Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have to ask, how do you incubate eggs? and why? Then how do you set up neonates and why? lastly adults?

Please understand, the point of discussion is to talk about the subject, not a its this way period.

Its my feeling that recipe keepers, build a wall against conversation because they have no idea how something works, so they tend to be defensive and tend to attack other people. So please stop with that and think. Its merely conversation, as no one is forced to actually do anything they don't want to do. Thank you so much

Hey Frank,
As the co-designer and co-producer of the SIM incubation container, I am sure you now how I incubate my eggs. LOL. Why? Because in my opinion, it is a superior way of incubating reptile eggs for a variety. One reason is, it takes most human error out of the equation. There is no need to carefully weigh substrate and water to get the "right" ratio. The egg itself is regulating its hydration by taking what it needs fron the air and not what is being forced on it by being in a damp substrate. It allows the eggs to take in less carbon dioxide and more oxygen. This results in faster incubation and better developed hatchlings. I even have literature from a Zoo here in the US that backs this up. Plus, the damn thing looks cool. LOL

My hatchlings are set up in a hatchling rack with high humidity and the same temps they were incubated for a couple of weeks. Once they have had a few meals and have a bit more body mass, they are put into dryer, warmer conditions with a humid hide on the cool end for when they need to escape the hotter, dryer conditions.

"As the co-designer and co-producer of the SIM incubation container"

I just saw this and looked it up. Nice design. Its the same concept that Greg Maxwell, Trooper Walsh and many of the chondro guys started using about 12-13 years or so ago if memory serves me correctly.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the inspiration for the idea?

I picked up a 4 pack of the SIM containers. Gotta say, I love em.

I will give you guys credit, SIM is about as natural an incubation method as any out there.

So, how well do you think a SIM cage would work? Because that's exactly how snakes work in nature as well. And you would not need to water them.

As you know, I have an incubator room. So there is not need for the SIM method.
But my son tested a method for Torts that is crazy and it worked so well its was ridiculous. So I tried it on Flavis and it also worked really well.
I am not sure where he got this method but it is, Dry perlite, with a cup of water. In a plastic box. It worked with torts so well, even infertile eggs hatched. Ok, only one what what a weird story. With Flavi eggs, I barely added a water and provided a cup of water. As Flavi eggs can go as long as a year, incubating them the old way was a bit tricky. With the cup of water, it stayed perfect the entire incubation. no adding at anytime.

Wow getting an infertile egg to hatch is quite an accomplishment! I must try this incubation method, Frank!

Dan

Why not just ask what happened instead of what ever conclusions your jumping too. Here's the deal, you and Discern only need the smallest about of bait to get your rears stuck in a trap. Truth is, I will keep setting them as long as you keep getting caught in them. All you have to do is ASK, then its ON ME!

Ok, I will pretend you asked. We received a clutch of Golden greek eggs, put them in the incubator in the described method. Dry perlite with a cup of water. Four eggs total. They started to develop veins and such normally, except one. That one candled clear and was half full of water, so I called it the half full of CLEAR water egg. The other eggs hatched in a couple months and that half full of water egg, still appeared infertile, now less then 1/2 full of a clear yellowish fluid. No vascular development what so ever. So we left it in the incubator until it rots, but it didn't rot. About three months later, my son got me and said, you have to look at this. There was a baby tort in that box of perlite. and a shell it hatched from. Why I called it infertile was, it did appear that way for the longest time, But eventually hatched. Many folks including me in the past, would have tossed that sucker.

Here's another goofy one for you, I hatched a clutch of blackheaded pythons. All hatched but one. It candled normally etc. But did not hatch. So I cut it open, it had a full vascular system. Veins, arteries and such, and no, zero, nothing for a snake, no zygote, no embryo, nada. Poop happens and poop is educational. Both of the above indeed occurred, and heck if I know how. How and why they occurred is not known, yet! maybe someday it will be.

Dan, Infertile eggs will never hatch, if a egg hatches it was fertile in the first place. If someone is stating a infertile egg hatched they are just ignorant! It's not Rocket Science.

You could keep an infertile egg in an incubator forever and it still would never hatch. Misinformation is detrimental to our hobby.

Not knowing how to read or better yet, a over abundance of anger is bad for the hobby.
I am interested, Torts and Colubrids, for that matter, do practice Parthenogenesis and parthenogenesis is defined as a type of asexual reproduction in which a female a female gamete or egg cell develops into an individual without fertilization, both lay eggs therefore, the eggs were not fertilized. So infertile eggs can hatch.

That was just for fun, clearly in my post I stated the egg appeared to be infertile and after a long period, developed and hatched. In your case, either your all about the first paragraph or children must play.

I incubate eggs in plastic box full of moist sphagnum moss.
Raise neonates in a plastic box full of moist sphagnum moss.
Adults in a cage with lots of moist sphagnum moss.
I buy sphagnum by the cubic yard to resolve possible dehydration issues. It helps immensely in maintaining their internal "water balance".
I had egg-binding problems with my "dry cage and small nest box" several years ago. Never again. I cannot prove that poor hydration caused the egg-binding, but I strongly suspect it. Since I have been using lots of moist sphagnum, binding has not been a problem.

There you go, thank you for the reply. And you hit it right on the nose, they are all the same.

Snakes put their eggs in conditions that are suitable for the eggs, neonates and adults.

Of course adults grow up and gain a much greater mass, therefore can withstand greater loss, its its not what they want.

Thanks so much.