Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Not a clue what's going on here... This is what's left of my lavender eggs, started out with 12 eggs, a bunch of which were already slugs, and some laid as pictured below. The ones that seem to be half moldy started out half yellow. Last year, I only got 6 healthy babies from her and some of the eggs that were laid were the same. My hypothesis is defective yolk sacs, but does anyone have any idea what could cause this to happen this regularly from the same animal? Do you think it's just bad genes? The fathers were different this year from last year, and each of the fathers have also fathered perfectly healthy clutched with other females.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Kris

Do you ever let the substrate dry out a bit? It looks very wet as it is in the picture. I will let the substrate dry out a bit before I remositen it (I also use moss for a substrate). I wonder if they are not too wet. As it is you seem to have several viable eggs still in the clutch and the one with the mold on them still might make it, I have hatched out eggs that looked worse then that. It may be a male breeder problem, is he spread too thin? 3,4 or 5 girls to breed with? If half of the 12 eggs were slugs to begin with, then maybe a little bit more time spent togehter would help.
Good Luck
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

How much drying out are you talking about? I should be getting some eggs for the first time in the next couple of weeks. I am going to be using sphagnum moss and just incubate them in my snake room in a rubbermaid. Any tips for a first timer? Thanks.

EP
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Occupants not paying rent:
7 balls
2 corns(normal, candy cane)
1 pueblan milk
1 everglades rat
1 cal. king
1 gray band king
1 w. hognose
1 bearded dragon
2 fish
1 rat
5 cats

Not saying this is right or wrong, This is just what I do…….
I take a new bag of Spagnum moss from the garden center and place it in my rodent freezer for a few weeks in an attempt to kill any insect eggs that may be in it. (just an extra precaution that you may not have time for). The day I am going to set up the nest box I take the moss out and let it go to room temp, about 2 hours. I then soak the moss for 20-30 in warm water, completely soaking in a bucket. I then wring out as mush water as I can so my moss is damp, but water can not be squeezed out of it. I make a “nest with” the moss and lay the eggs in the center of the nest with a small ½” layer of moss on top to keep things moist, but not wet. I do not pack the moss tightly around the eggs, but just lay it loosely around the eggs. the eggs are sitting on an inch or more of the moss. I check the eggs once per week. I check to see if they need water added every two weeks. By this time the outer layer of the moss has dried out and only the inner sections are moist. I remoisten the moss as above and do it all over again in two weeks. I keep the eggs in a Rubbermaid container with holes on the sides but none on the lid. I keep the eggs in the snake room on top of my Boa cages the room gets to about 84-86 during the hot days and into the mid 70’s at night.
I remove eggs that look infertile from the start and I remove the other eggs that die along the way, my hatching rate of viable eggs last year, viable 1 week after laying was 133 out of 151, I figure that is not too bad.
I hope this helps
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Thanks. Do you mean you completely change the moss every 2 weeks, or do you just remoisten the outer edges? And will moss act like a paper towel and soak up the water. Im going to use a sterlite container and the bottom has a "moat" around it. I was thinking that when it gets a little dry I could just put some water up to that level (maybe 1/8 inch) and let it soak in. My girl just had her shed today so its getting close. Thansk again.

EP
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Occupants not paying rent:
7 balls
2 corns(normal, candy cane)
1 pueblan milk
1 everglades rat
1 cal. king
1 gray band king
1 w. hognose
1 bearded dragon
2 fish
1 rat
5 cats

Were the shells translucent in those patches when they were laid? If so, could be that your female has a slight calcium deficiency and just needs a supplement in her water for a couple of months before laying.

Hi Hoppy. thanks for replying!
I do agree that it looks too wet, that's another problem I was having, I don't agree that it's the sole reason. The problem began when the eggs were laid, with those particular eggs, they were laid as though they were "half slugs" with one side, as you can see, white and plump, the other half being waxy, yellow and sluggy. do you agree that it might be that the yolk sac is defective or dead?
The male only bred this female, and did so numerous times. It was a different male this year than last year, and both years she laid these "half and half" eggs, though this year there were more than last year. I have dried things out a bit since the pic was taken to retard the mold growth, but the problem is with the eggs, not the incubation.
Thanks,
Kris

try calcium supplements.......
thin out the female..I bet she is too fat also?.......
use vermiculite for egg substrate....moss is too wet and supports mold growth ........

/........I get the same propblems too in some......

and yes..it could be genetic.......

give her alot of vitamins and calcium..and thin her out...use a different male if you can..if she lays crap again..it's just her.........

I got some I am getting rid of this year and some I am thinning out.......(2 are going to die due to eggs being stuck...too fat.....guesss once dead they'll thin out alot......).......
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"I still hate snakes"
...........................KNOW