My Veiled Chameleon Eggs.

[ChameleonRave]

Well, I just checked the temps in the incubator and I wanted to take a few pics of the eggs and check to Hatchrite they are in. I have a few questions about this so I hope someone is able to help me out!
1. How and when do I know they are fertile?
2. Am I able to candle the eggs with LED flash lights?
3. How do I know the Hatchrite is too dry?- the hatchrite they are in seems really dry I have the bag still with quite a bit of hatchrite in it, and it has condensation on the inside of the bag and the hatchrite is moist.

here are some pictures of the eggs:

Note: some still have a bit of sand on them that i wasn't able to get all the way off.

 

[jdog1027]

You'll know they are fertile after a couple of months. These I have are the first eggs I've had in years, so I'm kinda getting back into the groove of it. I had a clutch laid in late September and around January, I was able to see tiny red veins appearing inside of the eggs. Yes- I use a high powered LED headlamp to candle them. MAKE SURE you mark the top of the egg so that you don't turn it over during the candling process. There was a thread just today that dealt with the topic of rotating eggs. I would advise, don't turn them. If you have any condensation on the inside of your cups, then I'd say your good to go. Squeeze a pinch of it- if a small amount of water starts to drip, it's good. It's better to have it on the Not-so-damp-side than to have it too wet at first. Around the 6 1/2-7 month mark for Veiled eggs, I would always spray the egg medium once every 3-4 days or so, based on a book I read by Francois LaBerre. According to him, this point of incubation coincides with the rainy part of the year in their natural habitat.

 

[ChameleonRave]

You'll know they are fertile after a couple of months. These I have are the first eggs I've had in years, so I'm kinda getting back into the groove of it. I had a clutch laid in late September and around January, I was able to see tiny red veins appearing inside of the eggs. Yes- I use a high powered LED headlamp to candle them. MAKE SURE you mark the top of the egg so that you don't turn it over during the candling process. There was a thread just today that dealt with the topic of rotating eggs. I would advise, don't turn them. If you have any condensation on the inside of your cups, then I'd say your good to go. Squeeze a pinch of it- if a small amount of water starts to drip, it's good. It's better to have it on the Not-so-damp-side than to have it too wet at first. Around the 6 1/2-7 month mark for Veiled eggs, I would always spray the egg medium once every 3-4 days or so, based on a book I read by Francois LaBerre. According to him, this point of incubation coincides with the rainy part of the year in their natural habitat.

alrighty thanks a ton! I haven't turned them at all. and its not so moist, but i did spray the medium a bit to dampen it. I have them in my closet in a hovabator, I will spray it again on monday. thanks! any other tips with the eggs?

 

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

I will defer to those who have incubated Cham eggs, but if those were snake eggs like those I have incubated, I would tell you that you should not have all those airholes....

 

[ChameleonRave]

yeah I guess thats good for them, from what i have read.

 

[jdog1027]

alrighty thanks a ton! I haven't turned them at all. and its not so moist, but i did spray the medium a bit to dampen it. I have them in my closet in a hovabator, I will spray it again on monday. thanks! any other tips with the eggs?

If you have them in a Havobator, be sure to keep them at about 72-74F tops. Don't let them get too hot. Towards the end of incubation, about the same time you raise the humidity somewhat, the temperature can increase a little, but DO NOT go over 80F.

 

[ChameleonRave]

If you have them in a Havobator, be sure to keep them at about 72-74F tops. Don't let them get too hot. Towards the end of incubation, about the same time you raise the humidity somewhat, the temperature can increase a little, but DO NOT go over 80F.

right now its at about 78F I will be decreasing it a bit today, its in my closet and the closet is really cold this time of year so I am always checking the temp.

 

[Psi]

3. How do I know the Hatchrite is too dry?- the hatchrite they are in seems really dry I have the bag still with quite a bit of hatchrite in it, and it has condensation on the inside of the bag and the hatchrite is moist.

I personally don't like Hatchrite, I lost all 10 eggs I put in it.
It always seemed too dry like you're saying.

I never added any water to it as that's it's purpose, and they all withered and died.

 

[ChameleonRave]

I personally don't like Hatchrite, I lost all 10 eggs I put in it.
It always seemed too dry like you're saying.

I never added any water to it as that's it's purpose, and they all withered and died.

I add water every few days. I'm hoping that it will make everything better with the hatchrite. I wonder if anyone else has used hatchrite here?

 

[facelesdoll]

are you putting those cups right into the hova? they have holes on the side and will release the MUCH needed water/humidity if that is the case. find a tuperware container that holds your deli cups and can go in the incubator. eggs should not have air transfer so much, eggs dont get cross breezes under ground. i dont know if this helps but i hope so

 

[ChameleonRave]

are you putting those cups right into the hova? they have holes on the side and will release the MUCH needed water/humidity if that is the case. find a tuperware container that holds your deli cups and can go in the incubator. eggs should not have air transfer so much, eggs dont get cross breezes under ground. i dont know if this helps but i hope so

so just put them in like a shoe box sized containor? I will do that tonight thanks for the advice, it has an area to put water to keep up humidity should i put water in the bottom? its a plastic kind of reservoir to hold water.

 

[melric]

Hmm, this has me worried because I'm using hatchrite too. I just sprayed it a little. I'm keeping my eggs at 75 degrees.

 

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

It seems you have not had much of a response from the more experienced Cham Breeders. I would suggest reposting the thread where it is clear that you have questions. Some people could skip the thread thinking you are just posting egg pics!!

I still think all those airholes are a mistake but you really need some more breeders weighing in....

 

[james L]

You really dont want the air holes, thats why you have to add water so often. I always add a couple of pin sized holes in my egg containers so the air doesnt get to stagnant but If you open the container about once a week, you wont need any holes. I will say keeping them drier is better then keeping them to wet though.
Hovas are fine for incubating veiled eggs. They just dont get any real drop in temp at night. Set it for mid 70's to low 80's. That range works well for me.
The sand on the eggs is fine. Dont candle! If there fertile they will grow in size over time. If not they will rot or mold. Remove the bad ones ASAP. Sometimes fertile eggs can go bad to. If a egg looks a weird but hasnt dented of molded, keep it. It may be good.
Also keep the eggs in DARK place, never touch them, and put them back in the same spot, facing the same way when you pull them out to look at them, add water or whatever.
Hope this helps with some of your egg concerns. Goodluck!!!
Oh yea, just put some tape over the holes. Dont move the eggs!

 

[ChameleonRave]

You really dont want the air holes, thats why you have to add water so often. I always add a couple of pin sized holes in my egg containers so the air doesnt get to stagnant but If you open the container about once a week, you wont need any holes. I will say keeping them drier is better then keeping them to wet though.
Hovas are fine for incubating veiled eggs. They just dont get any real drop in temp at night. Set it for mid 70's to low 80's. That range works well for me.
The sand on the eggs is fine. Dont candle! If there fertile they will grow in size over time. If not they will rot or mold. Remove the bad ones ASAP. Sometimes fertile eggs can go bad to. If a egg looks a weird but hasnt dented of molded, keep it. It may be good.
Also keep the eggs in DARK place, never touch them, and put them back in the same spot, facing the same way when you pull them out to look at them, add water or whatever.
Hope this helps with some of your egg concerns. Goodluck!!!
Oh yea, just put some tape over the holes. Dont move the eggs!

thanks for the answers! I will cover the holes, and I will be adding water every week so they don't dry out. I don't think any have caved in/molded yet, but its only been about 2 weeks. I have the eggs at 78 degrees right now so It should be good. It is usually about 65 in my closet in the winter. and in the summer i will be adjust the temps to be stable.

Thanks!