Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Guys (and gals)-
What ratio of water to perlite (or perlite to water) do you use for nest boxes/egg incubation?
I am finally switching away from vermiculite as an incubating medium. Other than the downsides (messy, asbestos), I have always had great results with it. Hopefully I can have similar results with substitutes.
Thanks,

Dave Boyle

Ihave never used vermiculite but this is also my first year breeding.But I use it in my nest boxs and what a mess ,I can't imagin a bunch of hatchling in it,but thats my oponion.With pearl lite I put about 3to4 inches of pearl lite and put about 1/4to1/2 inch of water in the bottom I also dampin the pearl lite.It worked great for me ,also use of transparent container you can see if you need to add water or not,Got this Idea from Gofer thanks again,P-RAT

Hello Dave,
I use perlite and have had great results so far with it. I do exactly as P-RAT mentioned. I use clear tubs, put 3-5 inches in the bottom, depeinding on egg sizes and container sizes. Then i completely soak the perlite and fill with water. I then drain the water so i can see about an inch of standing water in the bottom. Be sure to check it a few times before putting eggs in the container, i have thought a few times that it was just right, and then i noticed the water was really high and needed drained some more. It seems that sometimes the water from the perlite drains down and it's too deep then. Good luck with your eggs, and keep us informed on them.

Have a good day,
Gregg F.