We caught 2 Texas Spiny Lizards, one male and one female. The female was already pretty "fat" and we suspected that she was pregnant. Well, yesterday evening she laid 8 eggs. I searched all night for info on the internet and found nothing! Not until today on kingsnake.com. yeah! however, I am afraid we are too late. We stopped in at our pet store and they recommended since she seemed to have built a nest, just to make sure that we had some moss real wet with our heat lamp to make sure it was pretty humid in there. The problem is, I am afraid we are too late. I noticed that the eggs look deflated. I can't see them all, and I am afraid to ruin anything by touching them, but most look that way. If, by some miracle some live, is there anything that we need to know? Should I really separate them out, or leave them in the cage for now. My guess is that the eggs that live will get bigger and I can keep my eye on those so when they hatch, I can pull them out. I am still learning this lizard thing since we caught these two. The female is still pretty skittish but the male seems to enjoy his surroundings. Doesn't freak out anymore when we do stuff around the cage. Any help or resources would be appreciated! Thanks!
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Spiny Lizard eggs....Help!
Replies (2)
You should remove the eggs and put them in a container such as a Tupperware container with a mixture of water and Vermiculite or Perlite the later which is widely available at Wal-Mart. I believe the mixture is 1:1 by weight but Aliceinwl can touch on that better. The container should be kept in a room where the temperatures stay fairly consistent around 70-80F I believe, Maybe even hotter but again Alice can tell you better.
My research and Collection
Jason's got everything right. Make sure the incubation container has a lid to keep the moisture in. I've never dealt with Texas spineys, but if they're from a very arid environment, you may want to lower the water to substrate ratio. If this is the case you could try .7 parts water to 1 part vermiculite. The ratios are by weight, you can use a postage scale to measure out substrate and water. When you remove the eggs, put them in the incubation container in the same position in which they were laid. If the eggs are only slightly deflated, the may still be salavagable. You can open the container weekly for air exchange and to remove any dead (moldy, smelly) eggs.
-Alice
