Posted by:
kinyonga
at Fri Jun 16 10:30:06 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kinyonga ]
I have hatched leo eggs for well over 12 years now doing it the way I described....and have had no problems with it. My containers do not dry out with two SMALL holes in the lid. There is always moisture on the sides of the container.
You said..."As for an incubator the heating pad would work but is not accurate"...the (small)temperature fluctuations have never affected the eggs hatching....and I have hatched many chameleons, several species of geckos, water dragons, coneheads, turtles, and more using this method. I have had close to 100% hatch rate and a very good survival rate using my method. I'm not saying that a hovabator won't work well too....but I haven't changed because what I do works for me.
As I said..."There are many ways that people incubate the eggs and have success at it....this is what I have done and I have had success with it for many years now"...I still stand by what I said.
As for the temperature...
http://coloherp.org/cb-news/archive/careshts/leopgeck.php
"Female leopard geckos lay two to five clutches of eggs per year. A typical clutch consists of one or two soft-shelled eggs. Seufer (1991) noted that females will protect their eggs for a few hours after oviposition by jumping at, and attempting to bite, predators.
Leopard gecko eggs can be placed in a container with vermiculite mixed one-to-one by weight) with water. Damp foam rubber or damp paper towels also work well as an incubation medium. The container should have a couple of 1/8" diameter holes drilled at opposite ends to allow for air exchange while retaining proper humidity. The egg placement should be such as to prevent rolling. Eggs should be viewed periodically to insure proper moisture levels are being maintained. J. J. Bull (1980) published findings of temperature-dependent sex determination in the leopard gecko.
Herpetoculturists have been incubating leopard gecko eggs to produce desired sexes for years. The rule of thumb among commercial breeders is that eggs incubated at 80°F (26°C) result in female hatchlings. Male hatchlings will be produced at 90°F (32°C), and at 85°F (29°C) a percentage of both sexes will be realized. Female hatchlings produced from high incubation temperatures, termed "hot females," will be unusually aggressive and unsuitable for breeding (de Vosjoli, 1990). Incubation time ranges from 39 to 62 days with hatchlings measuring 83 to 90 mm in total length, and weighing an average 3.6 grams (Seufer, 1991)."
http://www.gekkota.com/html/eublepharis_macularius.html
"At 90 degrees F, virtually all the babies are male; near 80, most of the babies will be female."
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reptiles/lizards_geckos/LeopardGecko.php
"For mostly females, incubate at 78° - 83° F. For a mix, incubate at 84° - 87° F, and for mostly males, incubate at 88° - 91 ° F". ...so at 80F the eggs would hatch with no problem.
Regarding fluctuating temperature...
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/499988
"fluctuating temperatures may enhance hatchling locomotor performance. This finding should not be surprising, given that the majority of natural reptile nests are relatively shallow and therefore experience daily fluctuations in incubation temperature."
If you didn't want to argue, then all you had to do is state what works for you and let the person make their own choice and not knock the method that I have used with success.
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RE: I don't know what to do! - kinyonga, Fri Jun 16 10:30:06 2006