Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need help with incubtion temps and stuf. Also, i dont have vermiculite, so i am using plant soil, is this ok? Thanks.

I've incubated southern alligator lizard eggs at room temperature (low 70's).

I'd reccomend obtaining some vermiculite, it's available at most hardware / garden stores, use a 1:1 ratio, by weight of vermiculite and water. If you don't have a scale the vermiculite should feel moist, but not wet.

If you absolutely can't get a hold of vermiculite, try to find a soil with no fertilizers or other additives that has been sterilized. I've seen soils for african violets that meet these criteria.

If buying soil is not an option, you could try some from your yard. I'd reccomend heating it in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes to sterilize it first.

I'm not sure what water to soil ratio would be best with the above two options, but I'd say moist but not wet would be a good rule of thumb.

Partially bury the eggs leaving the top 1/4th or so exposed, be careful not to flip them when doing this. If it helps, you can place a small mark on the eggs with a sharpy marker before you remove them from where ever the female layed them.

Hope this help

-Alice