need help

[candycaine]

hi ok I took mum from eggs and because it was just me doing it it took longer, got 13 slugs and about 11 firtile about that, they started going cold, I have 3 in the incubator and the rest with mum.

BUT she is laying on top of eggs now and not around them can she crush them or kill them doing this? plus most where collapsed and others had clear parts on them what need's to be added?

I have added new vermiculite/moss moist and a heat mat to box humidity is at 89% now but she is laying on top of them.

the incubator has heat cord and thermostat and thermometre. small container with vermiculite and moss.

I am so worried I will loose them all please help!!!

 

[method]

Just stop freaking out, step back and think about this logically.

If this is your second season breeding you should know how to maintain these eggs throughout the season not just within the first 24 hours. The clear parts on the eggs you won't be able to do anything about, they may be slugs depending on what they look like which may not be suprising if she threw 13 slugs out of 24, but just let them incubate anyway if your not 100% and you may have some success with them.

Don't add anymore moisture to the laying box as it sounds fine, strange she is laying on top of them but the question is why did you take her off the eggs to remove just 3 eggs to artificially incubate them and not the rest of the clutch? Why let her incubate them at all when you have an incubator available?

If your worrying about her crushing the eggs its simple, take her off and stick those eggs into the incubator.

 

[candycaine]

recounted there was 30 eggs and 13 slugs. just had alook at the photo.

 

[candycaine]

the realson behind sticking the 3 in is because they would roll over after I removed the slugs, and I didn't want to risk drowning them. I check the mother again and she is now coiled properly around them...sigh of releaf. I was worried because of first year went terrably wrong with only 1 hatching out of 26 perfectly firtile and white eggs. and that was AI now MI, thats why I thought she'd do the work this year. the slugs were removed cause I didn't want to contaminate them. i just want everything to go perfect this time..i have alot of people and myself counting on everything going well.

but your right I need to take a big breath and stop stressing. and think about it more logicly.

 

[ihaveherps]

There are alot of variables to consider that you havent posted.... like is the part of the clutch she is on clumped or seperated, has seperating her from the eggs and then adding more damp material thrown her off...

Not to sound mean, but you should really have your action plan for eggs together well before they are laid, evn if they are laid a week early, its almost cruel to put her body through the rigours of back to back seasons, to lay viable eggs, only to have them waste due to poor planning and/or understanding of how to deal with them. There is more than enough literature around these days to have every aspect of the process covered.

Anyway, if they arent in a clump, there will be more risk of her rolling the eggs, if this happens after the embryo attaches, then the embryo will drown. If she is sitting on them rather than holding the clump, I would say she will be pushing up hill to thermoregulate them as she should, I wouldnt assume she would crush them though. The deflated look is due to slight dehydration, the windows are sort of normal in some eggs, generally she would have found a near perfect environment to lay, somewhere she could regulate the temperature needing minimal adjustment, and of a high humidity, sometimes they are known to urinate on the clutch to raise humidity if needed, so if all goes well, the deflated eggs should plump up some what if the conditions are right, no biggie. Now you went on to say that you added moist vermiculite and moss, did you at least use warm water to dampen.... otherwise you just cooled down the laybox, as it will take time for it to raise to a satisfactory temp. You also added a heat mat, where did you put it? under the eggs? and where is the probe for the thermo the mat is on?

Anyway, Im already over these types of threads this early in the season.... keepers with NFI should keep their animals seperated full time!

 

[candycaine]

yes I used warm water to moist the verm/moss the stuff in there was dry and hard, I added a heat mat for under the nest, I do know the basic's I'm not ignorant. It just threw me off abit when I saw most of them as slugs, the remainding eggs are in a clump I tried not to seperate them. I candled all well before I moved them I only removed the ones with no viens and that where obvious slugs. I left the rest in the clutch. appart from the 3 that would roll if left with the clutch and there in the incubator. I was ready 5 months ago for MI not AI I had a bad luck last season with only 1 hatching, all eggs where white there was only 8 slugs. so thats why I thought about MI I got her all vet checked 2 months before breeding started. vet said she was a lil over weight but I should think about MI instead seeing we have the heat and humidity pretty much on our door step.

I did plenty of research it just never prepares you for such stress. I did everything gave her the corect heat, lots of water, a hide nest box, tried to keep it moist.

oh and the eggs is the incubator the verm/moss also has warm water added to it, I even checked how moist it was too and made sure it didn't loose water.

 

[ihaveherps]

where is the probe for the said heat mat?

 

[candycaine]

I made sure it was near the clutch away from heat mat. but if its still near or in amongst the clutch is another thing the female could of move it when she coiled around them again.

 

[ihaveherps]

nevermind.....

 

[Sock Puppet]

On a related question, how long does it take for the embryo to attach to the egg after laying? That is, how long is your window of opportunity to move / seperate / add to incubator etc the eggs after laying, before having to worry about not rolling them? I want to have a crack at breeding my Bredli in a cpl years when they mature, just want to be as informed as possible by then.

Good luck with your clutch Candycaine, hope all goes well with the fertile eggs.

 

[JasonL]

It isn't an exact science, and would probably vary from species to species... If the eggs were constantly moving after being laid then the embryo would continue to float. Environmental factors probably have some effect too. I have seen BD eggs all rolled a couple of weeks after being laid for a 100% hatch rate.

 

[Sock Puppet]

Ah OK, thanks Jason.

 

[miss2]

i have no help to offer but GOOD LUCK lol

 

[candycaine]

thanx heaps.

update - I've been getting the advice I need by afew people today here in darwin, I've bought another thermostate and a few temp and humidity gages. I checked on every one and they seam to be ok. the heat up here is pretty high but I can get it down with a aircon. its all good thanx anyways