Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, so I looked for all the signs, of which my femal BP showed none. The only indication she ever gave me was going into shed for the second time in three weeks. So, today I get home with a bag of sphagnum moss for her 'nest'...and she'd already dropped her eggs! ...So, she's on newspaper right now. I have an incubator arriving tomorrow, and I'm out to buy pearlite and vermiculite tonight. Am I going to be ok leaving her and the eggs as they are overnight? I adjusted the heat pad so its not directly underneath her.

I'd originally planned on letting her incubate the eggs...but she looks awfully thin, and I didn't get the moss in time to make her a suitable environment for her and her eggs. I'm so excited that she had her eggs, and now that I have them, I'm extremely worried about their survival. I've done so much reading for the past six months, and I still wasn't prepared for her to drop her eggs so soon after her shed. (Its only been 4 days!)

I need all the advice you can offer...do you think I'm gonna be ok??

-Ss

She should be ok for a day or so until you can get your incubator set up. Mainly you just have to worry about keeping the humidity up in the cage she is in. If you can get the temp. close to 89 degrees that would be great, but if not she will vibrate in a shiver like fashion to keep them warm. It would be better to get as close to 89 degrees as you can, but don't go over in doing so because she won't be able to move the eggs and they'll die.

I've witnessed a small clutch of 4 maternally incubated on newspaper above under tank heating. There was much variation in temp. All hatched. One hatched nearly 2 weeks after the others as the first three were directly above heat source.

Shoot for high 80's as best you can tell.

Ok, I tucked a few pieces of dampened sphagnum moss in around her to supply some humidity. Any advice as far as lifting her off the eggs? I was told that settling a towel over her and then lifting her would be good...that work ok?

Also, if any of you know the ratio of Perlite/Water I should use in the tupperware containers? Also, what sort of containers, and what manner I should place the eggs in there? I know not to tilt the eggs, and to place them in there the way they were found. I'll mark them with a pen to make sure they turn out that way...will a sharpie be ok?

Sorry for all the questions, just new at this, and still so excited I'm shaking. The irony of it all, is she dropped them the night before my Bday....best present I've recieved so far!!

-Ss

Yea. Put a towel over her head to help calm her before putting moss under her or removing her to get at the eggs. The ratio should be 50:50 by weight not volume. You can use any type of tuperware container, but maker sure there is at least 4" between the lid of the container and the top of the eggs, also heat a small nail or tack and poke 3 tiny holes in the top (size of the period at the end of this sentence) this is to help air circulation in the container. Make sure you mix the perlite and water and let it set up in the incubator for a while before you put the eggs in it. I use 50:50 vermaculite/perlite by volume than mix that with water 50:50 by weight. Good luck!