Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female laid 9 eggs yesterday. I've had her for years but this is the first time she has developed eggs. I'm not sure if the eggs are fertile though. These are the first chuckwalla eggs I've seen in person. Although I've seen pics before, it's still amazing to me that their eggs are so huge.

I've hatched many species of reptiles, but wanted to ask specifically about chuck eggs. They seem to be well calcified, but are not very firm. These eggs would definitely not bounce (as some reptile eggs do) at this time would I have accidentally dropped one. I've read that they should firm up within a day or so. I'd love to hear how common it is for eggs not to be firm when they are first laid. Eggs of other species I've kept have been firm from the start.

The female took great effort to bury the eggs. I had an area of the enclosure partitioned off with bricks, rocks and moist sand and she dug and buried the eggs there. I enjoyed watching her cover the nest. She would take a break, then a little while later, she would go back and work on it more.

I've read that some people experience that when certain species of reptiles scatter their eggs randomly on the floor of the enclosure, it will often mean the eggs are infertile. Conversely, I've also read that when the female makes the effort to bury the eggs, it usually means the eggs are good. However, I've never noticed a correlation in the species I've kept. I've had bad eggs be buried and good eggs dropped randomly.

Any insight you might provide, especially concerning the lack of rigidity of the eggs at this point (less than 24 hours after they were laid), would be greatly appreciated. I feel they may not be good but that is based solely on my experiences with other reptile eggs, especially various chameleon species. I hope they'll firm up. With chameleon eggs, I most always use a 1 to 1 ratio of vermiculite to water by weight. However, based on one thing I read about chucks, I used 1 part vermiculite to 3/4 parts RO water. I'm not sure if I should add a little more water, but since I'm seeing slight condensation on the container walls, I figured I should simply give the eggs a little more time.

Eggs are soft when first deposited but should firm up and expand after a couple of hours. Chuck eggs often show a little pink spot when first laid. This means they are fertile. I have sometimes had fertile eggs hatch and never saw the pink spot. Last clutch, the female didn't bury the eggs, but did put them in the vermiculite. On examination of the "birth chamber", I found a completely buried egg. All seem to be doing well. I have also had scattered eggs that hatched. If they are not firm the next day, remove them. They are not good, will rot, and will contribute to fungus on the remaining eggs.

I saw a pink area/spot on most of the eggs without having to candle them. When you say "spot", how large is it? Do you have any pics and can you readily see it most of the time in fertile eggs when they are newly laid?