gecko&beardie help. Incubating

[m.punja]

I've been meaning to get reptiles with legs for a while now and decided to take the plunge. Mostly I've wanted monitors and gecko's and when a marble becamse available to me I had to get it. The next day I noticed she was gravid... And the eggs just continue to grow so now I'm going to have to incubate, something that I didn't think I needed to do this season. Anyhow, I'm just wondering what this marblewill need to lay her eggs into and what I should do to incubate. I currently have her on pot 'n' peat as that was what someone told me to do. I also have that spagnus moss in there but thought that was way to wet so took a heap of it out and only have a little it as litter but the gecko is steering clear of both moss and peat and is in the water bowl, now i'm thinking just red sand?
I'm going to set up an incubator ASAP. I've been told to put the eggs on red sand in a bottle lid then put that on vermiculite 50/50 water and into the enclosure which would have to sit at 28degree's. I do have a dual probe thermometer and a good micro so with time I should be able to get an incubator going at the temp and humidity I need. Also, my local petshop has a gravd beardie and they are asking me for advice on the incubating and laying. Being that I don't think they are interested enough to build and incubator I am going to offer to use my incubator if the beardies will incubate the same as gecko's.

Cheers in advance, Mark.

[Brettix]

Not sure if they incubate the same temps as my milii but they incubate a 28-29.
I would use 100%peat no potting mix as potnpeat has fertilizes in it.
Stuff to use is called core peat and comes in hard blocks,wet it and it exspands.
You can use this as bedding and for egg laying,get a plastic container with a lid at cut a hole in the side and put 4cm of damp peat in it and she should lay in that.Then just incubate using verminculite.

[m.punja]

coolies

[Twiggz]

Yeah i would, for now, just use a deeper peat substrate. Take out the water bowl, and just ensure that the substrate is kept moist. As she gets closer to laying you will begin to notice she will be turned up the peat/digging pilot holes, so that will be a good sign.

Once she's laid, make up a 50;:50 mix of water to vermiculite in a chinese container or something alike and directly place the eggs in the verm. Just do a finger/knuckle indentation into the verm. and half burry the eggs. Once done place a sheet of glad wrap between the lid and container base to ensure its completely air tight. Bout once a week open the lid to ventilate the eggs.

[Twiggz]

The mixture should be moist enough (ie the 50:50) so that when you begin to incubate at around 28-29 degrees, there should be a slight condensation build up around the inside edges of the container.

The glad wrap sheet is there to prevent water condensation that forms on the ceiling of the container from falling directly on the eggs as well as ensuring an air tight vaccum.

[Rocket]

Twiggz,
Christinus lay hard shelled eggs so that would be too moist would it not?

I told Mark that method because Saz told me to do that for my Heteronotia eggs and seeing Heteronotia and Christinus both lay hard shelled eggs, I gathered they could be incubated similarly.

[Twiggz]

Nah fair call Rocket- i hadn't thought of that actually.

Saz knows what shes talking bout for sure. Would adding less water do the same thing do you think?
ie alleviate sitting the eggs on a sand filled lid???