986 a fellow by the name of Allan W. McKee of Seattle, Washington, USA published three small booklets describing his experiences at keeping and breeding tarantulas. (See below.) The last of those three booklets included instructions and a blueprint describing the incubator that he had developed. It was originally based on the type of incubator used for hatching hens' eggs. A friend of ours, Mike Fostaty of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, acquired a copy of Al's instructions and plans, and with some suggestions from us built his own version. We subsequently acquired Mike's model and used it as the basis for our own streamlined versions pictured in TKG2 and TKG3.

(All photos uploaded with ImageShack.us . Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions.)

It worked very VERY well! When we liquidated our hobby in preparation for moving into the motorhome, we sold our two working incubators to enthusiasts in the Calgary, Alberta, Canada area.

(This is us currently camped in a mountain campground in Clinton, British Columbia, Canada.)

About a decade ago we wrote up the construction details as a small booklet and donated the rights to reproduce and sell it to the American Tarantula Society. It went out of print a number of years ago, and the ATS apparently has no intention of reprinting it. Virtually all Mechanical Mom/incubators you'll see can trace their origin through that string to Al's original model.

While Al's written contributions to the hobby are little known (the booklets were self-published, the press runs were very small, and the booklets are scarcer than tarantulas' teeth!), his legacy to the hobby is indeed huge!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

McKee, A. W. 1984a. Tarantula Observations, A Guide to Breeding. Vol. 1. Tarantula Ranch Press. Kenmore, Washington, USA.

─── 1984b. Tarantula Observations, A Guide to Breeding. Vol. II. Tarantula Ranch Press. Kenmore, Washington, USA.

─── 1986. Tarantula Observations, A Guide to Breeding. Vol. 3. Breeders Digest. Tarantula Ranch Press. Kenmore, Washington, USA.

I hope this helps clarify the matter. Best of luck.

T-rad wrote: hey guys, I'm re-opening this thread because I want to build or buy a mechanical mom, bt too pricey, so what are cheaper ways to do it? and what it "Stacked Humidity Tubs" ?

First, I wasn't bright enough to notice the date (whoever checks those dates anyway?) before posting my previous words of wisdom. Sorry.

Next, Ryan "Talkenlate04" Nefcy uses this sort of incubator. It's very simple, very cheap, and works like a charm. You just have to remember to swirl the eggs once or twice a day. But then that's what an alarm clock is for, no?

(Uploaded with ImageShack.us )

Ryan has also discussed his experiences and successes at length on several of these Internet forums. I suggest you perform a <Search> for talkenlate04 on the following:

www.arachnoboards.com/ab/search.php
www.arachnofreaks.com/forum/search_form.asp?FID=0
arachnophiles.myfreeforum.org/search.php?search_id=egosearch
atshq.org/boards/search.php?search_id=egosearch
www.thebts.co.uk/forums/search.php
www.tarantulaforums.com/search.php
www.tarantulaslair.com/main/search.php?search_id=egosearch

(And yes, Moderators, I'm well aware that it's bad form to push other forums. But if you want to find this guy's posts, this is what you gotta do! Sorry 'bout that.)

Stanley thnaks for all the information! Started reading a few threads i found when searching for talkenlate04, very interesting, I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot. Think I'll be using this cheap version of an incubator and will let you guys know how it works out

How often do moms bugger up their egg-sacks??

Hi guys .

Mechanical moms do work as I've had success all round with it. I've seen some " big breeders" with disappointing setups no wonder the sacks hey attacked by Isopods etc. mechanical moms main purpose it designed to eliminate all the negative aspects that can harm the sack!! The mother can eat the sack due to stress factors such as noise, too much movement etc and eat the sack, mold could encase the sack, moisture can saturate and destroy the sack and who says the temperature and humidity are gauged correctly according to the species natural habitat requirements?!!


Ray-Nature Conservator