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I think this is good info for novice BP breeders (like me).

Fertile 6 egg clutch from pied to pied-
I had dimpleing on day 5 in a 300-400 cu inch egg container and eggs seemed off white and did not increase in weight.

I switched to a 1200 cu inch container and 5 times the vermiculite. The eggs stopped dimpleing immediately and within 2 days they actually swelled a bit which removed most of the dimples. The eggs took on a whiter color as opposed to the yellowish color they were.

I have them on the plastic light diffuser material which I laid on top of the vermiculite.

The incubator is a Nature's Spirit so the incubator worked perfectly. It seemed to be a case of too small of an egg container and not enough vermiculite. The container I switched to was 3 times the volume but the exact same style box and lid closure system.

When it comes to egg containers, it appears to me that size does matter.

I hope this info helps someone.

Thanx and good luck!

Kevin

What brand of tubs are you using?
Good luck with the eggs!

Sterilite with the locking handles.

I attached a pic of the smaller box that I started with. It is the same brand and style as the bigger box I switched to just smaller. I will still use the smaller boxes for my colubrids. I think the big BP eggs just need more room for moisture and air.

I also switched from just water to vermiculite.

Kevin

Do you leave the lids on or use something else for a lid?? Also, what about holes for ventilation?? Do you put any in and if so, how many?? Pics would be great!!

I use just the lid with no air holes and open the box weekly for extra air and to get a good look at the eggs.

I'll get some pics up.

Kevin

I have found that the size of the egg container plays little to no importance (unless of course, you're using a container that is clearly "cramped". More important is humidity in this case (the reason your eggs were dimpling so early on) and air flow. Early on in the incubation process, eggs do not "breathe" much, so swapping out air in the container is not as important as it is when you are two weeks from hatching and the eggs begin to dimple, allowing more oxygen into the egg.
I use Rubbermaids shoebox bins for my clutches (sometimes two clutches) and they hold 840 cu. inches of air. I half that (420 cu. inches of air) by using 50% of that space for medium (Perlite/Vermiculite with enough moisture to attain and maintain 100% humidity), my eggs never dimple early.

Seems your issue was not the size of your egg container as much as it was maintaining a proper humidity level.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

Thank you for the great info. It was humidity no doubt. The smaller container could not hold enough vermic/water to keep the humidity up. The larger box held 5 times the vermic with a lot more space for the eggs and air.

Kevin