Eggs with mother?

[MDball0918]

I have a gravid female and it will be the only clutch I will have this year. I was wondering if anyone has ever just left the eggs in with the mother instead of putting them in an incubator? If so could you tell me some of the hazards of this? Thank you so much.

[Slim]

Some people have done maternal incubation on a small scale with some measure of sucess. Just remember that she most likely won't eat until the eggs hatch. If you try maternal incubation, I would suggest you set her up somewhere that will be very quiet, with as little activity around her as possible.

[mooingtricycle]

I have a gravid female and it will be the only clutch I will have this year. I was wondering if anyone has ever just left the eggs in with the mother instead of putting them in an incubator? If so could you tell me some of the hazards of this? Thank you so much.

Depending on the size and condition of the female, you can do it. and some people do.

can you regulate the temps fairly well? and provide the proper humidity as well for the incubating eggs?

[MDball0918]

Depending on the size and condition of the female, you can do it. and some people do.

can you regulate the temps fairly well? and provide the proper humidity as well for the incubating eggs?

Yes and yes. She's in really good condition as of now but she's only 1500 grams. When I palpate her I'm counting 4.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Providing optimal conditions for the eggs is often easier when done with an incubator, it also allows you to get your female back on feeding schedule right away compare to having to wait an extra 60 days.

Can it be done successfully? Yes but it might not be as easy.

Personally I rather use an incubator and start feeding my females again right away especially when they look like this.

[mooingtricycle]

Yes and yes. She's in really good condition as of now but she's only 1500 grams. When I palpate her I'm counting 4.

Personally, my suggestion is ( and this only applies if you havent hatched a clutch before... if you have and youre comfortable, i say read up as much as you can and give it a shot!)
if youve never hatched a clutch before, to go the incubation route first. Its much easier to control just about every aspect of the process, which is really really good when youre not sure what is going on. ( im no expert, i had my first random *unexpected* clutch last year, but im just basing my opinion on my own experiences and the level of skill i have with my animals)

You can get a feel for how the hatching process goes ( even with one clutch) and then you know what to look for when you finally do decide to do a clutch with maternal incubation.

[mooingtricycle]

Personally I rather use an incubator and start feeding my females again right away especially when they look like this.

Ill be going with an incubator again too....

And that girl looks GOOD compared to my girl last year! ( 900 grams! ugh!)

[MDball0918]

Ok well I think since this is my first clutch and it sounds a better to go with an incubator, should I go with a hovabator or DIY? I saw a "sticky" for a DIY made from a styrofoam cooler and was thinking about just building that since I still have a little time (haven't got to the prelay shed yet)

[mooingtricycle]

Ok well I think since this is my first clutch and it sounds a better to go with an incubator, should I go with a hovabator or DIY? I saw a "sticky" for a DIY made from a styrofoam cooler and was thinking about just building that since I still have a little time (haven't got to the prelay shed yet)

i wouldnt use a hovabator based on all the horror stories ive heard/read about them.

I made my own incubator out of a cooler last year, and ill be doing the same this year * with a smaller 28QT cooler*

Just some flexwatt, a thermostat and a good egg box, and youre pretty much good to go. ( ill be adding water bottles to it this time, to help distribute the heat a bit better too, as well as to add a buffer for the times i do open it to check on the eggs.)

[SPJ]

i wouldnt use a hovabator based on all the horror stories ive heard/read about them.

Hey......some of us have had great success with them.
Just chuck the wafer and the little alan wrench thingy for controlling the temps and get a t-stat.