Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well although I didn't think anything was happening (ovulation was never witnessed) I was pleasantly surprised to wake up on 5/31/04 to a clutch of 7 eggs in with my female.

Unfortunately for me I felt that I wasn't going to get any eggs because I didn't see any signs from the females (other than the usual off feed for the winter).

I didn't have my incubator (hovabator) setup. I ran about trying to get everything in order until running into a tiny snafu. The containers that I did have on hand could not hold the eggs and the vermiculite and keep a cover on it. I then scrambled around to find something that would hold all the eggs, vermiculite, and fit inside the hovabator. I finally found a baby wipes container that worked temporarily.

My questions are, because the eggs are fairly snug inside the container.

1) Should I move them to a larger container with more space?
2) Can the eggs even be moved now that they are at the proper temperature and have been incubating?

Has anyone ever switched containers, etc. before?

Thanks,
Rob

...it's not absolutely necessary but a larger container would allow more moistened vermiculite as well as air space for egg respiration. You might try spacers to raise the lid of the hovabator 1/2-1" to allow a larger egg box. Best to have a lid on the egg box to buffer temp/humidity changes within the hovabator. If no lid than lay several layers of paper towels over the top of the eggs and have them "wicking" into a container of water which will help considerably in keeping them damp. Good luck! Scott J. Michaels DVM