Veiled eggs incubating...info needed

[gemmatony10]

After a very stressfull 4 days of digging and alot of pacing on my behalf...forcing myself not to peek (arrrh it was so hard not to peek and make sure she was ok) my veiled finaly laid her eggs last Saturday (6 days ago).

So we have 46 eggs in my incubator, on dampened vermiculite at about 74-76f, and there is some condensation building on the inside of the tubs, my question is should I wipe this away, or leave it be ?????

Also how long till I know if they are fertile, and how often should I check them (again arrrrh, so hard not to peek lol )

thanks in advance

 

[chameleonoobie]

I would say leave it be. If the condensation is going to drip onto the eggs maybe stick a pencil under the edge of the container so the condensation runs to the side and check it in a few days. Who am I kidding, check it every few hours.

 

[Dez]

Leave the condensation as long as your vermiculight is not soaking wet it should be ok.

Eggs that are not fertile will usually shrink and mold within the first week or two. Had you female been with a male?

If they are fertile, be prepared to wait 6 to 9 months for the babies to hatch. (7 months is usually what I average with consistent temps)

 

[goldilocksadw70]

Occasionally, the humidity in the incubator that causes the condensation can make mold occur. If it does mold, VERY gently wipe the mold, trying not to disturb the eggs too much. Our little gargoyle gecko egg did this, I took a damp q-tip and wiped it as gently as I could. Good luck and congratulations.

 

[javsto]

After a very stressfull 4 days of digging and alot of pacing on my behalf...forcing myself not to peek (arrrh it was so hard not to peek and make sure she was ok) my veiled finaly laid her eggs last Saturday (6 days ago).

So we have 46 eggs in my incubator, on dampened vermiculite at about 74-76f, and there is some condensation building on the inside of the tubs, my question is should I wipe this away, or leave it be ?????

Also how long till I know if they are fertile, and how often should I check them (again arrrrh, so hard not to peek lol )

thanks in advance

ever think about placeing a webcam aimed at the egg laying area on 24/7 (without light) that way you can keep an eye on her without her knowing it by using your pc or mac?

 

[gemmatony10]

yeah ive heard of people using webcams in there laying buckets, would save a heck of a lot of stress lol.

oh okay, I will give them a little check today...ive read that too much air exchange can upset the eggs, so i was thinking I would only check them once a week....or is that too much

Im almost certain they should be fertile, she was with Oscar a few times, and after this her colouring totaly changed....so fingers crossed

 

[BocaJan]

The best container for your eggs is a clear plastic shoe box with 2 very small holes in the top. As far as the condensation, think of where those eggs would be in the wild. They would be underground, sometimes in wet soil, sometimes in dry soil. When a room cools the condensation in your box will increase and when it warms up it should go away. My eggs have never developed mold just because of condensation. Be sure to use clean vermiculite without any fertilizer in it. If it is some that has been sitting around open it may have some bacteria in it. Those calcified eggs are pretty impenetrable. (Think again of where they are in the wild).

If the box is clear you can peek all you want and you won't be disturbing the eggs. As for me, I wouldn't take a q-tip to them. If they are developing mold there is a problem. Perhaps build up a little more vermiculite on the sides of the egg, or just leave it be. If it is a healthy egg it won't be affected.

If any other breeder out there disagrees I would like to hear about it. I have never had a healthy egg develop mold.

 

[goldilocksadw70]

The best container for your eggs is a clear plastic shoe box with 2 very small holes in the top. As far as the condensation, think of where those eggs would be in the wild. They would be underground, sometimes in wet soil, sometimes in dry soil. When a room cools the condensation in your box will increase and when it warms up it should go away. My eggs have never developed mold just because of condensation. Be sure to use clean vermiculite without any fertilizer in it. If it is some that has been sitting around open it may have some bacteria in it. Those calcified eggs are pretty impenetrable. (Think again of where they are in the wild).

If the box is clear you can peek all you want and you won't be disturbing the eggs. As for me, I wouldn't take a q-tip to them. If they are developing mold there is a problem. Perhaps build up a little more vermiculite on the sides of the egg, or just leave it be. If it is a healthy egg it won't be affected.

If any other breeder out there disagrees I would like to hear about it. I have never had a healthy egg develop mold.

Everything I have read about IF mold grows, to wipe it from the egg. A damp q-tip is the "softest" way of doing this. I've never experienced mold until the last week with a gecko egg. It's sitting in the lowest part of the incubator and that's where more humidity is. I agree, if mold is present, there's a problem, it's usually a humidity balance. I would not let mold consume any area around an egg. That's asking for a big mess.