Hello,
I have had ten (10) eggs incubating since April 4th, they have all looked great all along and should be hatching any day. I had been incubating at 75-77* all along until Saturday the 8th of June where I increased the temperature by one degree; increased again on the 12th, the 14th, and again today (16th) - one degree each day.
Contrary to a source or two I read in the beginning of all of this, I have not added water to the vermiculite - partially because I had started off the moisture ration greater than typical at 1:1 1/3 vermiculite to water (id est, 6 oz of vermiculite to 8 oz of water); also because the brand new Exo-Terra Incubator I purchased in April has been holding the moisture well, with my hygrometer reading 88-89% all along.
I poked the vermiculite this evening to test the moisture content, and it appears alright, maybe slightly dry. But again, the eggs look great, the hygrometer reads high, and there is clearly plenty of water/moisture in the incubator.
Still, does anyone advise I pour a little water around the perimeter of the vermiculite? I'm just hesitant because I'm right at the end, and I'd hate to screw anything up. I am obviously inquiring because in most cases, the eggs would've hatched by now; however, again recall that I had been incubating at lower temperatures all along (still, within the range of most sources), and also...
These eggs are technically Lampropeltis getula californiae (Mother, an albino "banana" ) x L. g. splendida (Father), and her pre-laying shed was on March 20 = 15 days before laying = longer than typical for L. g. californiae. Thus, being an intergrade may also contribute to the delay in hatching??
Please share Your thoughts, experiences and advice, and thanks in advance for any and all input, and I anxiously await it.
Sincerely,
Timothy
*I am using the Exo-Terra incubator which states in the instructions there can be a ~5 degree difference between what the thermometer reads (situated at top of incubator evidently) and where the eggs actually are = ~6" lower. Sure enough, the incubator had been set at 80 all along (plus-minus 2 degree fluctuation), and the Exo-Terra Combometer--stuck to the inner window pane at egg-level--had read 75-77. With the first three (3) increases, the Combometer has read the appropriate temperature as expected.
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T.J. Gould
If You're bored with time, You can read the entire thread on the Kingsnake forum: http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=2011891,2011891.