Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

There were some interesting posts below regarding incubation medium and I just thought I'd keep going with it.

I use perlite exclusively now for my kings, turtles and pythons. I like it better than vermiculite because it serves to keep conditions more stable, in my opinion. It doesn't compact like vermiculite does and allows for moisure in the medium, but doesn't keep the eggs as saturated as vermiculite. Perlite doesn't seem to absorb as much moisture as vermiculite, so the eggs are not held hostage, so to speak, by the condition of the incubation medium. For example, if the vermiculite is dry, it will pull moisure from the eggs, dehydrating them - and killing them. If the vermiculite is too wet, it gives off excess moiture to the eggs, saturating them - and killing them. Perlite allows the surrounding air to dictate how much moisture the eggs receive, seemingly making conditions more stable. If the medium gets too wet, much of the excess water will eventually find its way to the bottom of the container, away from the eggs. If the substrate is too dry, perlite doesn't seem to pull moisture from the eggs and dehydrate them as quickly as vermiculite does. Also, it is easier to re-hydrate dry eggs with perlite, as you can simply pour a little water into the corners of the incubation container and it will evaporate in the warm air of the incubator and reach the eggs slowly and evenly. Rehydrating eggs in vermiculite often leads to eggs that go from dry to wet which obviously can kill them. These are just my experiences with these products and I welcome all other opinions and experiences regarding this topic. Thanks.

Will

PS - I have always used mostly dry, long grain spagnum moss in the nest box. I just slightly mist the surface of the moss and it seems to hold enough moisture to keep momma happy. I've found that females don't like wet nest boxes and will stress and wander more before they settle down and lay their eggs in wet conditions.

I tried mixing them last year and was happy with the effect. I ordered some supposedly "asbestos free" vermiculite from somewhere online and it was good stuff but too expensive for all my clutches so I mixed the two together and it had many advantages. I tried things like a layer of just perlite on the bottom of the container, with standing water in. Than added a mix above it with the avergae moisture. If eggs seemed too wet I removed them and added a very thin layer of perlite. Things like that,,,,the one thing I do not like about perlite is if your eggs do need rehydrating it is easy to add too much water and not realize it is saturated. I have used perlite more times than vermiculite but I like the mix of them best. Tom Stevens

Another thing to think about is where the heat source is in your incubator. The big breeders usually have a warm room which generally works better since there is less of a temp gradient than in a smaller incubator. Downside of course is that you need extra rooms for species requiring different temps for incubation (colubrid versus python). In smaller incubators, how the heat source is set up will change how quickly the eggs dry out. I have found it best to place the heat source above the eggs. Heat rises so having the heat source higher essentially caps the eggs and keeps the moisture in place. If your heat source is below your eggs then the heat will be rising through them and taking moisture with it, drying the eggs from the bottom first. So even if you are adding moisture to the top layer of your incubation medium, the bottom layer can be bone dry. You will find that the moisture level will be more stable and you will have to add moisture less often if you elevate the heat source.

>>Hi all,
>>
>>There were some interesting posts below regarding incubation medium and I just thought I'd keep going with it.
>>
>>I use perlite exclusively now for my kings, turtles and pythons. I like it better than vermiculite because it serves to keep conditions more stable, in my opinion. It doesn't compact like vermiculite does and allows for moisure in the medium, but doesn't keep the eggs as saturated as vermiculite. Perlite doesn't seem to absorb as much moisture as vermiculite, so the eggs are not held hostage, so to speak, by the condition of the incubation medium. For example, if the vermiculite is dry, it will pull moisure from the eggs, dehydrating them - and killing them. If the vermiculite is too wet, it gives off excess moiture to the eggs, saturating them - and killing them. Perlite allows the surrounding air to dictate how much moisture the eggs receive, seemingly making conditions more stable. If the medium gets too wet, much of the excess water will eventually find its way to the bottom of the container, away from the eggs. If the substrate is too dry, perlite doesn't seem to pull moisture from the eggs and dehydrate them as quickly as vermiculite does. Also, it is easier to re-hydrate dry eggs with perlite, as you can simply pour a little water into the corners of the incubation container and it will evaporate in the warm air of the incubator and reach the eggs slowly and evenly. Rehydrating eggs in vermiculite often leads to eggs that go from dry to wet which obviously can kill them. These are just my experiences with these products and I welcome all other opinions and experiences regarding this topic. Thanks.
>>
>>Will
>>
>>PS - I have always used mostly dry, long grain spagnum moss in the nest box. I just slightly mist the surface of the moss and it seems to hold enough moisture to keep momma happy. I've found that females don't like wet nest boxes and will stress and wander more before they settle down and lay their eggs in wet conditions.
-----
Rick Staub
R&R Reptiles