Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, well when I woke up yesterday and looked in the tank I saw my female Lineatus on the glass and a big egg right below her in the corner. The other egg was against the glass in the middle of the tank but it was just a flattened shell with some liquid near it. I guess she stepped on it after she laid it. I poored water over the shell to clean and wet it and put it in front of her face so she could eat it and reabsorb the calcium. She only licked it so I put it in front of my female mossey and she viciously grabbed it from me and ate it. Now her calcium sacks look twice as big but I just wanted to post and make sure I'm doing everything right with the good egg. It's big, bright white, and perfectly round except for a very small indention on the side. I have it in a tupaware container thing with a screen top I made. I have it embedded on vermiculite that I keep moist to the touch. I'm trying to keep my room in the low 70's. Any advice would help since this is my first uroplatus egg. Anything I should change? Would spending the money on an incubator be worth it?

what are calcium sacks??? Is this something I need to check for to make sure my geckos (when I get them) are healthy??

Congrats on the egg!! How exciting!!

Hope you don't mind me using your picture Erik.

See the pair of white bumps in front of the henkeli's shoulders, on the neck?
Those are calcium sacs or chalk sacs. They keep extra calicum in them in a milky liquid form. Females use a lot of the extra calcium in forming the eggshells and you need to make sure they get extra calcium.

No-problem. As long as you dont say that it is yours or you try to sell it.. Just kidding with ya, you wouldn't do that.. Would you??? J/K(just kidding, again).

Sorry about one of your eggs, but at least you got one good one!!

What you have it set up in is good but since the whole top is screen the vermiculite will dry out really fast. If you just kept the normal lid you could have put a couple small holes in it.

I buy the deli cups that have holes in the side and those work good, although you still have to refill it with water every now and then. They need high humidity to hatch!

I went ahead and bought an incubator from www.nsreptiles.com, it is $425 though, but worth every penny!! I am very happy with it. I got it with the helix thermostat. Of-coarse I have a TON of eggs in it. Depending on how many eggs you have right now, a smaller incubator might be better! You could just buy one of the styrofoam models and buy a thermostat for it or make your own incubator OR if your room is the right temp ( at about 70-75 degress F).

They should hatch between 80-90 days later!!!!

Congrats! Here is a picture of the mother to that baby, She is
a giant at almost 83 grams!!!!!! Erik

thanks that helps a lot. I never thought about that. I'll use something so it wont dry out so quickly.

Ya, also without a screen lid the humidity will stay up higher. Hope that helps! If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!!

And once again Congrats on the egg!!

Erik

Hows this? I covered the screen with that press and seal stuff and then made 4 little holes.

Perfect!! Although if you have a scale you can weigh the container and then every week or so weigh it again and fill it up with the water that it has lost.

Thanks Erik

I keep pouring a little water in every day so that the vermiculite stays wet to the touch but not enough so that the bottom of the egg is in water. Is this ok?

Ifuz...

I actually use perlite myself and prefer it. In the past I used vermiculite and also organic potting soil. I am partial to potting soil to be honest because you can monitor it better. If its dry its obvious, its gets dusty. If its saturated, its muddy. Anyways... With vermiculite you have to be careful with it as it tends to hold more water than we want to believe it does. If it clumps together when you squeeze it, thats perfect. However, if it drips any water when you squeeze it, its too wet and therefore saturated.

At that, just be careful.

Jason

Jason,

thanks for the advice. that helps a lot. I had the vermiculite a little to wet then.