Panther eggs and diapause

So I just checked on my eggs that have been incubating for almost 4 months now. I only check them every couple weeks. For the first time(Other than pictures right after they were laid) I opened the lid to check moisture levels, and I decided to candle one of the eggs even though I know it isn't recommended. (I was very careful!) But after almost 4 months there still aren't any signs of blood vessels, so I am assuming thay are still in diapause.

So here are my questions. 1) I know diapause varies but is it normal to still be in diapause after 4 months? 2) Is there a set time it takes the embryo to form after diapause is broke? 3) The eggs look perfectly healthy so they probbably would have gone rotten earlier if they were bad right?

Thanks in advance for any responses!

Danielle

Hey I am also new to incubation. I have two clutches one new and the other almost 3 months. There are many things that could be keeping them in diapause though. I dont know if you have read this article so I will post the link http://www.chameleonnews.com/year200...ncubation.html . Temps and humidity are the factors here so if you are doing it like the article says I wouldnt know what else to tell you.

1. It's possible. What temps have you been keeping them at so far?
2. Don't know if it's a "set time" but I'd say about 4 to 5 months to develop once the diapause has ended.
3. Probably. Over the years I've only had one clutch that looked good and went full term, only to find solid yolky material inside all of them. That female was a gravid import so anything could've happened. You know yours bred and received good care and food, so I'm sure they're fine.

Kent67 said:

1. It's possible. What temps have you been keeping them at so far?
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The temps range from 69 to 74. I think once my female lays her next clutch I am going to try an incubator to keep the temps more constant. Living in Michigan makes it very difficult to control temps.

Yeah, if the temps have been getting up to the mid-70s all this time there has probably not been a que for diapause to end. My advice, don't worry about it. Just keep doing what you've been doing and they'll hatch. For the future, I believe to artificially break the diapause they need to be kept in the 65-68 degree range for the first few months and then gradually raised.

This site has information about the diapause...
http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/fpardalis.html

Ditto Kent..........

Ditto everything Kent said....I used to fuss and candle eggs, etc. I don't bother any more. Most of the time I can see the formation of blood vessels without using the egg candle light. They just take on a warmer, sometimes pinkish, look to them. The shell is still white, but you can see this change as a subtle change in the hue. I put them in a cool cupboard for a couple of months and then move them into the warmer incubator. I know you are waiting for your first clutch to hatch. It is so hard that first time. It was excrutiating!

Thanks you guys! I think I will try the colder-->warmer thing next time. They were in cooler temps for about the first month, but next time I will keep them there a little bit longer. I am pretty sure I am just a really paranoid person! I check them every couple of weeks (without opening the lid) so I will keep an eye out for the pinkish hue! Thanks again!