Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,
i have had a few questions. i had a few yellowback eggs and they hatched but a few days after they hatched they got like a white mucus around thier thier mouth and died. how in the future could i prevent this. had them growing in a petri dish to start out. i guess this is where you would use your oak tea mix or meth blue type of stuff. i had the eggs since they where layed. so got the hatching part down. i also was given some black water extract but unsure when to use this stuff and how much.
thanks for any info
pa.walt

Yes, this is the dreaded mouth fungus. As you have guessed, you need an anti-fungal such as meth blue, or tadpole tea. I have used methylene blue with great results both in surrounding developing eggs and in the tad water. Wipes out mouth fungus. Use the meth blue at a concentration of 2-3 drops per gallon, or just enough to turn the water a light blue. For eggs, I have misted with meth blue at this concentration. I have also used oak leaves in with the eggs or tads with success, but the meth blue may be easier to obtain at any time, depending where you live.