Egg Husbandry Checkup

[Umbra]

I’ve had a batch of 29 eggs for a little under 2 weeks and just wanted to make sure my conditions are correct for them.
- Setup: unfertilized damp perlite in an XL sandwich Tupperware, paper towel lining the lid to stop dripping on the egg. Box is wrapped in a dark towel tucked away in a low traffic area. Eggs are spaced an inch apart.
- Humidity and temperature: 90% with a steady 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let me know what you guys think and if I should make any changes! Thanks <3

 

[MissSkittles]

@jannb or @kinyonga can tell you if that’s good or not.

 

[Umbra]

@jannb or @kinyonga can tell you if that’s good or not.

Hopefully they’ll see this thread then

 

[MissSkittles]

That’s why I tagged them.

 

[jannb]

I don’t know that’s I use the paper towels. Normally, if they are going to go bad, they mold over within two weeks. This is how I incubate my eggs.
I incubate the eggs the same way that Lynda (kinyonga) does. Put them in a plastic Tupperware shoe box with about 3 inches of moist vermiculite and keep them in a closet where the temps with be around 76 degrees. I punch two tiny holes in the lid. To test for moisture, take a fist full of the vermiculite and squeeze it, if no more than a drop or two of water comes out then the moisture level should be okay. Do not turn the eggs as you move them from where they were laid to the container. Lay them in rows about an inch apart in all directions in shallow dents made with your thumb in the vermiculite. Put the lid on and place them in a dark place where the temperature is between 72-78 F. Moisture will form on the sides of the container and underside of the lid. It takes about 8 to 9 months for the eggs to hatch. It they are not fertile they will mold over in a couple of weeks.

 

[Umbra]

I don’t know that’s I use the paper towels. Normally, if they are going to go bad, they mold over within two weeks. This is how I incubate my eggs.
I incubate the eggs the same way that Lynda (kinyonga) does. Put them in a plastic Tupperware shoe box with about 3 inches of moist vermiculite and keep them in a closet where the temps with be around 76 degrees. I punch two tiny holes in the lid. To test for moisture, take a fist full of the vermiculite and squeeze it, if no more than a drop or two of water comes out then the moisture level should be okay. Do not turn the eggs as you move them from where they were laid to the container. Lay them in rows about an inch apart in all directions in shallow dents made with your thumb in the vermiculite. Put the lid on and place them in a dark place where the temperature is between 72-78 F. Moisture will form on the sides of the container and underside of the lid. It takes about 8 to 9 months for the eggs to hatch. It they are not fertile they will mold over in a couple of weeks.

I followed kinyongas techniques, but added more holes as the humidity was way too high in the container (100%) and I feared them bursting. From what I’ve read on here and chameleon academy, it seems that it’s better to be too dry than too wet, so I decided to err on the side of caution. The paper towel is simply a liner for the lid as I’ve heard mixed things about water drops and didn’t want to take the risk . I’m getting moisture forming on the sides the vermiculite is touching and on the paper towel “roof”, but none on the sides above the verm layer. The humidity is still at 90% though based on my crappy analog humidity gauge that is mounted to the lid. At this point do I add more water to the verm and cover holes to build humidity or am I sitting at around the right percentage?

 

[kinyonga]

@jannb has explained it very well and has been hatching eggs successfully for years now!

I would not use the paper towel. I don’t know for sure but it might lead to mood in the container. There were always drops of water on the inside of the lids and walls of the containers I used..it’s part of the “ecosystem” we’re creating in the container IMHO.

I’ve never measured the humidity in the container…just the temperature.

Be aware that I live in Ontario Canada, so my parameters, such as number of holes in the lid, had to be slightly different than those of @jannb as a result.

 

[Umbra]

@jannb has explained it very well and has been hatching eggs successfully for years now!

I would not use the paper towel. I don’t know for sure but it might lead to mood in the container. There were always drops of water on the inside of the lids and walls of the containers I used..it’s part of the “ecosystem” we’re creating in the container IMHO.

I’ve never measured the humidity in the container…just the temperature.

Be aware that I live in Ontario Canada, so my parameters, such as number of holes in the lid, had to be slightly different than those of @jannb as a result

I’ll adjust accordingly to get the same conditions, and take the paper towel out. Is eggs bursting a concern at this stage?

 

[kinyonga]

You asked…”Is eggs bursting a concern at this stage?”…I can’t tell without seeing the eggs…but they usually swell quite big if they are going to burst…but don’t forget, eggs grow bigger as they incubate too.