are my eggs fetile???

[ssutton]

hi,
my female Yemen chameleon layed a huge clutch of 81 eggs on 8/DEC/2009,
i mated her about 5-6 weeks before she actually dug and layed her eggs
i have been incubating them for about 6 weeks now, at 81' degree's
3 eggs shriveled up and went mouldy so i threw them away.

about a week ago a couple of them started to dent so i added a bit more moisture to the vermiculite, they seem fine now

the are about an inch big ovel shape,

mostly white in colour & a few pale yellow,

how will i know if they are fertile,

should i candle them??????

if i candle them when should i do it,
after how many months will i see a veins, fetus or signs of life???

this is my first attempt of breading any sort of reptile

anyone help

thanks in advance

 

[BocaJan]

A picture would be good to be able to judge the condition of the eggs. Sometimes when a female is mated there are a couple of duds that mold...you did the right thing by removing them.

Are the eggs in vermiculite? How did you add water? Why did you think the medium was too dry? If you overwater the eggs will swell. If they are an inch big, it sounds like you should not add any more water.

It is always a good idea when mating a female to make a note and stick it right on the outside of the cage of the date she was mated. They can hold their eggs even 38 days...don't know if they can hold them longer, but I had one that didn't lay for that long.

Most importantly, the temps are too high! Remember, these eggs in their natural environment are underground, perhaps under some roots where it is cool and moist. I keep my eggs at around 72-75.

I don't ever candle my eggs. Unnecessary handling of the eggs isn't good and candling really doesn't serve any purpose other then your curiosity. If they are good they will just be white and plump until you can see a dark spot, maybe even green dark spot from the inside of the eggs. At this point hatching is inevitable, anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

Good luck!

 

[ssutton]

A picture would be good to be able to judge the condition of the eggs. Sometimes when a female is mated there are a couple of duds that mold...you did the right thing by removing them.

Are the eggs in vermiculite? How did you add water? Why did you think the medium was too dry? If you overwater the eggs will swell. If they are an inch big, it sounds like you should not add any more water.

It is always a good idea when mating a female to make a note and stick it right on the outside of the cage of the date she was mated. They can hold their eggs even 38 days...don't know if they can hold them longer, but I had one that didn't lay for that long.

Most importantly, the temps are too high! Remember, these eggs in their natural environment are underground, perhaps under some roots where it is cool and moist. I keep my eggs at around 72-75.

I don't ever candle my eggs. Unnecessary handling of the eggs isn't good and candling really doesn't serve any purpose other then your curiosity. If they are good they will just be white and plump until you can see a dark spot, maybe even green dark spot from the inside of the eggs. At this point hatching is inevitable, anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

Good luck!

yes the eggs are in vermiculite,
the vermiculite wasn't holding together in the tubs and seemed to dry as one or 2 of the eggs war really dented,
i added water by spraying the vermiculite only not the eggs,
ill try and gt a pic on here asap for you,

majority of the eggs are white and plump, its juts a few that are yellowish colour!


should i turn my temperature down now?

or is it too late as they are incubated at 81'

cheers

 

[pssh]

Turn I'd down gradually and throughout the 6-7 months you can bring it back up to around 78. It kind of stimulates summer I think. (or perhaps I'm thinking of a different species?)

If you candle them you won't see anything untill the last half of the incubation period. Usually you'll just see veins halfway and further along you may see a smal dark circle.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Turn down temps now...

Just turn down the temperature now to 75 degrees. Keeping them that high may cause issues later on in development. I keep my eggs in a room temperature cupboard for at least one month and then move them into the 75 degree incubator. This change from lower to higher simulates nature and breaks diapause for quickly. I never candle eggs. The changes that occur as months go by are very visable. You will just know that they are alive.