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After much personal debate I chose to cut the egg open. The monitor was fully formed, but dead. He had been dead for a while. My fear is that the other one I am concerned about is also dead, but I am not going to cut it open just yet.

That said: 4 have hatched, 1 is pipped right now, 1 fully formed and dead, 3 still to go, 2 eggs did not go the distance.

Assuming the pipped one makes it out alive I will be at 5 out of 11 with a possibility of 8 out of 11.

I need to figure out what I am doing wrong at the end of the incubation period. This is the third egg I have had go almost full-term and die. Few things suck more than cutting an egg open and seeing a dead baby.

There are updated pictures on the baby salvator website. Be warned, they are huge pictures.
December hatchlings

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^x^ Bloodbat ^x^

Wish I could help man. Jalepeño seems to be doing well though. Keep us posted. I may be a breeder one day.

Oh Bat, Im so sorry. Im tearing up for you right now! Thats sad to see such a perfect looking little thing lifeless.

At least you got many spunky little lively ones to look forward to many years of luvn on! Congrats on that achievement! You rock! Ill have to trade a couple of my Timorensis for a couple of your salvator! Hahahaha! *knocking on wood*

Hey Bud, sorry to hear they didn't all make it. Are you covering those egg cups? If so try putting them in a larger cup to allow better air exchange. Also, check your temps as the eggs develop to make sure the incubator temps aren't increasing at the back end of the incubation period. How was the fluid levels in the eggs? Is it possible it was too wet or not wet enough? Next time split the clutch up and experiment in two different incubators.

Just a couple of questions to get you thinking. Congrats on those that hatched. When I get the next house, I will have to look into a water!

Happy Holidays!
Rich

Thanks Rich

I may have erred on the side of too wet. If that is the case, that will bother me a lot since I did not rewet them until the beginning of December. I did so as a result of the one egg dimpling and my thinking that 175 days or so was too early for a salvator egg to hatch. So, I rewet the incubation medium, particularly this dead egg. Pearl proved that a salvator egg can hatch at 180 days, so I may have added too much water at the very end.

My temps have creeped up a bit in the last few days, but this change occurred after this egg was dead (I'm assuming). Another possibility I have been considering is that I may have been checking the eggs too much and had too many extreme temperature changes... 82 exposed to 70 degrees when I opened the containers to look inside.

I do have them in containers with lids. I burn small holes in the lids to allow for some air exchange. The problem with larger containers is the fact that I currently use hovabators so they do not allow for much larger containers. But I do not think the air exchange is a problem (but will keep an open mind to it).

We will see with the next clutch as they are definitely not nearly as moist as I made this last clutch. I will resist all urges to add moisture at the end.

Looks like 5 or 6 from my early December clutch might go the distance... we shall see.

Thanks for the comments.
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^x^ Bloodbat ^x^

Trial and sucks, but what you learn from this you'll be able to pass on to others!
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Greg Holland
G&M HERPS
www.imageevent.com/gmherps
gmherps@sbcglobal.net