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kenny1

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Hey guys im having a few probs with eggs, so far ive lost 2 clutches:( one from a diamondxalbino darwin and the other a honey jungle xhet RP darwin.
the 1st clutch colapsed, so I added more water (but Due to my work situation Im away week on week off) I wasnt there to see the signs of too wet.
The second was a similar situation, an now my last clutch is showing signs of too dry but im not keen on wetting too much, I have moistened some paper towel and fitted it tightyly under the lid but they dont seem to be rehydrating, if anything getting worse?
I have candled all of em so far and they were all healthy eggs untill theyre demise
Any tips greatly appreciated kenny
 
I assume you used vermiculite and water method?

Use the over water method instead and won't have that problem
 
I also use the over water method, it has to be the easiest, safest and most successful method out there. The eggs never come in direct contact with the wet substrate, so they're not being forced to absorb or not absorb water in the substrate. Instead the eggs take the perfect amount of moisture they need from the air.


It my help to swap to this method, but because the eggs are already showing signs of trouble, it's not a guarantee they will pickup, but it's worth a shot.
 
yeah i used vermiculite on one and perlite on the other?

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they r not due to hatch till 1st feb, but the embryos are very active when candling.... could this be a sign of stress?
 
yeah i used vermiculite on one and perlite on the other?

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they r not due to hatch till 1st feb, but the embryos are very active when candling.... could this be a sign of stress?

No, it would be that you're candling them and they're sensitive to the light.
 
A few things may be pertinent - where do you have your heat-source for your incubator? If it's overhead it may not be stimulating enough evaporation from the substrate in the egg box, warming the eggs from the top and drying them out without causing evaporation from the vermiculite/perlite. If you have circulating heat on the outside of the sealed (and non-ventilated) eggbox, you should get a good, almost 100% humidity buildup in the eggbox. I usually use a small computer fan ($20 from Dick Smiths) to distribute heat evenly around the incubator. Do you have any ventilation in the eggbox - you shouldn't. I've never had any problems with eggs drying out too soon. You should get a very light, silvery sheen of condensation of condensation on parts of the inside of the eggbox to indicate a 90%+ humidity inside the eggbox, but don't let it build up to droplets which can wet the eggs and suffocate the embryos. If the lid gets very wet, just wipe it down every day or two.

Jamie
 
heres some pics, and the hygrometer in the box is saying 59% and the incubator is at around 70%, Im thinking they are close to the truth cos theres no condensation building up within either?
would a heat pad underneath help out? I understand it would take quite a bit of playing around with temps, but I do have a spare and a dimming thermostat laying around.
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Thanks for the input guys, oh the temp probe going thru the lid is sealed up also
cheers kenny
 
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i MUST HAVE POSTED UNDER QUIK RPLY

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Heres the diamond clutch I lost, before and after
IMG_23301_21.jpgIMG_479511.jpg
they all went black a day after the 2nd shot was taken, I have no doubts they died with the smell and veins disapearing
 
I haven't used that kind of incubator for reptile eggs, but I have used it for birds, and it had the most inconsistent and dramatic temperature changes. That in itself could be the problem.

But you could try this first. I would recomend placing some sort of grate on the vermiculite, wet the vermiculite quite a bit, and place the eggs ontop of the grate. This will work the same as the "over water" method and should help your eggs pick back up or at least stay as they are until hatching.

Like in this photo.


You can use dry perlite ontop of the grate, to help support the separated eggs, so they don't roll.
 
To be honest the temp was a hard thing to set due to the poor english in the instructions, but now Ive got it right and even on the hottest days the temp barely changes more than .4 deg?
I will monitor them 1 more day, but if no change I will give that a go, it looks safer than to keep adding water
I'm more concerned of losing the eggs that are ok due to over wetting the in the process of trying to save a few, im certain thats how I killed the others
cheers kenny
 
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