Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was excited to get eggs this morning from my tangerine female. 6 and 1 slug. This is a new species for me and I'd sure love to get them hatched. Does this setup look ok? 6 unseparated eggs in a plastic deli-style container directly on hatchrite and at about 83 degrees? I sure appreciate the help ... and wish I could find that reptiles mag from a few months ago.

Adam

Temps may be a bit high. I would go down to 78-80. If eggs start denting, place a damp paper towel over the clutch till they fill out again.

I've got all my colubrids at 77. It may take longer but I'm not in a rush for more babies to feed.

Good luck with them.

Mike

Congratulations on your success......it's an addiction. Two things though on na constructive criticism note: yeah, lower the temps a few notches first of all. It may take a bit longer, but you'll find yourself having slightly larger babies. Secondly, I see dome indenting a couple of those eggs man. I haven't ever used Hatchrite, but rather a 1:2 ratio of vermiculite and water. Too little humidity is just as bad as too much. There are a number of ways to increase the humidity, and Mike has a good point, BUT I'd recommend using that technique towards the end of the incubation period. For now, maybe adding a deli cup with water will increase the humidity in the incubator will help. I typically use a sweater box (1/4 inch holes drilled around the sides) half-filled with damp vermiculite with the lid on for containing the eggs, then I place this egg box within a clear storage box half-filled with water. Within the water I place two bricks where the egg box rests just atop the water level. I then place the lid on the storage box (no holes btw) and under this storage box I place an 11-inch wide strip of Flexxwatt set at 85F. With this somewhat "old school" box-within-a-box arrangement I never have top worry about loss of humidity. This set-up is on the floor of a closet where the ambient temps are room temperature (72-74), and that's just the temperature where my eggs incubate at. Takes about 80-90 days, but it works very well. Best wishes...

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Jerry Kruse

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."

always a helpful forum! I brought temps down a little. I've got nothing but enjoyment from my pair of Hondurans so am looking forward to some hatchlings if I can do my part.

Thanks

I think Mike and Jerry are right on with temps.

One thing that I do and I know a few others do is put a paper towel over the eggs and keep it moist with a mister. This will help keep humidity high and will provide the eggs on top the moisture they need. Do this the entire time they incubate, not just when you see dents in the eggs. I have had very high hatch rates with this method.

Good luck!!

Dave

DNS Reptiles - Updated 6/7/09

hey congrats!wait till they hatch!!! i wrote that article in reptiles mag on breeding hondos in march of '09 about hondurans.
anyway i would back the temps down in your incubator i shoot for mid to high 70's,(but i dont use an incubator i just shelve mine) and i also completely bury my eggs in perlite for duration, i dig them out/expose tops around day 60. this prevents egg dehydration and provides thermal insulation for temps as well as good stable humidity. i go w/hygrometor in the box and shoot for 70-80%. humidity is the real key also imho keep them temps just under 80 never mist,drip or get water directly on the eggs watch the condensation.
best of luck, post pics of the hatch!,,,,,,,,,,thomas davis
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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???

my website www.barmollysplace.com

congratulations on being published! Milksnakes were featured in the breeder's notebook in the December issue(same month that I put mine down for brumation) with a story and photos by Bob Applegate. Then to have a story specializing in Hondurans as I was bringing them up in March felt pretty fortunate. In fact, the reason I can't find the issue was because I had it all over the place. I forgot what was said about incubation temps and actually thought 83 would be on the cool side ... so I'm glad I checked in.

Also, one question for Dave, do the damp paper towels actually make contact with the eggs ... as in placed right over them, or more like tented over the container? Much thanks!

Adams:

Congratulations and Welcome to the Hondo world! Nice eggs. Like others have said, bump your incubations temps downs to about 78-80 degrees and you'll be fine in about 65 to 72 days.

Rob