May have seriously goofed up!

[dtown]

Arlene had her clutch of 34 eggs in late December. I immediately put the eggs in perlite in a tub. The temperature in tub over the last couple of months has had a flucuation of temp ranging from 74 - 79 degrees and around 90% humiditity. I haven't been able to keep the temperature constant and as a direct result of this I have lost eggs. I currently only have 6 left, but they looked awesome. So I decided to get a Hova Bator incubator to keep the variables constant. It came this past weekend, so I transfered the eggs out of the tub and into the hova bator. I looked at the eggs last night and they had concaved in a little bit. Did I ruin those 6 by changing them into the hova bator? I guess I am just asking if I ruined the eggs by transferring them out of the environment in which they had been growing in for almost 5 months?? Super sad and upset about it, although Arlene is currently holding fertilized eggs and digging to bury them as I right this. I'm sure the new clutch under stable conditions from the begining will produce better results!!

 

[james L]

Shit happens, dont be to upset. Moving eggs around after a couple of months is very touchy business. You were better off leaving them alone. Your old temp range seemed fine to me. As seasons change so do temps and moisture. Its natural for eggs to go through this process. Its what breaks the diapause period and helps embryos grow. Hova bators are not for everyone. You really have to figure out how to use them in your own situation. Its hard to get the perfect temp with them. Play with it for a while, and figure out the best spot in your home for it. Dark and cool is best. What temps do you have it set at currently? Also stuff happens with eggs and what I mean is that many of your eggs could have been bad from the begining. They might have just finally gone totally bad. Again things happen and hoprfully your leaning from your mistakes. Goodluck and keep trying!!!

 

[dtown]

A learning process it is!! It is fun though, it just adds another dimension of having these animals! I currently have kept the hova bator at a constant 79*.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."I haven't been able to keep the temperature constant and as a direct result of this I have lost eggs. I currently only have 6 left"...I don't think you lost the eggs because of the fluctuating temperatures.

I never keep mine at a constant temperature. The temperature of my eggs fluctuates with the room temperature. My containers are set on a screen and wood frame that sits over a human heating pad. They are kept in the dark basement. As the temperatures in the house go up and down due to seasonal changes and day to night changes, the temperature inside the containers changes a few degrees too. I've had close to 100% hatchrate of veileds and many other reptiles doing it this way....so I don't think it causes any problems as long as you stay within a range that isn't extreme at the high end or the low end.

 

[Cham101]

caving in

if they cave in a little bit it is because low humidity.. if they mold it is too much humidiy. it is a fine line