Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Our current clutch has mainly clear eggs (not like glass where you can see through them). The best way I can describe the color is like a normal sheet of paper that is soaked in water. There are a couple of normal white eggs. They are about 45 days old and seem to be doing well... nice shape, no bad smell, and no mold. Is there a problem, if so what can I do?

Hello,

Take a look at my post from a few days ago and tell me if that is what it look’s like:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=105819,105819

The major consensus is a lack of calcium when the female was gravid, but my other female’s eggs came out just fine and they are both on the same diet. People have also told me that they have had eggs that looked like that, but hatched just fine.

Keep watching here and I will take some more pictures of the eggs in a few days. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help...

The clear eggs feel just fine to me and there is no smell at all from them. I am going to let them go full term and will post picture of how they turn out...

The clear spots on your eggs are worse than mine but mine are completely clear.

Calcium the only possibility or could they be too wet?

I will try to post pictures tomorrow

Thanks for the help and information

WHen I firts was repsonding, I also thought about them being to wet, but it would depend on what they look like, whether it is thin looking of maybe just too much moisture.

Please post the pics, low calcium is real ovious in the appearance of them

I am not sure if it is the moisture or not. I use a Hovabater and filled the bottom with boiled water. I also have them in the exact same place/container as others and they do not show the same problem. The clear eggs that I got where from a first breeding of my female that has never produced any eggs. I will get a better view of things when she has her second clutch.

As for the calcium deficiency, I am not sure if that is the problem cause the eggs looked just fine when they came out. But, out of 35 eggs, I only got about 11-12 that are still viable. The rest where duds, some obvious, some not.

keep them moist but not too much water around them. The mother was low on calcium when she her body make the shells... was this a 2nd or later clutch?.

Normally the eggs do well in sunk about 1/2 way down in the substrate your using and you keep it moist, these do not have that much protect barrier and the water will thin them more so watch it closely and try to keep to a minimum as the embryo's can drown

I had a hypo female lay 4 clutches and each clutch had at least two eggs like the ones pictured in GoldenDragons pic but no more than 4. Never the entire clutch! The eggs that seemed "clear" from my clutches hatched out just fine and I had a 100% hatch and thrive rate from all clutches but one where I lost one dragon trying to force feed after she wouldn't eat for 1 week. I feed my dragons at least one pinky a week and when my females are gravid I give up to 3 per week and dust evry day on my crickets. After a clutch is laid I give 2 pinkys a day for 4 or 5 days then skip a couple days and give her 1 a day for 2 or 3 days. I really don't see how it could have been calcium deficiency, at least in my experience. Now an entire clutch? I'm not sure about that. How do you supplement your dragons? Do you feed pinkies? Do you dust your crickets at least once a day? We need a resident bioligist!! LOL

Robert

Clear eggs are not a calcium issue, but usually more relate to increased moisture intake within the first few days. Dragon eggs seem to take in a bit more moisture, quite rapidly, than other oviviporus species.

This type of clearness is similar in appearance to the "window of life" that is experienced in various eggs of other species (ie. pythons).

Leave them to incubate as normal and watch adding water to your medium. If necessary, lightly mist the top of the incubation container whenever appropriate.

As they start to hatch, you will be able to see them move around and watch their pattern through the egg. You should have no problems.

Good Luck!
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Galen Clark
www.captivescience.com