Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys and gals,

This is my first year breeding, and my female just laid what appear to be 3 viable eggs and 10 possible infertile. Please take a look at the picture and tell me what you think. Secondly, what do I do now? Pearlite? Vermiculite? 75 degrees, right? could use some help here. Thanks,Jason.

Candle the eggs. You have maybe 2 or 3 fertile. If they are yellow with candling, toss them.
Doug Taylor Reptiles

Jason ,I agree with Doug and yourself, only 3 are likely fertile. If in doubt, set the egg(s) up in a separate container. I would use standard colubrid technique, although others such as SIMS etc. will also work. Tried and true is vermiculite, get the agricltural grade coarse type, avoid asbestos and fetilizer added types. You could use perlite, towels, paper towels,etc., but I think vermculite is better. Add water, roughly .o8 water to 1 vermiculite by weight. 1:1 worked fine for me, but some think that is too damp... Put in a plastic box with tight lid. Drill a few very small holes in lid. Add a couple inches of vermiculite, use plenty, and bury the eggs 1/2 way. Put pencil mark on top of egg and avoid rotating it after it starts incubating. Use temps around 75-76f. which is cooler than most reptile egg temps. You want a low and slow incubation...they will hatch robust and fat, with very little albumin left in the shell. I use incubators, but you can do fine with just an empty ice chest in a stable room temp environment if you don't have one...but avoid temp spikes, especially too warm, some of us think they correlate with spinal kinks etc. Try to avoid constantly adding water...most folks error on too wet side. But do add some if needed, OK to pick up the egg and inspect underside and make sure it is not collapsing. Some eggs will dent in, and quickly swell again if humidity is adequate. Dryer is often better...avoid mold etc. Realize eggs may pip but take a day or two to emerge, don't hurry them. Some eggs may hatch 2 or 3 days after the first...it is tortuous to watch, you will be anxious. Remember the drilled holes in lid? You can put tape over a few of them, and adjust the humidity. Avoid dripping "dynamic" water on the eggs. Humidity is good, but liquid water on the eggs is not. I open boxes to allow air exchange toward the latter weeks of incubation, they will be expelling liquid and gases...Good luck and let us know how it goes. PM me if needed. Vic

Thanks Doug and Vic.

Vic, regarding vermiculite, when you say .08 to 1 do you mean .8 to 1? And is that by weight or volume? I only ask because you say you have used 1 to 1 and there is such a large difference between .08 and 1. Thanks for your expertise!

Oops...Yes, I meant .8 water to 1.0 vermiculite by weight. This is a guideline, for years and thousands of clutches of reptile eggs have been hatched using 1:1. I think a bit dryer is better, and of course plenty of keepers just guess at the moisture by "feel" and they have good success. Of course how dry the vermiculite to start with may slightly infuence the total moisture content and the weight. I usually dry the vermiculite before adding the water, baking it in the oven or intense desert sun. Acutally, though we tend to obsess on it, the exact amount probably is not real important, it allows for variation. good luck, Vic

Vic, I see now that the ratio is by weight. Missed that. Thanks, Jason

I am just a beginner at this but, it looks as though the eggs you think might be good are shiny. In my experience if they are shiny, they are not good. Let us know if my observations are correct. Good Luck.

ECTimaeus