Incubation of eggsSource: west coast leopard gecko
General information and Candling of eggsFertile eggs should feel like a stale marshmallow and will quickly become semi-hard.
An infertile egg feels like an empty water bottle. Candling of your eggs with a flashlight
is the best way to determine if the eggs are fertile. When doing this you will notice a
red circle if they are fertile. We put eggs in our incubator even if we see a little red in
the egg. You may find eggs in the water bowl or outside the hide box and this is
normal. We have even had eggs stuck to glass and plastic. You can remove them by
soaking them lightly with warm water ( just the part that is stuck) and let it soak for a
couple minutes, then gently peel the egg off the surface. I have even dropped the eggs
and they hatched ok.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Incubation substrate and containersWe use a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite. Start by soaking the vermiculite in water
for five minutes until completely saturated. Then grab a hand full and squeeze all of the
water out. Place the damp vermiculite in a bowl and then add 50% perlite to make
double the mix. You will only need about a cup and a half of the total mix for two eggs.
What ever size container you use, make sure you have at least an inch and a half of
substrate from the bottom and at least an inch and a half from the top. This system will
give you the correct humidity levels throughout the whole incubation period without
adding extra moisture. Put a small hole on the side of your deli cup about the size of a
pencil lead , to allow air exchange. Mark the lid with the date the eggs were laid and
from whom. Place the substrate in the deli cup and put an indent with one finger where
you will place the egg. The eggs should be buried half way in the substrate, this allows
oxygen to get to the egg. The egg will grow in size as it absorbs the moisture from the
moist substrate. Clear spots in the egg indicates to much humidity and this will kill the
egg. We place the red circular marks facing in the upward position. Rotation is not an
issue until two weeks after the eggs were laid. We use individual deli cups for tracking
purposes and to prevent a bad egg from killing a fertile one. Temperatures should be
between 85-87 degrees for an even number of males and females. Below 74 degrees
and above 95 is the kill zone. If for some reason you have dented or dehydrated eggs
you can save these by using this method. Cover the egg with the substrate ( about one
quarter of an inch) and lightly mist it with water. After 3 days uncover the egg and bury
it half way. It should appear normal. Never spray water directly onto the egg.
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Mon May 31, 2010 11:30 pm
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