Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For those of you that use a substrate to incubate your eggs, what do you use? I have used a Periolite and Vermiculite mix in the past, but actually ran out of Periolite this year, and have used just Vermiculite for some of my clutches. Anyone use just vermiculite, and how have your results been vs. vermiculite and periolite mixture?

Dave

Dave,

I've always just used vermiculite. I use a 1 to 1 ratio by weight with water. I also drill a 1/8 diameter hole at each end of the nest box. I never have to open the lid to ventilate and have had great success using this method.

I've never used pearlite.

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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

I have used a modified set up of this since Brian is my awesome ball python and overall snake mentor. I only put a single hole on one end, have only used vermiculite. In my few years doing this I lost my first egg this year to being a dud. I open my bins every week or so and candle to make sure all is well.

Hope everyone had a great breeding season.

TJ
29 Snakes

vermiculite pretty much for 20 years....all eggs , all species....usually all goes well......unless I screw up...but that's an incubator problem not substrate....

....tried pure perlite once...eggs sunk in bigtime and fast....?....
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........JY

I have been using vermiculite for over 20 years! Ernie Wagner told me years ago, "wet it til it gets like freshly dug earth"! Been doing it ever since and NEVER have a problem! I never understood these people w/substrateless incubation yada, yada, yada! So much unnecessary work!

I used a perlite vermiculite mixture for years, it works fine. The problem I had was needing to add water once in a while, or to just mix it up. The water seemed to move from the center to the edges of the container. With hundreds of eggs it took time.

With the substrateless method, there is no guessing what freshly dug earth is like. Just pour some water in the bottom, it doesn't matter how much, as long as the water doesn't cover the egg crate.
The only work involved is cutting the egg crate, I did that once many years ago and re use it over and over. I don't even change the medium below the egg crate.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get anyone to change their method, if you are happy and get good results that is all that matters.
The perlite seemed to allow a little bit of air flow in the substrate.
Ball eggs are so easy to hatch it doesn't hardly matter what you do.

Yup, I used to use just vermiculite, it was fine. But now I just go with the substrateless method, no guess work with it all. Very easy.

I have only used vermiculite one time and that was,for some bearded dragon eggs my kids wanted to hatch. The stuff I had was somewhat of a pain to work with. I had to add water and it sticks to everything. This year is the first time I have had ball python eggs and I saw mikes post with pictures of the egg crate method and figured I would give it a try. The only time involved was cutting the light diffuser which took all of two minutes and I have had to add water once. The eggs look great and I should have my first clutch ever in about three weeks. Thanks Mike!!!

If you want simple and easy I would highly recommend substrateless. I am a total newbie but my eggs are over a month old using this method and they all candle healthy and look great.

As long as you buy the egg crate and cut it ahead of time get it set in your 6 quart tubs (or tupperware container) this method works great. No vermiculite, hatch rite or perilite to buy ever. Pretty great. V/R Paige
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Balls - As many as my husband will tolerate...other various reptiles, animals, kids and a smoking sweet husband; would be perfect if he only liked ball pythons...

Congratulations on your first clutch. I certainly remember my first clutch of burmese eggs. I had read a lot of info and thought I had everything right. It was a long time ago but even then hatching burmese wasn't a big deal. I'm sort of a pessimist, I kept expecting something to go wrong, it didn't. I hatched that clutch of eggs and was absolutely shocked that it worked. I just knew something would go wrong. It is an exciting feeling. Have fun.

Thanks Mike for the kudos. This is my first clutch doing everything by myself. I had a clutch a couple of months ago in hatchrite and come to find out I was keeping it to cold. My temp showed something different then it actually was on my all in one incubator. So the hatchrite didn't get warm enough to release the moisture (my only guess??)

Now, my temp gun is my snakes/eggs best friend.

Luckily my friend Jason came by to check on it for me and realized the poor eggs were all dried out and dimpled really bad and to cold. He took the clutch and incubated it for me. 4 spiders/4 normals pretty exciting!!

I am all for the eggcrate method now!! It works great and makes it so much easier. I know it was based on all the great feedback supplied here by most of the positive contributors. BTW I was admiring your Ivory Girl but I think she got snatched up pronto!!! Very nice snakes!!!
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Balls - As many as my husband will tolerate...other various reptiles, animals, kids and a smoking sweet husband; would be perfect if he only liked ball pythons...

I used vermiculite for years on colubrid eggs,I now use a mix of perlite and vermiculite.Note : perlite does not hold moisture at all,it is simply a loosening agent for soil.

I dont use either one...I use Hatch-rite. Dont add water, dont have to worry if mixture is right. Just dump it in the box and add eggs. 1/8" hole drilled in one end. I have even re-used it on other clutches just by adding a little water.
Travis
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LAIR OF DRAGONS

I just use water and have had a awesome hatch rate.No mold !! It couldn't work any better .
Holloway Herps

I used a perlite/vermiculite mixtue
re and they are hatching now.