Fresh eggs dimpling - intervention?

[Theodore Tibbitts]

So last night we discovered a semi-surprise clutch of eggs from our large female ball python, our first. We had been attempting to breed her but despite many locks we never saw any definitive sign she was pregnant - no bowl wrapping, no sunken spine, no shrunken tail, etc etc. Her only signs was refusal to eat and a mild increase in plumpness. We bought an incubator to be on the safe side but both due lack of strong signs and some RL issues (debilitating back injury) I never got around to setting it up, so we had to scramble a bit to get it set up and stabilized.

The six eggs, all in a clump, were slightly wrinkled when they came out. We got them in the incubator at about 2 AM last night, once we were satisfied it was stabilized in the proper temperature range. They are half sunk in vermiculite, with the exception of the two eggs on top of the clump, which by necessity are completely out of the substrate (we did not separate the eggs, as I have read you shouldn't.)

Checking them this morning, about eight hours later, they have some major dimples. Not completely sunken, mind you, just went from slight wrinkles to full grown dents. The humidity gauge reads max but its one of the cheap gauge ones so I dunno if it is really trustworthy; but aside from the moistened vermiculite, they are in their own closed container in the incubator with some air holes, and we included a second tray of water in the incubator (a hovabator) to provide supplementary humidity, so it should be good.

My question is... Should I intervene now or wait? This is also our first year incubating beardie eggs and we had similar issues, losing 12/15 of our first clutch but somehow losing only three eggs in our next three clutches, not sure why - regardless we'd rather have better success here! If I do intervene, how? Add more water to the vermiculite? Cover the eggs with moist paper towels? Both? Something else? I have heard the less intervention the better, but I don't want the eggs to dehydrate beyond the point of no return!

I am 95% sure the eggs are fertile; they are white, a bit bigger than chicken eggs, and quite heavy.

Also how soon after should I offer the mother food? She last ate quite awhile ago, in February. She's been active since the lay, though, and seems okay, if rather deflated. We happened to be feeding one of the possible fathers last night live, though, so we briefly offered her a live mouse, but she was completely hninterested; however, she usually disdains live, preferring us to leave room temp thawed rats in her enclosure for her (she refuses if they are dangled or otherwise moving). My beardie always seemed completely drained after egg laying and we needed to pump her up with a soak in some pedialyte before her behavior would return to normal: I am assuming that isn't necessary for a bp mom unless she's really weak?

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Offer her food right away, she may not take it, but some do. If she doesn't eat (as you said she didn't) then try again once a week until she does.

If your eggs are dimpling, then you need to raise the humidity right away.

Can you take a photo or describe your setup in detail?

[Annarose15]

Do you have a lid on the egg box? How wet is the vermiculite?

I offer mom on my next regular feeding day. Sometimes that's the very next day, sometimes it's a week later. It usually only takes 1-2 offerings before she's slamming rats like a freight train. Aside from that, I just leave her alone to rest and regain.

[Theodore Tibbitts]

There is a cover on the egg box, although no condensation as of yet. The vermiculite clumps when squeezed and is very slightly moist to the touch, but not very and there is no "excess" water, its all absorbed.

I'll see if I can get a pic later.

set up: Hovabator with thermostat, with two plastic containers in it, one the egg box with an inch of moist vermiculite and six eggs, covered, the second filled with water. Humidity gauge in egg box, temp and therm probes in egg box, temp reads 88 degrees. Temp is readable without opening, humidity is not.

[Annarose15]

It sounds like you need to wet the verm more, and probably add vermiculite so it can hold more moisture. Might want to try some press n seal, also.

[joebad976]

Also try sealing off the airholes in your tub that should help keep the humidity up some.

[FireStorm]

I would agree with sealing off the airholes in the tub. I would say that they are unnecessary, since most tubs don't seal tightly enough to need the extra ventilation.