Please Help, Something wrong with eggs

[chameleon lover 2]

Hi everyone

I hope someone can help me, I have got 17 flap neck chameleon eggs.
They have been in incubation for 9 months and they were all perfectly healthy. They were all nice and white and they have grown so much, they got so big. Something happened and I don't know if it was our sudden temperature change. This morning when I woke up and went to go look at them, they have all shrunk. They are all still white but so so much smaller than what they were...

Does it mean I'm busy loosing them? Please if someone can help me...

Thank you so much

 

[ridgebax1]

That may mean they are getting ready to hatch. I have never bred or hatched eggs but I think they do this when close to hatching, plus they start to sweat. I hope someone with more experience can chime in.

 

[chameleon lover 2]

I hope so, I really spent too much time waiting for them hehe. my heart will be really sore if that's not the case. We had a sudden temperature chance. it was very hot and I only realized that the eggs were too hot a day after.. there was a lot of vapour on the lid.. I got such a fright.. If someone else can tell me what you think, please let me know

 

[Mredhorse]

Hi there,
By now you probably either have a bunch of babies walking around or the eggs didn't make it.

I had something like this happen to my turtle eggs and the cause was me. There was to much moisture and the eggs expanded to the point of bursting.

In my case the eggs were about 4 weeks from hatching. DARN!! Human error.

 

[chameleon lover 2]

Hi there,
By now you probably either have a bunch of babies walking around or the eggs didn't make it.

I had something like this happen to my turtle eggs and the cause was me. There was to much moisture and the eggs expanded to the point of bursting.

In my case the eggs were about 4 weeks from hatching. DARN!! Human error.

Yup no babies yet and the eggs has also not died yet, One of the eggs looked like it wanted to hatch and came out half way but died. a fully formed flap neck chameleon, I just burst out in tears, but all the other ones still look normal just much smaller than what they all were a few days ago...

I don't know what to do.

But on the other hand, do you have photos of your turtles? I would like to see them, I have got a baby tortoise, he is so darn cute... I love him to bits....

 

[CarlC]

How much of a temp swing did you have? Do have you have any holes in the containers you are using?

Carl

 

[fluxlizard]

Death on hatch is usually nutritional thing with the mother. But sometimes other things- By any chance have you kept track of the weight of the container so you can know if your water content is low from evaporation? I use sealed containers to prevent this, but every once in a while I get a bad container and evaporation occurs... If moisture content is low- they can't hatch sometimes. On the other hand, if it is too high, they can drown from moisture absorbed through shell right at hatch time instead of hatching, so you have to be careful if you go tweaking things...

 

[Mredhorse]

Here are a few of the babies.. I am having problem finding the egg pictures. (I do have them but might have been stored on a different computer)
The bigger one is "One Eye" while I had them outside, he was attacked by a swift when he was 2 days old. (poor gal)
Turtles sleep----- caught him sleeping after a few hours of swimming.
SIZE: One eye is only 3" in size as of today, this picture was taken last year.

 

[chameleon lover 2]

Here are a few of the babies.. I am having problem finding the egg pictures. (I do have them but might have been stored on a different computer)
The bigger one is "One Eye" while I had them outside, he was attacked by a swift when he was 2 days old. (poor gal)
Turtles sleep----- caught him sleeping after a few hours of swimming.
SIZE: One eye is only 3" in size as of today, this picture was taken last year.

Thanx for the photos, they are beautiful.... xxx

 

[chameleon lover 2]

Death on hatch is usually nutritional thing with the mother. But sometimes other things- By any chance have you kept track of the weight of the container so you can know if your water content is low from evaporation? I use sealed containers to prevent this, but every once in a while I get a bad container and evaporation occurs... If moisture content is low- they can't hatch sometimes. On the other hand, if it is too high, they can drown from moisture absorbed through shell right at hatch time instead of hatching, so you have to be careful if you go tweaking things...

I did not know I have to keep the weight of the container, I feel so stupid now.. one thing I can say is that there was a lot of evaporation. I do have one smallish hole in the container... and we had quite a heavy temp swing. it was cool and then all of a sudden damn hot for a couple of hours and then it cooled down again... But it was heavy in temperature difference.. Do you think there is not enough water in now? They were so close to hatching, I would say within a month of hatching. do you think I must give more water?

 

[fluxlizard]

Unfortunately- I really don't know. Can you post a pic and maybe we can guess? Maybe not too- in person I might be able to tell a little more.

Do you have any condensation (light haze) on the sides of the container- even below the substrate line? Normally you want a little of that going on. If there is none, it is likely your moisture content is too low.

Any changes you might make, you should make a little bit at a time and then watch and see.

I don't use/like ventilation holes btw for next time- they aren't necessary and make things more complicated.

 

[fluxlizard]

How hot was "damn hot"?

That could be the problem too...

 

[chameleon lover 2]

Unfortunately- I really don't know. Can you post a pic and maybe we can guess? Maybe not too- in person I might be able to tell a little more.

Do you have any condensation (light haze) on the sides of the container- even below the substrate line? Normally you want a little of that going on. If there is none, it is likely your moisture content is too low.

Any changes you might make, you should make a little bit at a time and then watch and see.

I don't use/like ventilation holes btw for next time- they aren't necessary and make things more complicated.

Ill post some pictures tomorrow.. it is night time here now and wont be able to see so nicely... I have got a picture of before and ill take one tomorrow of what they look like now... and ill check for the light haze you are talking about... thank you for your help, I appreciate it..

Please look at my pictures when you have chance and see if you can see anything.. And next time I wont make any holes in the container.

 

[chameleon lover 2]

Hi, I am sorry I am struggling to attach photos, I have only done it once before I think..

 

[fluxlizard]

You can upload them to your gallery here on the forums first and then link to the photo in your post.