Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

Sorry, next logical question is.....

Can anyone give me a definitive answer on what is the best temperature and humidity to maintain inside my hovabator?

I have a tupperware box with a lid with a couple of holes in the lid but it is a small hovabator so I was wondering-lid on or off because if i leave the lid off then my hygrometer will tell me the himidity but there is a risk of them becoming too dry i guess.

Also-there is one egg that has a dimple in the top of it-should i spray it with some warm water or leave well alone?

Any advice gladly recieved.

Cheers,

Ben

Your eggbox looks exactly right! Usually, you soak the vermiculite in hot water, then squeeze as hard as you can to remove the water as much as possible through squeezing and put it in the eggbox, as you have done. Do NOT remove the top!!! If the water mixture is correct per the directions I just gave you, they are good to remain undisturbed for 62 to 75 days at 89-92 degrees. The dimple is slight, and sometimes the eggs "plump out" after being placed in the box, but DO NOT SPRAY the egg!!!! It will get fungus and mold and the others will follow. Trust me on this.

It is great that you have a good transparent top so that you do not have to open the box. You may see some beading of water on the top of the box. If you have the moisture right as I have described, don't worry about it. If you are worried, you can open the box for a look, but then close it again. Slight moisture build up now and then is natural. Also, a day or two before the eggs start to hatch, they will begin to dimple. This is due to the baby beginning to move and stretch out in preparation for pipping. Don't worry about it. You are about to see Alabama's hatchling!

This is the info that I followed when I incubated my chuck eggs last year and it worked perfectly. It was info written by Nick and Austin on an old KS post. Thanks again N&A for all of your help last year!

Posted by: ndokai at Thu Aug 28 16:16:12 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

As far as incubation medium, Austin and I use vermiculite. We weigh the vermiculite out, and mix it with an equal part (or slightly less) water; a 1:1 or 1.25:1 ratio of vermiculite to water. I believe this is going to be drier than the method you described. We use about 200 - 250 grams of vermiculite for each clutch. We poke about 25-40 pinholes in the container with a thumb tack. The whole container is placed into a 2.5 gallon ziplock bag, a little bit of water is added to the bottom of the bag, and a couple of slits are cut into the upper surface of the bag for ventillation. This setup helps sustain the propper moisture and humidity for the full durration of incubation, which at our prefered 84-86F, can last more than 90 days. If you get good healthy eggs, they should hatch out just fine under these conditions.
Hope this helps.
Nick & Austin