Condensation on eggs

Last year I used vermiculite and had slight problems with mold. I also didn’t like how dirty it was. So, this year I switched to perlite. I have tried different water/perlite ratios but have had the same problem each time. The first 40 days of incubation go great, but when the eggs start to dimple the last two weeks the humidity spikes so high that I have to wipe down everything ( eggs included) every other day to prevent mold. Any ideas what I could do to fix this problem?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on the eggs!

Ball python eggs should be kept at near 100% humidity so there will definitely be condensation forming on the top of the egg box unless you innovate something to draw moisture away (e.g. slanting the egg box to one side, or putting a layer of plastic wrap on the top to wick the moisture away).

A few drops of water dripping on the eggs should not be a big deal. If you find a lot of moisture condensation then it could be an issue with the air temperature variation between the egg box and the incubator itself: which could be caused by a variety of factors (e.g. checking the eggs frequently/inadvertently adding different temperature air before closing it up again and/or a shaky on/off thermostat on your heat source).

Note: Anything that has not been bleached and handled in sterile conditions is more than likely carrying mold spores. I would not touch the eggs even to wipe them down because you may be contaminating them. Most likely if they made it 40 days without mold then they should be fine for a few more weeks.

Any error in your technique will usually show up in the last week of hatching where the eggs fail to hatch and start to deteriorate. Hopefully all hatch, but, sometimes it is beyond your control.

Best of luck!

Usually at that point if there is condensation that drips on the eggs or slight mold I'll leave it and haven't had a problem personally. If there's lots of mold like green mold I've used antifungal foot powder on that egg to stop the spread. The only time ive seen that was on a boob egg that didnt go full term. But the closer they are to hatch date I dont worry about a condensation dripping or a little mold. The more the eggs develop the more the egg box temp will increase and they will "sweat" a lot.

I use 1:1 vermiculite to water 150 grams of each in a six quart tub with a light diffuser cut to fit on top of vermiculite
put press n seal on lid on and incubate at 89 deg. Once the eggs go in I never open the box until they've pippedd or one time when I had an egg go obviously bad. Also have had almost 100% hatch rate over three seasons doin this. Literally they only one that went bad on me was the boob egg.

Sean

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Congrats on the eggs!

Ball python eggs should be kept at near 100% humidity so there will definitely be condensation forming on the top of the egg box unless you innovate something to draw moisture away (e.g. slanting the egg box to one side, or putting a layer of plastic wrap on the top to wick the moisture away).

A few drops of water dripping on the eggs should not be a big deal. If you find a lot of moisture condensation then it could be an issue with the air temperature variation between the egg box and the incubator itself: which could be caused by a variety of factors (e.g. checking the eggs frequently/inadvertently adding different temperature air before closing it up again and/or a shaky on/off thermostat on your heat source).

Note: Anything that has not been bleached and handled in sterile conditions is more than likely carrying mold spores. I would not touch the eggs even to wipe them down because you may be contaminating them. Most likely if they made it 40 days without mold then they should be fine for a few more weeks.

Any error in your technique will usually show up in the last week of hatching where the eggs fail to hatch and start to deteriorate. Hopefully all hatch, but, sometimes it is beyond your control.

Best of luck!

---

I have press and seal on the top. I don’t check them more than once or twice in the first 40 days. I tend to leave them alone. However at the end of incubation for all my clutches this year the eggs start dimpling and water pooled in the dents a bit. I don’t think leaving that water would be a good idea, so that’s why I wipe the eggs. I do have thermometers and a temp gun, so I know that the temp is the same inside and outside the bin. As of now I have a 100% hatch rate ( I’ve only hatched 6 clutches though). So temps and humidity should be ok. I’m just not sure how to stop the humidity from spiking so high in the last two weeks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Consider using a light diffuser on top of the incubation medium. Also, consider putting your “ press and seal” wrapping under the lid of the egg box instead of on top and make sure you seal around the edges of the box.