Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok I decided to try this method using a container w/lid, the white crate sections, and water to incubate the two clutches I recently got from two balls. They seem to be fine but they also seem to denting in more than I would expect. The box has two air holes that are covered for now and the lid is secure, helix temp probe is reading 87-88 and there is no mositure accumulating on the lid or sides of the box. I am running a PC fan inside the incubator (continuous).

What is the problem more so why are the eggs caving inward?

Thanks Russ

More information

The eggs on the left of the pic are approx 10 days old and the ones on the right are 1 day old.

Some lids don't fit real tight , that allows the air flow caused by your fan to slowly pull moisture out of the box. You should have some condensation on the sides if everything is set up properly. If the box has no beads of water inside it anywhere then you need to get a better seal on that lid as the fan may slowly be drying things out inside the box.

Anthony McCain

thanks Anthony. I switched them over to seal tight rubbermaid containers just now and hopefully will see some moisture collecting soon. I thought that was odd that there was no moisture building up. Hopefully I don't end up w/ more curly tails

The only problem I see now is I did bigger/deeper containers as the eggs touch the sides and top of the lid.

Thanks again,
Russ

Just watch for to much moisture building up on the lid and getting the eggs to wet by touching the wet lid. You may need a small 1/16" hole in one or two sides to help with that problem if you get to that point. Otherwise just checking the eggs every other day will air exchange it enough if you didn't put holes in the tub and by doing that you'll be able to tell if the eggs are picking up water droplets from the lid they are currently touching as well.

Anthony McCain

Don't always look for condensation. I rarely see that as it requires (in general) a temperature differential in order to condense. In a sealed incubator with an egg box (which I use), the temp in the box is the same outside the box. Therefore, I get no condensation even though I have 100% humidity.

I always say, "Let your eggs be your guide.". If they are not collapsing and appear full, there's enough humidity. Of course, towards the end of the incubation period, that's different.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

I use a substrate, I just don't put the eggs ON it.
Substrate, crate, eggs...that way there is still moisture to provide humidity...but you don't risk mold and the eggs getting TOO moist.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

thanks. I think the no substrate will work just fine so long as I get the humidity inside the container at the desired %. I'm also not convinced that mold is the result of eggs touching too wet of substrate. As I'm learning in my Developmental Biology course there are far to many things that can go wrong during embryo-genesis that have nothing to do with damp or wet substrate than I care to think about tonight

I agree-I use saturated perlite, the egg crate, then the eggs on top. I started out using the shoeboxes, but as said before, they don't close tight enough. Now I use 3 gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids-of course we have an entire room set up for incubation, not just a small incubator!
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

>>thanks. I think the no substrate will work just fine so long as I get the humidity inside the container at the desired %. I'm also not convinced that mold is the result of eggs touching too wet of substrate. As I'm learning in my Developmental Biology course there are far to many things that can go wrong during embryo-genesis that have nothing to do with damp or wet substrate than I care to think about tonight

To help kill off any free floating mold spore just add some methylene blue to the water.It's an anti-fungal treatment for fish eggs that can be found at most any aquarium supply.
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Charles Glaspie
http://www.myspace.com/coldthumb