Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I ordered an adult female leo from LLL and about 5 days after she arrived, she layed a clutch of eggs in her humid hide, which I promptly set up on slightly dampened vermiculite in my hovabator. Since this is my first female, I would like to know if there is a chance that they arent fertile. Do leo's lay eggs if they have not mated?

Thanks alot,
Andy

Sometimes leos can lay eggs even if they have not been with a male..... There is a chance they may be fertile though.... She might have been with a male at the place you bought her from.... Good luck.... I hope they hatch for you....

I have heard that you can put them up to a flashlight later on in their development and tell if there is something in them. Is there any truth behind this?

Usually you can tell if they are fertile if you do what you just mentioned..... If they are fertile, a day or two after they are layed, you should see a pinkish/red glow..... Most of the time you can even see a red spot with veins developing..... If they are infertile, they will have a yellow glow to them..... My advice to you would be to incubate them anyway..... I have had eggs hatch that I thought were not fertile.....

hi. so wat u are saying is that even though u candeled them they hatched??? cuz i have an egg too and its all yellow but its been 49 days.

If it is still yellow after 49 days, chances are it is infertile.... I am talking about within the first week or so.....

Well, the eggs (layed on Wednesday) have a yellowish tint when candled, but both have a small, reddish circle of veins on the inside wall of the egg. does this mean anything? Also, the eggs are becoming indented, it seems they are very flimsy.

Thanks
Andy

Andy,
If you see a redish spot with blood vessels, that is a good thing.... That means they are good eggs..... If they are dented that means they might still be taking in the humidity.... Most eggs look a bit weak when they are first put into the incubator.... After a while they will get stronger and plump up..... How are you incubating them??? What are you usings as an incubation substrate????

I have the eggs in a hovabator set at around 85 degrees. they are in plastic deli cups with holes on the side about 2/3 of the way up, all the way around. They are 1/3 buried in slightly moistened vermiculite. I hope I'm doing this right. How often should I open the top to let fresh air in and how often should I re-moisten the vermiculite?