Posted by:
powergeckos
at Wed Jan 7 21:50:44 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by powergeckos ]
A lot of times, 1st time females will kick out a few infertile eggs. Sometimes, you can tell - because they feel like a hot water bottle - spongy.
A good egg will be white and fairly firm, when it's dry. The difference is remarkable, once you have some experience.
Incubating eggs is more of an art than a science. The basics are
1) a good incubating medium. I use perilite - but you can also use vermiculite or other things.
2) Moisture. When you incubate in vermiculite, I mist it until it just clumps together. With perilite - I usually add the weight of the medium with water.
3) Make indentation in the medium - and don't mess with them. Candling is for weenies, in my opnion. Leave them alone and you'll be better off.
4) I incubate in deli cups with the lid on - but some holes in it. There are variations on this - but deli cups used for shipping leos work well for me. I put a little indentation with my thumb and put them in there. I mark the top of the egg with a sharpie marker - so if it rolls over I know where the top of the egg is.
5) Incubate at 82 degrees.
6) Resist the urge to check them every day. Hands off.
7) If you need to add some moisture, put your sprayer on narrow stream, and shoot the inside edge of the deli - don't spray the eggs.
8) Say a little prayer every day for your eggs (sorry, but I like that part!!!)
Have fun - you will get the hang of it. My first year was the same - just simplify your incubation techniques and resist the urge to mess with them. Soon enough you will have a tiny, crabby, screaming leo baby that - when you reach in there to pick him up - will lunge and you - and make you jump like a little school girl.
Oh, what fun . . .
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
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- NEED ABIT OF HELP - leopard_gecko, Wed Jan 7 20:39:49 2004
 RE: NEED ABIT OF HELP - powergeckos, Wed Jan 7 21:50:44 2004
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