Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We get asked quite a bit about this project...this about made me sick. Several started to go bad two or three days after they were laid...now they have all gone bad.

Was a Ghost male which we proved 100% het. for VPI Axanthic last year and a female which was a Ghost that was 66% Possible het. for VPI Axanthic.

We started this project in 2001 with misses on the eggs laid in 2003 and 2004. No eggs in 2005 from our Dbl. Het female. That Dbl. Het female and another Poss. Het are gravid so we still have a shot.

I swear this project is my Elenor (as in "Gone in 60 Seconds"...oh well...

That stinks! 7 bad eggs, they werent even slugs. Good luck with the other two females.

I am going to let you in on a little secret I learned from a buddy of mine who use to breed dart frogs. He would get eggs and for some reason frog eggs are really prone to getting mold and fungus. Well He used a fish anti fungal agent called methylue. He would use one drop per gallon of water and guess what.... no fungus. I realized that this could work with any eggs. It is not harmful and it kept fungus away. I had soem clutches go bad and then used this methyblu. I would put one drop per gallon of water and then used the water to mix with the vermiculite. I would lightly spray the eggs every week or sowith the "magic water" and I have never got fungus.... I even had a slug attached with some normal eggs and that one didnt even get fungus. Its a great preventative and can save a ton of $$$. I have used it on over 15 clutches now and i havenever had an egg mold on me. Hope that helps.

Joe

>a fish anti fungal agent called methylue

I wanted to know more about this stuff, so I did a google search for "methylue". It didn't hit any fish antifungals. Could this be "methylene blue"?

Paul Hollander

yeah all i got on a google return was some crazy chic looking for a master...rofl!

I assumed that's what he meant,methylene blue.I've used it before,...worked on the fish!
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Charles Glaspie

Tanstaafl:
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
An acronym created by my favorite author Robert A. Heinlein.

It's available at pet shops that sell fish. Years ago when I bred african cichlids I always kept this on hand.
I never thought about using it to moisten the vermiculite but it would work. It's been a couple of years but I did have a fungus problem with a batch of w. hognose eggs. The source was the vermiculite. A new batch solved the problem but I could have used the methylene blue.

Yeah it is methylene blue. I just use the brand methyblu. Its for fish but works with anything egg wise. Its works wonders and I neverhave to worry about moldy eggs. I even did an experiment on bad eggs with corn snakes. I used it on 22 slugs. I used an empty incubator and left the eggs theer for 5 weeks. Never got mold. It worked. If anything its a good preventative. Hope this helps guys.

Joe Ellis

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Charles Glaspie

Tanstaafl:
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
An acronym created by my favorite author Robert A. Heinlein.

That's a shame Cory. Hopefully your other two will come through for you, as I really want to see that True Ghost. Let me know what goes on with those other two females.

Good Luck on the other two females,
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Tim and Monica Bailey
Bailey & Bailey Reptiles

I recomend trying the no substrate method.

I built my own incubator following designs by Damon Salcies of albinochondro.com

This is my first clutch of ball python eggs ever and the first to be tested in the new incubator. So far it is working beautifuly. The eggs are at a steady consistant 89 degrees and the humidity seems to be working perfectly even though it only reads 87%. It still seems to be plenty. The only condensation collects outside the egg boxes under on the inside of the cooler. I wipe it down every few days. But there isnt an ounce of direct contact with water inside the boxes and the eggs look 100% taught without any bulging or mold from excessive moisture.

Just a thought. I know I sleep better with this setup.

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Without INTEGRITY and HONESTY what else have you!
Brendan Saffron

I finally started to candle eggs after having an important clutch where some of the eggs "went bad" early on. I used to think either they would hatch or they wouldn't and I didn't need to bother knowing but now I've discovered that some good looking eggs are either infertile or already dead at laying. At least when I candle them and already know they are 99% sure not good I don't feel bad when they start growing mold a week or two later. Maybe there wasn't anything that could have been done different for those as far as incubation. Now the cause and cure for bad eggs I don’t know but maybe that is where something could have been done.