Not looking good...

I posted last week about my "surprise" (earlier than expected) clutch, with 4 eggs from a Lesser x Mojave pairing... they've been in the incubator since then, but unfortunately it looks like one or two of the eggs are going bad.

The egg marked #1 was suspicious from the get-go; as you can see in the original thread's photos, it was a bit crinkled and clear when I pulled it from mom's tub. Now it's almost completely clear, starting to mold/smell, and only shows a few veins inside. Should I just toss it now, or wait a little longer? And if you agree it's a hopeless case, should I freeze it before throwing away? Egg #2 also has a few moldy spots and clear shell, but looks better than the other (especially when I candled it). So what should I do with that one, especially considering it's attached to another egg? Thankfully the other two look alright, but my BEL odds are getting smaller & smaller. :(

Here's the bad one:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...psacwrcnfj.jpg

And the other suspicious egg:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...psobdliyz7.jpg

These two look okay for now... they do have small windows, but these haven't gotten any bigger since the first day or two.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...psfails6hu.jpg

I agree with your assessment of #1. Sprinkle the rest with some Gold Bond Foot Powder to combat the mold, it won't hurt the eggs.

I follow a guy on FB who just cut a clutch and he had a fully OK live baby in an egg he had fought mold with. I would just fight the mold and hope the baby makes it.

Thanks for the replies! I did put foot powder on the eggs, and mold doesn't seem to be growing... but that egg (#1) is starting to STINK, so I don't really want it in there for much longer. Should I just put it in the freezer when I get home tonight? Still unsure about #2, but I'll let that one hang around since it's attached to another.

What type of incubation medium is that? Do you think there may be too much water in the medium? Yeah, I think egg #1 is too much of a risk to the rest of the clutch. Kudos to you for your hard work.:gj:

It's perlite or hatchrite.

I'd think about putting a grid under the eggs as they look as though they are getting wet from somewhere?

It is hatchrite, and the egg tub doesn't look particularly wet. I've tried "substrate-less" incubation in the past, and it caused me to lose most of a clutch... so I'm a little hesitant to do that again! I'll check the humidity when I get home, but this method & incubator have served me well for many clutches now. ;)

Update: Sadly, it looks like my (already small) 4-egg clutch is only going to have one good egg - if I'm lucky. First I discovered it was actually #2 that stank, while eggs #1 & 3 were molding fast and not candling well. So I tossed the stinky one, and left the others just to see what happened over the next few days. But #4 is the only egg that seems viable at this point, and I'll probably throw out the others soon.

Better hope the odds gods are REALLY shining down on me, as I will have just one shot at my BEL. :please:

Here's how they look now - blech!
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...psbgzkru78.jpg

And the viable one (I hope):
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...pss75tynyd.jpg

Wow, tough call man. What type of incubator is that? I know how you feel when you say you had a bad experience with substrateless and declining to go that way now. Hang in there!:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Wow, tough call man. What type of incubator is that? I know how you feel when you say you had a bad experience with substrateless and declining to go that way now. Hang in there!:gj:

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Thanks. I'm bummed, but it was a miracle to even get ONE egg out of this girl (long story) - so I'll take what I can get!

That's just a cheapo Little Giant incubator, but it's always gotten the job done thus far. And whether or not you were implying anything, I should mention these eggs were doomed before I even put them in there... actually could explain why she didn't coil them, which I questioned in my original post after she laid. Oh well. :-/