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Alice! What to do when the eggs hatch?

jacobptej1 Jun 29, 2004 03:32 PM

Hi Alice,

I've noticed that you are extremely knowledgeable with alligator lizards and printed out your instructions on how to care for our baby eggs. Our allie just laid eggs yesterday and we put them in damp vermiculite and followed your instructions carefully. They are in a safe place and now we are wondering what to do with them when they hatch? Should they be kept separate from our 2 other allies.

Also, she laid 11 eggs. Will all of them hatch or just a few? What is the norm, if any?

Thank you!

Replies (4)

aliceinwl Jun 29, 2004 07:41 PM

Provided that the eggs are fertile, I usually have all of them hatch. You will need to keep the babies separate from the adults / larger als or they will be eaten. Babies will usually start feeding within a couple days of hatching, but some may take up to a week.

Alligator lizards are prone to metabolic bone disease which is caused by insufficient calcium. I recommend dusting all prey items with rep-cal with vitamin D3 (if you decide to go with another brand of calcium supplement check the ingredients, you want one that does not contain phospherus, calcium phosphate, etc.; to metabolize calcium properly lizards need a 2:1 ratio of calcium to phospherus; since insects are typically high in phospherus, but low in calcium they'll never get the proper ratio if your supplement contains phospherus) and use a UV light to further assist with calcium metabolism. Baby als will grow at different rates so watch them carefully. It may be necessary to separate the runts to prevent them from becoming meals for their older siblings.

Baby als drink a lot more than adults so make sure water is always available. They are also prone to shedding problems if the humidity is too low. I keep my babies on paper towels which I mist lightly every couple days and change weekly.

Good luck with your eggs!
Alice

jacobptej1 Jun 30, 2004 01:20 PM

Alice, How do I know if the eggs are fertile? Thank you for all of your information. My husband caught this female al and she was already pregnant when he found her. Is the only way to tell if the eggs hatch or not? thanks again!

aliceinwl Jun 30, 2004 09:36 PM

If the eggs are fertile they will be plump and firm to the touch. Infertile eggs are flacid like an underinflated water balloon. You can also hold a penlight against an egg and you will see the blood vessels forming if the egg is fertile. Handling such as this should, however, be kept to a minimum.

-Alice

jacobptej1 Jun 30, 2004 11:56 PM

Thank you Alice! Yes, they were all plump and firm. It was amazing! The first time I have ever seen this before (and my kids too!) They loved it! thank you! I'll keep you posted when they hatch!

Thanks!

Tina

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