Possible clutches while I'm away... What to do?

[Ben.L]

It's my first year where it looks like I'll be getting a few clutches of eggs, and of course, the first two girls should be laying on the 28/29th of June... the weekend I'm away...

Now, I don't trust any of my friends/relatives to touch any eggs and put them in the incubator, so I've read up about providing nesting boxes with damp moss etc, but my main concern is heat - I'm worried if they lay directly on the heat mat area that this may adversely effect the eggs?

My setup is a 33 litre rub rack with 6 inch heat strips set to 33-34 degrees C (90-93F).

Are there specific adjustments I should be making that weekend so I dont come home to hard boiled eggs?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Ben

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I had a clutch laid while in Europe, not sure when it was laid exactly but when I came back they were fine.

Just make sure to provide proper temps not too high (88/89 on the hot spot is what I strive for when I do have a hot spot) and make sure that you provide proper humidity (I like to keep mine on mulch once they ovulate, even more so if I have to be gone)

Your female will do the rest and once back you can put the eggs in the incubator.

[Ben.L]

Awesome, so any direct heat doesn't threaten the eggs at all?

[MarkS]

direct heat that is too high is not good, but I've found the biggest trouble to be the humidity. I love using paper substrate but mulch definitely has it's place. I've lost eggs before that were laid on paper while I was away for a long weekend because they dried out. Even putting in a cat litter pan with slightly moistened sphagnum moss can be helpful. (there is no guarantee that they will actually lay in the box, but even just having it in there will help raise the humidity in the tub) Or, like Deb said just temporarily replace the substrate in the entire tub.

[Ben.L]

Ok, so damp cypress mulch bedding, 88/89 degree temps and try and not freak out the weekend I'm away?