Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have my eggs set in a hovabater I just got and noticed the eggs are starting to dent a little and I know it's too early for that and was wondering if I should put a cover on the little tub I have the eggs in inside to keep the moisture in because it seems like it's drying out a bit in there.

Thanks
Josh

Yes thay need to bee in a closed contaner with one small hole and you should have your timp. and hum. probes in the same and only open once a week to exchange the air . Thanks David of DS Reptile Rescue

You can use the top of the Hovabator with the bottom of a shipping box to create more space. I used this set up for many years, only filling the bottom of the styro with 2-3" of vermiculite or perlite. No need for extra containers. Just drop the eggs in. One year I used a jumbo shipping box and threw 60 burm eggs in. Always 100% hatch. Many ways to do it and there's never any wrong way.

Brandon Osborne

I guess it depends on what medium you use , I use hatch-right and you have to use a covered container .Thanks David

I heard Hatchrite is nothing more that vermiculite and perlite mixed together. Is this true? If so, you don't need to cover if using the entire Hovabator. Just keep an extra bottle of water inside the incubator and spray the edges if it dries out any. IMHO, the only time you really need a seperate container is if you are incubating in a "dry" chamber. Even then it's sometimes nice to have an open container of water. Many ways of doing it and none are wrong. Good luck with the season.

Brandon Osborne

Yes, the container needs a lid, i use sealed air tight containers.
YOu need to make sure the medium is moist enough and seal that baby up!

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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

I didn't put a lid on my eggs since they were too big for the lid to fit on. Instead, I poured water in the grooves along the bottom plastic sheet and around the outer edge of my incubation medium - I never actually got the medium right next to the eggs wet, just added more water along the edges. However, my eggs were pretty dented to begin with since it took me about a week after they were laid to actually get the incubator.

If you can fit a lid on there though, that's probably your best bet.

Good luck!

~jenny
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"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

Wet some paper towels in warm water, wring it, and cover your eggs. Repeat in 2-3 days till the eggs bounce back.

Next time you're walking around some meat markets, look for some really large styrofoam boxes and use as an incubator. The hovabator cover works very well when hooked up to a good thermostat. Just cut a hole in the top cover, leaving a half inch lip all around for the hovabator to sit on. Been using mine for years this way.

mike

I have never had ball eggs, but I have noticed that when my colubrid eggs clump together, they tend to pull on each other causing small dents. This might be the case too. The eggs will tend to expand I dont know if the snake growing, or the egg absorbing the moisture