question about eggs hatching

[imcurt]

I have my first clutch of veiled chameleons that are just starting to hatch. Well 1 hatched 2 days ago I see tinny little worms on the rest of the outer egg shells .Does anybody know what they are ,and what I need to do about them?

 

[jojackson]

ACK! some kind of nematodes or something I expect. What did you incubate in?
Prepare some fresh inert media, in a new tub, and carefully, without turning the eggs,
rub or rinse off anything on them (ensure they dry a little before you put the lid on) transfer to the new tub.
Whatever they are, it cant be good imo.

 

[kinyonga]

Do you have little black flies similar in size to a fruit fly in the room where the eggs are that move with a jerky motion when walking on a surface?

 

[Lancecham]

Do you have little black flies similar in size to a fruit fly in the room where the eggs are that move with a jerky motion when walking on a surface?

That would be my guess as well. What you are seeing are probably the maggots of those flies.

What are you using as a medium for the eggs?

 

[imcurt]

Well i did see A tiny nat-like fly.The eggs are in vermiculite. The one that hatched is eating fruit flys and doing fine. looks like I'll be transfering the rest of the eggs to new media and hope for the best. This is my first time hatching chameleons.If all I get is one I will still consider it sucessful and learn from my experience for the next clutch.

 

[jojackson]

How would FF have got in? holes in egg box lid? Holes are not nessesary provided you
remove the lid and fan a little to exchange oxygen once a week or so.
That said , I dont know if veild eggs are particularly oxygen sensitive.

 

[kinyonga]

The flies I was talking about are not fruit flies and can get into a sealed container that has no holes in it. I hope if that's what they are that they haven't eaten holes in the bottom of your eggs. Are your eggs still full-looking or have they "deflated"?

 

[jojackson]

can get into a sealed container that has no holes in it.

C'mon, get serious! Nothing passes through solid matter, had to be present in one form or another in the tub or the media, on the eggs or in the water before the lid went on, or was trapped inside when the lid was removed, or the container is not 'sealed'.
Chinese type containers can have a poor lid fit and are not airtight anyway, theoretically really small organisms could get in.
Your flys are a case for fox mulder!
Eitherway its not good, but now that I think of it, I wonder what is the hatch rate of wild eggs? or what percentage are destroyed by micro organisms/insects? (not considering larger animals since you wont have them in your incubation media (unless you have cats).

 

[kinyonga]

imcurt...are the eggs still full? If any are deflated have you looked under the eggs to see if any of the worms have eaten holes in the eggs there?