Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, turns out 1 of the Easterns I caught was a gravid female. This is something I havent dealt with befor. So the 7 egss appeare to be arranged in a clump. What can be used to assemble an inexpensive,reliable incubator. Ive read the temp range needs to be i the 80-85 f ,what about humidity? Vermiculite mix? Things of this nature,how long do I have befor its to late to begin incubation. Please realize Im a total newbie at this and dont read me the riot act. I just want to insure that these eggs hatch. Thanks

Okay, the "riot act" goes as follows..LOL!

Simply put them in a slightly moistened container of vermiculite medium that has had water VERY SLOWLY added to it as it is mixed thoroughly so that it just stays clumped together when squeezed. You DO NOT want to see any water dripping at all from this, or you will need to add more vermiculite until the correct moisture consistency is reached again.

Then dimple the medium slightly so it sort of creates an indented "cradle" for the eggs. Then work a bit of the vermiculite around them so that they are basically 1/4 to 1/3rd buried just a tad. They will absorb all the needed moisture like a sponge.

Keep them at about 80 to 81 or so degrees(a bit safer if temps should spike for whatever reason). If you see them starting to swell, bulge, or distort any, they are too moist, so you need to add more vermiculite so they don't drown the embryo or rupture.

Also, if you see them start to indent, they are too dry, so you need to add just a bit more water to the mix.

Put them(and the mixture) into a small plastic container, and add just a few tiny air holes approx. 1/8th inches in diameter, with a drill bit, or melt the holes with a thin soldering iron(which is what I do).

At these temps(80 to 81 degrees), they should hatch in approximately 56 to 60 days.

If the eggs are in a real tall pile, and you cannot safely pry the upper one's apart from the rest, drape some moistened sphagnum moss ofer them by wetting it, then wringing it out real well by squeezing tightly in your fist, then fluff it up, and drape over the eggs like it might actually be in a natural setting to the best of your ability.

good luck!

~Doug

draping the sphagnum moss is what I had to do with this big tall pile of eggs, it works great!. just keep your eye on them every several days to see how the eggs are reacting to your mix, and draped moss if need be. If they are all at roughly the same level, just dimple them into the vermiculite, and they should be fine. Neighboring eggs get moisture from the other's to a certain extent when they are stuck together anyway, just make sure you keep an eye on them now and then, and tend to them accordingly as nedded.

and BINGO!!, there ya go!..

ps, you may notice many of these eggs are marked at the top. This is to ensure that if they should accidentally roll for whatever reason when taking some out to add a bit more water, they can immediately be re-oriented back to their original position to prevent the embryo from drowning.
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

What are you using for a heat source/regulate temp? I have a digital therm/with humidity output. Ive heard that a styro cooler with a heat pad should work with the items you mentioned. Should the heat pad be placed on the oppsite end from where the eggs are placed? Ive got like a 1000 stuipd questions/scenerios running through my head. How long do I have to get them set up befor it becomes a moot point? I should be able to get the supplies within the next hour or so.

Oh, as long as they haven't been laying there dry for so long they are dented in from becoming too dry, you have no worries.

There are a HUGE number of ways to do this. You can simply put them high up on a shelf in a closet if it is close to the temps you want to target(79 to 81 or so). You can use a styrofoam cooler, a cupboard with a mild heat source, etc.. a big container filled with water, and an aquarium heater added to the bottom, etc...

Just experiment with a reliable thermometer BEFORE you put the eggs into the environment. You want to "KNOW" what things settle at before something can go horribly wrong. Just check every few hours to make sure things are stablized at the approx temps we discussed, and if they are still at this desired level after 24 hours, you will know things have leveled off and are basically constant.........and bingo!....done deal!

Just check on things every once in a while when you KNOW the right temp is established to "read" how the eggs are doing.

slightly moist, NOT WET is the key!

good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Any different place, method or scenario can take some "tweeking" to arrange heat sources/distances from eggs, etc.. to get the optimum desired outcome. Just keep cool and push things around a bit until your good judgement is met. It is as easy as that really.

Last year, I used a small space heater setup in a spare bathroom to hatch eggs stacked on a tiered table, but right now, my eggs are in a small bathroom vanity below one of the sinks with a heating pad placed on a metal tray. The year before that, I used big plastic bins with water, and aquarium heater tubes down in the water.

All of these can easily work exactly as planned at 80 to 81 degrees, it is just a matter of getting all these things tweeked a bit to get these temps, and even gapping lid tops of things to get the right temp(not the actual egg container though), just what they are enclosed in..LOL!

best regards, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Beware . If you make a mistake with temps @ 81 they will be 91 or you will dry out the clutch.

This photo is from one hour ago.

I used a plastic shoe box with damp not wet garden variety peat moss as the nest box and I'll use the same thing as a hatch box minus the entrance holes.I use the basement snake room to keep the eggs ( 70 - 82 but mostly about 76-78 degrees.If I want higher temps I use the space above kitchen cupboards but that can be a problem if I'm at work and the temps go too high.
DO NOT TRY AND HEAT YOUR EGGS as you may cook them (egg salad)
Many guys use incubator set ups with great success but this being your first attempt I urge you to use the method that the snakes have used for millions of years....nothing, just moist medium and cool basement temps70-80.

BTW if your eggs go bad don't let them go to waste

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"He's down in the basement staring at his snakes " My Wife

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Doug L

What about humidity percentages?

No need to worry yourself about all that, because if you keep them in a moist medium as mentioned, with just a few(maybe 4 to 6 depending on the container size) 1/8th inch holes for air exchange, the humidity will automatically be optimum in the high 90 percent range.

This is an automatic tried and true hatching "recipe" that has been done many countless thousands of times by herpetoculturists.

it's so darn simple and easy as a matter of fact, this is why the market is so darn flooded with snakes to sell, because any Tom, Dick, or Harry can easily do it..LMAO!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com