Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female western laid in mid July and gave me eight nice fertile large eggs. Five were stuck together and I put them in the incubator as a mass with all eggs half covered with moit vermiculite. the egg that is on top of the pile has been dimpling as of Sunday. Should I add more moist vermiculite around this egg? It is literally on top of the pile while the others were all spread out laterally and together. I don't want tis one to die. If the egg does die, how do I remove it without injuring the other 4 eggs it is stuck too. I don't want the dead egg to attract mold or bacteria and kill my other healthy eggs.

A sidenote, the eggs are in a sealed tupperware container as many sites recommend to keep the humidity correct. when should I remove the lid? Do I do it around day 40 or so to prepare for their hatching. or do I wait until they hatch. most sites glaze over the incubation aspect (past temps and humidity).
-----
"Bones heal, chicks dig scars. Pain is temporary, glory is forever."
-Evil Knevel

There are two things that you can do to save that egg. First, very carefully peel it off the mass, try not to roll it. Then you can set it in the vermiculite like the rest of them. You could also take a paper towel, run it under water and then wring it out. You want the paper towel to be slightly damp, just cool to the touch. Lay this over your whole egg mass. This is what I do with all my egg masses and have never had a problem with them. Make sure you open your tupperware container at least once a week to get good air flow.

removing the egg is not possible as they are all very well adhered. I'm not sure if this egg is going to make it. I used the barely damp paper towel as you suggested and hopefully the dimpling will stop. There are some small brown/yellow spots on the egg, especially where I had piled up the vermiculite on the egg previously to add humidity to the lone egg. The coloring makes me think this egg will probably not make it. If this is the case, how should I remove it?
-----
"Bones heal, chicks dig scars. Pain is temporary, glory is forever."
-Evil Knevel