Egg Help! Too Wet?

[PythonChick]

Hey everybody. I've incubated clutches successfully for several years and never had this problem before. I am really hoping someone can provide me with some insight. These eggs are on day 13. The incubation media might be a bit wet, but you definitely can't squeeze any water out of it. Also, there is some condensation on my egg tubs, but it is on the top and the outside and is not dripping on the eggs. The eggs are incubated in vermiculite that clumps and then crumbles without releasing any water. The temperature is 88-90 (stable, not fluctuating, just depends on location in incubator). The affected area of egg doesn't feel any different to the touch, and there are still healthy looking veins throughout all portions of the eggs. Most eggs only have one or two small spots of discoloration, mostly on the bottom of the egg where it touches the incubation media. Pictured is the worst of the bunch.

Please let me know what you think! I've already added in more dry vermiculite but the problem isn't getting any better. Thanks so much!

[loonunit]

Yeah, my first clutch this year looks like that. Worse, actually, because first it was too dry and the eggs dimpled severely during the first night, and then I probably overcompensated by adding a little water to the vermiculite and plastic wrapping the tub. But the dimpling and the discoloration haven't gotten any worse. And now it's day 32, so I think we're going to make it.

The moisture on the tub condenses because there's a temperature difference between the warm humid air inside of the tub and slightly cooler air in the rest of the incubator. Did you change the incubator set up at all? Or is the only difference the slightly-too-wet vermiculite mix?

[PythonChick]

In the past I have run a fan in the incubator to circulate air, but it overheated early in incubation (was hooked to a T-Stat so it just stopped running instead of heating up the entire incubator). That said, I've incubated without the fan before too.

Do you think the color change itself is something to worry about? Should I take the plastic wrap off the bins maybe? And just add like a tub of water to the bottom of the incubator to increase overall humidity so too much doesn't leech out? The condensation on the sides of the tub shouldn't hurt the eggs right?

Thanks so much!

[loonunit]

Yeah, this was my first year with a fan, which I think is why the eggs got dry so quick.

I'd keep an eye on the discoloration for sure? I worried about mine A LOT---I'm still checking on them every couple days. The only reason I'm not freaking out about it right now is because it hasn't gotten any worse. I did see a little bit of mold starting up on one of them last week, right along the edge of a discolored yellow patch. But that might actually be a boob egg with a tiny little infertile patch. I put a liquid band-aid on the moldy spot, and it stopped it really well.

The moisture on the walls of the tub won't hurt as long as it never comes into direct contact with the eggs. If you're still worried, it wouldn't help to make a new tub with slightly drier mix, and move the eggs over to that one.

I'm taking some pictures now...

[loonunit]

Okay, here's the clutch. Laid June 17, so I guess this is day 35:



Zoom in on the dimpled and discolored eggs:



Zoom in on the discolored egg with the little spots of mold starting at the edge of the yellowish maybe-boob patch. The shiny patch is the liquid band-aid I applied to the mold last week.



I don't know what's up with the little dark spot in the middle of the dimple. It's not mold---it kind of looks like a window. All of the eggs in this clutch have a spot like that. I kind of wonder if that's where the embryo is attached?

(Oh, hey, PythonChick, that little chunk of light grating is another thing you could use to keep the eggs from coming into contact with any moisture. Expecially if you're worried about the mix maybe being too wet.)

- - - Updated - - -

(Hey, I'm having the dangdest time getting my camera to focus on these eggs. Anybody got any suggestions?)

[GalaxyMom]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but what was the outcome of these eggs? Did you ever figure out what exactly was causing the issue? I may be having the same issue:

Thank you!

[dr del]

She hasn't been on for 4 years - I don't think you are going to get an answer to your question.