Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female box wenonah laid her second clutch last night. She started at around 8 and didn't finish till some time around 2 am. The first clutch I never found and is in her enclosure somewhere. She laid five eggs, four are huge healthy eggs, the fifth is very tiny and odd shaped. I placed the eggs in my hovabator. My question is what is the best medium to use. I'm using vermiculite but I always struggle in trying to figure out the proper moisture level. Do you guys completely cover the eggs? I haven't had success with previous eggs and I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Also should I be concerned about one of the eggs being so small and kind of deformed?

There is no best medium.
However many have preferences. Some use natural substances like perlite, vermiculite and peat moss; some use damp paper towels and keep them moist. Some use potting soil. They all work but have pro and cons to each one.

Make sure whatever meduim you use has no chemicals added and is of a high grade. I lost an entire incubator full of eggs this year due to contaminated vermiculite. I changed asap and have a few hatching again. Another poster (Ken) informed me he had vermiculite that smelled of moth balls. Obviously he didn't use that! Some insist that perlite is the best way to go. I noticed that it too comes in various grades. Get the highest grade.

I like Black Gold Perlite. I mix my perlite with milled peat moss, and vermiculite. All three together seem to have great water cohesion, capillary action and resist drying out. I'm in a very dry area. In humid conditions I'd recommend Perlite.

Please see my post about four down from this one on mediums dated the 24th. It has a bit more info that you might find helpful.
Ric

Thanks, I'm using vermiculite right now and I mixed it with sand. I think in the past I have kept the eggs too moist. For whatever reason the few eggs I have tried to incubate all stopped developing after a month. I have a feeling I'm trying to give the eggs too good of care. I normally just leave them in the enclosure, but last year ants got them and I don't want that happening again.