Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I bought my crested geckos not too long ago, the female was "pregnant" at the time. Not sure if a fertilized egg or just an egg (told they will lay eggs even if not fertilzed if they've been around a male). Well, I've had her a couple weeks now and decided to go egg searching and found 1 in the pothos. I put a mark on it so I know which way is up. However, not sure what else to do.

I have a small critter keeper....would that work for the egg?

And what kind of substrate do I use? Would the same stuff I have in the adult home work with moss added or should I do something else?

Also, how can I tell if it's a fertilzed egg?

Should I put a "heat lamp" over or near the container or just let it be?

And is it unusual for just 1 egg? or would she lay in 2 different spots? I went through the whole terrarium last night and didn't find any others.

I tried to located my gecko book last night and misplaced it.

Congrats!!!

Welcome to the world of cresteds. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I could seeing as though I am not an expert.

1) one egg is not unusual but the regular is 2, so there still might be another in there.

2) If your female has not been in the same cage with a male then the egg is probably bad (bad meaning not fertilized)

3) Incubation medium can be different things. I preffer to use "perlite" or a mixer of co-co fiber and sand. But Im sure perlite would work best. Put some perlite (about an 1 inch deep) into a container and wet it. After you wet it squeez out 70% of the excess water and then put the egg half in and half out. Keep the container in an area where the temp would be around 73-79 F and in about 2 months you should have a baby crested.

4) Best way to find out if the egg is fertile, hold the egg above a flashlight and if you see red veins then its fetile, no veins most likely not fertile.

Hope this helps.

cresty

Thank you Cresty!!!

Do have one other question. I want to put the "incubator" in a safe place. I do have a House gecko terrarium, which stays a lot more humid and warmer (due to the heat lamp) and was thinking of putting the incubator in there. My son doesn't mess with that terrarium, as Geico (the name of the house gecko) bites, and my he is afraid of her. Or do you think she would try to get into the container? I can either use my small critter keeper or a glad ware container w/ some "pin holes" at the top. I have a curious 6 year old, a curious cat and the neighbor's kitten who like to watch the geckos and get into things in my house. Just thinking would be a safe & "warm" place. What do you think?

For incubating the egg, use a deli dish, one that is deep enough to get an inch or so of perlite (vermiculite can also be used) and about another inch above the egg and lid of the deli container. I would incubate the egg in a dark warm part of your home. On top a shelf works fine. THe temps do need to stay within 70-78F and can fluctuate within that range and still go full term.

If the egg is not fertile, it should go moldy and collapse in about a week. If it doesn't and actually starts to slowly grow in size, the egg is fertile. You can also use the 'candling' technique as well (using a flashlight to shine into the egg to check for veins).

I don't suggest keeping the egg in another tank. Unless your room temperature is quite cool, it should be fine. Also, putting it high on a shelf will expose it to warmer temps than normal lower in the room. Use a digital thermometer to test the temps of various locations in your home.

Once a week, open the deli container to let fresh air in (there should be a few small holes in the lid for air circulation) and check if the medium is still slightly damp to the touch. If the egg seems to be collapsing, add a bit more water around the egg (not on top).
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PHLdyPayne

I found the 2nd one! It was under the 1st egg and some dirt. They both seem to be a little soft though. Kind of spongy feeling.