Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One of my girls layed her first two eggs. I think I got them in time; they were quite stiff, but did have some calci-sand on them, which I tried to brush carefully off, but couldn't get it all off.

I set up a small tank with a heater on the bottom and a thermometer sticker on the side to monitor temp. I put the eggs in a small plastic bowl with about 2 inches of soil the pet store owner recommended, eggs placed in thumbprint indents in the soil. I covered the bowl with a lid with holes punched in it. I have been monitoring the temp and humidity several times a day, and keep it just so there is no major condensation on the lid. In the third day, I notice some mold growing on a side of the eggs, wiped it off carefully, removed the soil and placed the eggs on a slightly moistened towel in the same bowl. The following day I see there is still mold growing on the eggs in a small patch, and have brushed it off, but am worried.

Is there a way to stop it? I don't want to take the eggs out, though it may be too late. I have candled the eggs, but due to the sand still being stuck on the outside, it is hard to tell if I am seeing what I should be. It may already be too late, but any help or recommendations?

Thanks in advance...

The eggs may be infertile eggs. Infertile eggs will grow mold or dent no matter what you do because there is nothing growing inside. It could also be the soil your using. Try using vermicilite, which you can buy at many of the online stores on this website. The soil your using may be causing the mold. vermiculite his heat treated mica and won't cause mold on your eggs. It might also be that your humidity level is too high. To try to save the eggs if they are fertile you can sprinkle a little bit of Anti-Fungal powder on the mold and that might kill the mold. Lastly from personal experience don't use sand in your Leo's tank they can ingest it and become impacted even if it is Calci-Sand. I had one of my leos on Calci-Sand and he became impacted. The vet bill to save his life was 100 dollars and for a couple of weeks I had to feed him chicken baby food through an eye dropper. It was a big hassle but now he is healthy and happy again. I would recommend paper towels or lizard Carpet that you can but at Petco for a substrate instead. Below is a picture of my leo 1 week after I took him to the vet because he was impacted.

Good Luck with your eggs!

Agreed to all of the above. I would like to add that you may want to invest the money to get a incubator. Those tank set ups like that don't do all that well. They will work in a pinch, if something happens to an incubator but their temps fluctuate too much. You can find a hovabator for anywhere from $40-$65, on the internet. Just make sure you don't get the one with the turbo fan, it cost more and the fan from what I heard builds the heat up.
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Thank you so much for the info. Apparently they were infertile because this morning they were sunken in and more moldy. So I lost the first two eggs, but my second girl is going to be laying very soon. Now I have a better understanding of how to do it correctly. And I just might have had too much humidity in there. The first time is a little overwhelming trying to balance the heat and humidity, etc.

I will change from the calci-sand today. I have heard similar things from different people and wouldn't want the impaction thing to happen.

So, again, thanks so much for the good information!!

Another thought on substrate....

I use squares of linolium (I like the patterns that resemble sand). They are easy to clean, easy to absorb heat through and cheap