OT - sorry - need incubation help

[jitami]

Look here, this is the first thing that popped up on google when I searched for 'home depot light diffuser' http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/10...ights-and.html Scroll down a bit.

That said, no amount of searching home depot online led me to it. I'm guessing it's because they don't ship well? I know a lot of the light covers were cracked when we had to replace one. Maybe Thomas can get us a part number?

[drache]

hm, yes, at that home depot they barely know what's in their own department, so since I didn't ask in lighting . . .

[MasSalvaje]

hm, yes, at that home depot they barely know what's in their own department, so since I didn't ask in lighting . . .

Hey now, we aren't all like that! But I do what you mean. The discription I have in my system is 2x4 EGG CRATE WHITE LOUVER, SKU is 116-602, UPC is 074507432008. This one will be in the flooring dept with the ceiling tiles. They also have some in electrical but for some reason they are a little bit more expensive.

-Thomas

[drache]

you have to understand who that particular Home Depot store caters to - the Martha Stewart crowd
they truly may not have it, but I will try again, now that I know which departments to hit.
there's also a huge lighting supply store not too far from here that I can check after the impending snow storm
anyway - I've managed to dry out some of the vermiculite, so I can always use that

[MasSalvaje]

The lighting supply store will definately have some, they may have different sizes that will cater better to your needs also.

-Thomas

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry Rhea, the only experience I have ever had with reptile egg incubation went off without a hitch. I mean, I had no problems. I simply used sterile perlite from a bag purchased at the local garden shop. I made sure it was good and moist, but not wet, and placed it into a plastic container with a cover with a few holes punched in it. The eggs were only about halfway (or less) buried in the moist perlite, (laying horizontally) and all eggs were not touching each other. I placed them in there using sterile tools and was careful not to touch them or turn them. It was basically lift, and place. That wasn't easy to do. DO NOT TURN THEM! try to leave them laying on the same side they were laying when mother left them.

I was careful not to keep them too wet, and occasionally had to take off the lid and give them a mist from a spray bottle filled with tap water. The point is, they were clean, moist (but not wet) and I kept them near my gas water heater! where it was a constant 75-85 degrees F for 60+ days. Other than monitoring the moisture, I avoided opening the container and never touched them. Sometimes, after a few weeks, you can spot a "black" or rotten egg. I always removed them promptly. Sniffing the container upon opening is important. You can sniff out a bad egg and it will look different from the rest. Also, sometimes you can smell a "moldy" smell. IF I smell that, I leave the container open and let them dry out quite a bit, until the eggs begin to wrinkle, but no more. Don't be alarmed if the eggs seem to "shrivel". It's better than being too wet.

Out of about 70 eggs (average of 16 per clutch) I have only lost a few, and the rest hatched on time. My method worked for coluber constrictor, Sceloporus occidentalis (and many of their relatives) and I imagine it would work for most reptile eggs.

I don't know what else I could say that might help. Good luck!

[ConcinusMan]

Keeping the eggs slightly elevated above the substrate on a screen sounds even better! That'll work!

I really want this to work for you! sounds like perhaps in the past they have simply been kept too wet (?) They should look a bit wrinkled, especially after a few weeks incubation, and watch for that moldy smell, and watch for a rotten smell/discolored eggs! I'm routing for you! get these babies home! You can do it!

[drache]

thanks everybody
I think I'm set at this point
now she just needs to pop the eggs out

[ConcinusMan]

BTW, I think that type of light diffuser is pretty much yesterday's tech. They don't have it around here either since most lights come with a solid plastic cover these days, to serve that purpose. As long as you're planning on keeping the eggs up off of the substrate, don't forget to keep fairly high humidity. You can overshoot your goal and end up with dried dead eggs instead.

Another method I've heard of, but didn't try is to put them on a screen, a few inches above an amount of water and heat the water with an aquarium heater so that the air inside the aquarium or container is right, and use a lid that gives them a little ventilation while still maintaining high humidity. Even bird eggs need the humidity. Reptile eggs dry out even faster. Hope you don't let them dry out. No contact with wet substrate does not mean keep them dry. It should be very humid. I'd go so far as to say it's probably a good idea to give them a light mist once a day, especially if they are looking "caved in" Don't forget to avoid turning/touching them once they are laid.

I don't know about your lizards but mine were very picky when it came to where they lay their eggs. I've lost a few to egg-binding because they just wouldn't lay until they were satisfied with the location. Had to be just right moisture/temperature/etc.. Stubborn individuals lost their lives, or nearly did because they refused to lay or became exhausted digging all those burrows in the moist sand.

I found this line about about hatching uromastyx eggs:

"In 1998 my female laid 4 non fertile yellow eggs on 05/17/98 and 21 days later (06/07/98) she laid eight white ones. Of these seven hatched between 08/24/98-08/28/98. They were incubated in a Hova-Bator (Styrofoam style incubator) filled with moist vermiculite. I added this directly to the incubator and no plastic containers were used. The incubation temperature was 86-89 degrees"

Some methods which might encourage her to lay:
http://www.uroranch.com/Info/Layingprep1.html

The coolest light diffuser I have ever seen: http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Scapes-Flu.../dp/B000MP09QI

Just had to throw that in there

[drache]

thanks for all the info and the links
she laid the eggs without a problem right in her tank last time, so I'm assuming that that will be okay
as for the incubation, I'm going by the Thomas Wilms book. He says dry substrate and high humidity - no damp substrate to touch the eggs
from my previous experience I'd say they're much more prone to mold than drying out