I recently posted this on our monitor forum. It seems this subject is still widespread and common.
This is only a start, and as I find and convert some of the pics of successful nesting I will do so. I will also provide some early history of results and expectations.
So please consider, this is only a start:
Hi Doug, First, do not stop worrying, just worry about the right or most probable things. Like nesting, that is of prime importance.
For instance, across the board of reptile keeping, you see egg problems and all you see the people doing is trying other ways to hatch the eggs. While that is fine.
I walk about nature, woods, deserts, jungles, and wonder where are all these reptile eggs?????? They are in nests. I can easily see bird nests. Then where are the reptile nests, They are "in" something, dirts, leaves, hollows, etc. But I look in holes in all that and do not see eggs, hatched or otherwise. So they must not be exposed to the surface. They must be down in something.
So what tells the female they are down in something. hey I bet its the same thing that tells you your in something. If you needed to have your wife and baby safe in a cave, would you put them at the entrance??? Where they are exposed to air(cold or hot, dry or wet) and exposed to dangerous things? Or would you put them in the cave where the temps are good(comfortable), the humidity is good(comfortable) And the dangerous things cannot see you? Or in the case of reptiles, smell you?
Simply put, they put their eggs in places not often seen. Yet in captivity, we force them to deposit their eggs where WE can see them. Again, simply put, I find it easy to imagine, that this is against their nature.
Its my opinion that this is a greater problem for many reasons then how we incubate them.
One last thing I should have included above. Its known that many reptiles only nest in certain areas and that they travel some distances to do so. There must be reason and intent to do so. FR
