Air-Tight Incubation Tubs?

[jonarnold85]

Ok, I know this may be a dumb question but I'd much rather ask it and make sure I'm getting it right. I've watched a few breeders discuss their tub setup and I'm contemplating using press and seal over the tub before putting the lid on to make sure it is air-tight. I've even seen some say they never open the tub back up until the snakes are pipping. Is this actually safe? I worry that with an air-tight tub there wont be enough oxygen to sustain the eggs.

I'm testing some tubs with different methods to find out which one is going to work best for me but before attempting an air-tight tub with press and seal I just wanted to get some input.

Thanks in advance!

[Alter-Echo]

Well, I've hatched geckos before, but never snakes, but I know that at least for them, you really should remove the cover every few days to let the eggs get fresh air in the tub. Failure to do so usually results in mold and egg death.

[cchardwick]

I know if you don't have enough air going into the incubator for chicken eggs they will all die of suffocation. I assume it's the same for snakes. All living things need to breathe. I actually put folded up paper towels on each end of the shoebox tubs under the lid to ensure there's enough air flow. And I monitor the humidity in my incubator, it stays at about 75%. The more air the better, just don't let them dry out too much. I also started using sphagnum moss in the tubs around the eggs, I soak the moss for a few seconds and squeeze it out before putting it in there, works great to keep the humidity up. Seems like everyone has a slightly different approach.

Also, I check on my eggs at least once a day. I was doing it twice a day but it seemed like opening the incubator that many times removed too much heat and humidity so I dropped back to just once a day. I check to make sure there's no condensation under the lid and it helps to get some fresh air in the incubator and in the boxes.

[dr del]

Hi,

The idea is snake eggs need far less oxygen in the earlier stages - but, being an impatient ant worrysome father I have always burped ( i.e. exchanged air ) at least once a week in the beginning and almost daily when I think they are due to pip. All these things depend on the size of the tub and the percentage of it that is air. In a small tub with a deep substrate I would burp more than in something like VPI uses which has about 3 cubic feet of available air all the time. Sorry it isn't a simple answer but there are too many factors to give flat advice.

[Lord Sorril]

I've had water condense on the plastic wrap and start to sag in the middle, this resulted in water drops hitting the top of my eggs. Did it effect hatch rate? No. Did it annoy me: Yes. I don't bother with the Press and Seal now-its primary purpose is to keep humidity trapped inside. I incubate with no substrate-just a layer of heated water on the bottom with the eggs sitting above on plastic crate above in a closed bin. I open every bin (for a few seconds) every week to check the eggs, and every few days when they are approaching the hatch date-this provides air exchange.

[cchardwick]

I like to check on eggs at least once a day. If you get a moldy one that mold will grow really fast in 24 hours. It's best to get moldy eggs into separate tubs or tossed out as soon as possible.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

A tub will not be completely air tight unless you use press and seal which is not necessary, I have been incubating eggs for the last decade without it.

As for airing out you only need to do so the last week of incubation (every two or three days).

[bcr229]

I use the Press N Seal but I also open up and check the eggs in the tubs weekly.

To prevent condensation that gathers on the Press N Seal from dripping on the eggs, put a penny on the Press N Seal in one corner of the tub before putting the lid on. That will create a low point and the condensation flows there before it drips off.

[jonarnold85]

To prevent condensation that gathers on the Press N Seal from dripping on the eggs, put a penny on the Press N Seal in one corner of the tub before putting the lid on. That will create a low point and the condensation flows there before it drips off.

That's a great idea, I was concerned about that. Thanks for the tip!

[jonarnold85]

I posted this thread in part due to Justin Kobylka's most recent video about setting up his incubation tubs. He uses press and seal and never removes the lid until the eggs are ready to hatch. This seemed strange to be but considering the amount of eggs that he has hatched I would suspect that if there was ever an issue due to this he would no longer be doing it.