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My Southern Alligator Lizard laid eggs last night, and I moved them to a container with vermiculite with a 1:1 ratio of water (according to weight). I moved the eggs slowly and was careful not to change their direction. I currently have the container sitting under my lizard cage with a towel over it (to keep it dark). I was going to put it in a drawer, but it was only about 65 degrees in there (at night time). When it's near the lizard cage, it stays around 72 degrees at night. I read many different threads here to find this information, but I have a few questions still:

-Is 72 degrees ok at night? I could move it closer to the heat lamp if this is not warm enough. I just don't want the eggs to dry out.

-Does loud sound disturb the eggs? I play loud music at night on my computer, and the eggs are on the floor about 10 feet from where I play the music. I could always start using headphones if this might disturb them.

-Should I check on the eggs every so often? I'm worried about doing this, since I would have to move the vermiculite around to see them. They are buried, and I wouldn't want to risk moving them around anymore.

Sorry if these questions have been answered before! I tried searching for the answers in this forum but couldn't find them. Here are some pictures that were taken:

The eggs as the Lizard laid them

Me moving the eggs to the container full of Vermiculite

The container is under the red towel. If you look closely, you can spot the mother of the eggs in the cage above the towel.

Your set up sounds fine. Do you have a lid on the container (just want to make sure)? The lid doesn't need to have any holes. If you crack the lid and take a peek once a week or so, this will provide all the air exchange needed, it will also keep the substrate from drying out. I usually leave the tops of my eggs exposed, this way I can make sure that there are no moldy eggs etc, but so far, I've had a 100% hatch rate with alligator lizard eggs. My eggs usually take around two months to hatch. And, as long as your al doesn't seem disturbed by the music I can't imagine it affecting the eggs. Your eggs all look nice and fertile, good luck with them!

-Alice

I think I read your instructions in one of the previous threads wrong. I thought you were saying to bury the eggs 2/3 into the vermiculite, but I guess you meant to cover up 2/3 of the eggs themselves. I just now uncovered the tops of the eggs... Hopefully I haven't suffocated or squished them by burying them for a few hours. I doubt it though, since vermiculite seems so light and "spacious".

Have you ever had to add more moisture to the substrate in the 2 months it takes the eggs to hatch, or does the moisture tend to stay in the entire time?

On the topic of loud sound, I guess it won't disturb them. It doesn't seem to disturb my Alligator Lizard, but then again how would I know?

Oh, and my container has a lid on it, I just didn't take a picture of it after I put the lid on.

Thanks for the quick response! Hopefully I will have a bunch of baby Alligator Lizards running around in 2 months. Do you usually find homes for yours, or do you let them go? I cannot imagine you taking care of them all!

The weather was foggy here when I woke up this morning, and the temperature was 68 degrees where the eggs currently are. Is this a problem? The fog rolls in a lot around here, so I'm worried the temperature will drop into the 60s too often.

In the wild, they're going to experience temperature fluctuations. I once uncovered a single alligator lizard egg in a gopher hole. The egg was only about 6 inches down the burrow and was only covered by a quarter inch of dirt. At this depth, it really wouldn't be insulated much from the natural swings in temperature. I've never really worried about the temperature fluctuations mine encounter because I know that they encounter much more dramatic fluctuations in the wild.

Don't worry about having buried the eggs, in the wild "mom" would have buried them. I leave the top exposed so that I can easily monitor their progress; if they were buried, it would be had to detect bad eggs. Rotting eggs will produce ammonia, and since you're incubating in a closed container, this could jeopardize the health of the other eggs.

I've never had to add more water to the substrate. As long as the lid fits securely, the substrate will lose very little moisture when you take your weekly peek. I've found homes for lots of my babies, but I've also released some at the site where I got the parent.

-Alice

So, if an egg dies and starts rotting, I have to get it out of the container before it "infects" the other eggs?

I was already thinking about letting them go where I caught the mom actually. I most likely won't be able to find homes for all 15 Alligator Lizards (assuming they all hatch), so I probably will have to let a lot of them go. Do you think I should feed them before releasing them, or should I release them right away? I'm thinking that maybe they should be taken out of captivity right away, so they don't adjust to it. I don't want them thinking they will be fed out in the wild.

The best bet is to release them ASAP, Its not a matter of adjusting as much as it is the risk of them contracting something and introducing it to the wild population such as the respiratory infection is killing off our tortises in S. California. It should also be noted that it is agenst the law to release any reptile or amphibian without prior writen consent of the DFG. Don’t get me wrong I am a huge supporter of releasing young. Not only dose it keep the weight off your shoulders with having to many individuals to take care of but it is generally healthier for the individuals to be in the wild and it dose nothing but help the wild population so long as it is done in a responsible manner. I think that is the beigest thing. Just be responsible. If you think for any reason at all there is a possibility that they may in anyway damage themselves or the wild population by being born in captivity then keep them for the long haul. My personal protocol while expensive but successful is to have each individual independently inspected by a qualified vet before release. Good luck with your eggs.

Foot Hill Reptiles

Hey JasonW, Didn't you say in a previous thread that you would be interested in taking a few babies? If the eggs hatch, I'll gladly give you some Alligator Lizards. I'll keep some myself of course, but the rest I'll have to let go unless I find some homes for them.

That is correct. I would be very interested in a couple, Unfortunately at this time I would only be interested in females but may be able to accommodate some males as well. The problem is shipping as it is expensive. Were are you located? I may be able to stop by on one of my research expeditions and pick them up personally. Locality however is another issue. Are these S. Alligator Lizards you maintain?

My reptile research and collection

I think picking them up personally would be the best way. The mother of these eggs is a Southern Alligator Lizard, and I think you identified her as E. Multicarinata in my other thread. As for males and females, I haven't ever tried to tell the difference in babies. In adults, I always tell the difference by the shape of the head.

I guess I could send you an e-mail with more details a few weeks from now. Is there an e-mail address I could contact you at?

You can email my lab directly at reptile411@hotpop.com

My reptile research and collection