Our first clutch :)

Here's an update; not too sure how good it is but here we go. Three of the eggs are gorgeous, plump and white, perfecto. The rest have developed a weird tint to them; orangeish. One is very badly dented in and is not attached to the others. I am pretty worried about this and I think they may have been too moist..? I have them in a shoebox r-maid, in vermiculite, inside an incubator we made out of a cooler and heat tape. The temps are great; 85 on the dot. Is this a moisture problem? I had moistened them so much the first week because they were, though still white, denting alot and I was worried they would be too dry. Now I am just kicking myself and hoping I haven't murdered them.

85 is too low, you'll need to crank the temps up to about 89, but don't go over 90. As far as moisture just be sure you can't squeeze any water out of the vermiculite, if you can, it's too wet. Hopefully with those changes, the eggies will recover. Best of luck!


-Evan

I would hardly consider it murdering them. :hug: Unless you stepp on the them, then I'd just say your inexperienced. Having said that, you at least have eggs. I won't be expecting them until next year, but from the research that I have done I thought incubation temps were supposed to be 88-90 degrees. I would also suggest to not spray the eggs directly. The eggs are porous and need the air exchange. Of course this is all from what I've read, so take that into consideration. :D I don't know about the discoloration. Have you tried candling them with a flashlight? They may have been infertile to begin with. You never know. Best of luck with them.

I am a dummy; I meant to put that they are at 89. :)
I have been looking at pics on Google of clutches that are hatching, and the looks of mine are similar to those; they are discolored but not moldy or badly dented (except for one.) I am just worried because the greenish orange color is on them. They were fertile, because we candled them all with a mag flashlight and could see veins in them all :)

How long were the eggs with the female before you removed them? Can you post a new pic of the eggs so we can get a better feel to what is going on?

Sounds like you have done what you need to then. As long as the temps are right, they get air exchange every few days, 100% humidity, and they are not in direct contact with water, they should do fine. It's best (although hard sometimes https://ball-pythons.net/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif ) to just leave them alone once they are set up correctly. Don't worry too much about the denting, even if it doesn't plump back up, it should be fine. Hope they all hatch for ya!!


-Evan

Here's a pic frrom last Tuesday. Here, you can see a little bit of the "clear" way the one egg looks; see the bottom left? I will search the net and try to find a pic of how they look now, as of course I am not home. I have no computer at home :( See, they were dented, and maybe I overmoisturized them as a result?
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ermikulite.jpg

Yea, that one has a window in it. You could see that in your first pics. A little liquid bandage will cure that. They are denting in a little to much to soon. You do have a tight lid for the egg box? As far as to much moisture, I cant tell you if they would get like this from that I never had that problem yet..
Wish I could help more! Have you PM'd Adam? I'm sure he can set you on the right track...

Also, What kind of vermiculite did you use? I have seen some people go to a hardware store and buy Miracle grow vermiculite! That wont work well,to many chemicals in it will kill eggs!!

This verm was from a hydropinic store; they assured me it was pesticide free, and also the bag says it is :) Geez, who would use Miracle Gro? Would they think the eggs would mature faster? :)
Maybe the weird eggs were just infertile, or defective from the get-go?