Vermiculite substitutes?

[AROWANA MAN]

What do you guys think would be a good type of Vermiculite substitute for incubating eggs in

 

[summoner12]

What do you guys think would be a good type of Vermiculite substitute for incubating eggs in

Are you having trouble getting vermiculite?

 

[BocaJan]

I can't think of anything better. Vermiculite doesn't mold from being damp so long, it is easy to check and doesn't give you dry/wet spots. It remains pretty consistently damp throughout.

 

[Jerm]

has anyone ever used or even heard about this? Repashy SuperHatch Incubation Media from LLLreptile.com, it says its reuseable but seems kinda strange to put eggs in such a corse/hard material
heres the link to it:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog.../-/repashy-superhatch-incubation-media-2-lbs/

This is a thread on this forum under breeding that has another option. Thread is called "anyone ever use this". I have heard of people using perlite that has been rinsed well, but I have tried it in the past and it worked, but it seemed to be more mantainance to keep hydrated than vermiculite alone. I also tried a mix of the two which worked well, but now I just stick to vermiculite. It is easier and works well.

 

[AROWANA MAN]

Are you having trouble getting vermiculite?

actually i have plenty of it, but just was seeing if u guys know of a good substitute
oh yeah how bout incubators

 

[Jerm]

What type of eggs are you incubating?

 

[AROWANA MAN]

What type of eggs are you incubating?

oh no just getting ready cause one of the female panthers I bought is gravid

 

[Jerm]

I have always incubated my panther eggs in regular tupperware type containers. If your house stays at room temperature, you really don't need an incubator. I put them in a dark closet and check them periodically and add water to the vermiculite if it starts to dry out.

 

[AROWANA MAN]

thanks but what is the minimum temperature to keep them in

 

[JoeyTwilight]

oh no just getting ready cause one of the female panthers I bought is gravid

I thought you were only allowed to own Jacksons in Hawaii ??

 

[AROWANA MAN]

oh no I moved to Florida 2 weeks ago
and even though I was still living there I could of just got a permit until then

 

[Jerm]

thanks but what is the minimum temperature to keep them in

Whell, that is a tough question to answer. It depends on whether you want to break diapause early. Everyone uses their own method of breaking diapause, which is a state of dormancy that the eggs go through. In the wild it gets them throught the winter before they start to develop. If you cool them down to the mid 60's for the first couple of months, then warm them up to mid to upper 70's you can get them to hatch sooner usually than if you warmed them up from the beginning. No guarantees though. I've had them hatch anywhere from 5 1/2 months all the want to a year after starting incubation, with the same method used on all of them. I would say that the low 60's would be the coolest I would let them get, but once they start to develop, keep them in the mid to upper 70's until they hatch.

 

[Kat77]

Whatever you choose to do, do not use Repshay. A friend of mine has had disastrous results with that stuff. Mold beginning to grow and take over would be healthy eggs in just a matter of days. Look for Hatchrite.

 

[Jerm]

Whatever you choose to do, do not use Repshay. A friend of mine has had disastrous results with that stuff. Mold beginning to grow and take over would be healthy eggs in just a matter of days. Look for Hatchrite.

I haven't tried Repashy's product, but he (Allen Repashy) is a very reputable reptile breeder. Under normal circumstances, mold growth means that the eggs are infertile. Did your friend try some of the eggs in Repashy and some in regular vermiculite to know that it was actually the substrate that was causing the mold?