incubation

[webman33]

This is my first time breeding and I think I did all of the steps right. I’m just a little confused about incubation. I bought a Hovabator and got that all setup and I was planning on using a shoebox with hatchrite. My questions were: Do you put holes in the shoebox if so how many? How long do you wait to start taking the eggs from the female? How high should you fill up the shoebox with hatchrite? How much do you cover the eggs? I had 1 person tell me to completely cover them others tell me ½ and others tell me 1/3. Sorry I know it’s a lot of questions but I’m excited about breeding for the first time.
I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks

 

[Buzzard]

After the female is done laying remove the eggs. A shoebox is fine but maybe a little big for the hovabator so check the size. 1 tiny hole in the egg container is all I ever put in it. That is a personal preference, some put no holes in them. I bury the eggs in about half to 3/4 the way in, again personal preference. I actually have clumps of eggs that some eggs are not covered at all. And Congratz on your first breeding season...


Semper Paratus Cape May

 

[airenlow]

I don't have any holes in the egg boxes. Most eggs are half covered, but some got completely buried this year. Good luck!

 

[dave partington]

I'm using 9 inch 96 oz deli containers this year for incubation. They have 6 or 8 tiny holes in the top edges. Also using sphag moss for the incubation medium. Had poor results with hatchrite the first couple of years. Just have the containers on a top shelf in the snakeroom, monitoring temps in there daily with a temp gun, to make sure they don't spike over 86 degrees. I prefer a little on the cool side, as a little over 86 and they can cook. Might take a little longer for hatch, but better that then hard boiled. Different people use different methods to reach the same end result.

 

[Nanci]

Everybody does their egg boxes differently!!

This is what I do: I use clear plastic lettuce containers. They don't have holes. I fill them about 2/3 with HatchRite. I bury the eggs so the topmost eggs are about half covered. This varies from 1/3 to 2/3 covered. I NEVER separate the eggs. If a slug is difficult to remove, I leave it. I cover the entire surface of the egg container with a layer of orchid moss, completely covering the eggs. I use the moss from the lay box. The moss is wet, then wrung out as much as possible. The moss covering the eggs protects them from condensation drippings, and provides darkness.

I open the containers once or twice a week and wave the lid over the eggs. I lift the moss gently just to check the eggs briefly. I want to see a very fine mist of condensation on the sides of the containers, and almost none on the lid.

When the eggs are close to hatching, I put tiny binder clips on the egg containers! I check once a day, then twice a day for pips. As the babies emerge, they are set up in their own containers on paper towels, very lightly misted, with a small clump of the moss until they shed.