Mold on eggs. Help?

[daneale777]

So, I'm on day seven of incubation. Six looked to be slugs from the beginning, but these are my first eggs ever, so I thought I'd wait. Now seven look to have mold on them. The one on the bottom right has one attached underneath that always looked like a possible slug to me, but now it is getting the okay looking egg moldy. The "okay" egg always looked to have a thinner area on that side, but okay.
Like I stated this is my first mating and first clutch, so I'm freaking out a bit. They are on a screen, on moss in a home made (heated water on the bottom aquarium, on bricks, in tupperware, with air holes.) The temp is consistent at between 80-83 degrees (by probe). I have two humidity gauges in with them. One reads 70; the other 90. Ninety seems more accurate to me.
What can/ should I do at this point?

Thanks everyone!!!!

 

[SNAKEWISPERA]

Whats the humidity level ?

 

[crackerhead]

Believe it or not, mold on eggs, in my experience, usually means the eggs were not viable from the beginning. The good eggs don't seem to be affected by it even if they are touching the moldy egg. To make you feel better you can separate the moldy eggs out. Even when they are stuck to the good eggs they can be divided with a little warm water and gently teasing apart. Personally I would not take the chance of tearing the good eggs. I know people that insist on seperating eggs for incubation purposes. I tend to leave them in the stuck together clutch. You could also use a swab of Listerine on the eggs. I've done all of the above with middling success. The good eggs make it regardless of what I do and the bad ones perish. You still have a good number of what look like fertile, healthy eggs. Enjoy!
Terri

 

[wade]

If you have a moldy egg that can be separated with no problem, I'd do that and throw it away. For the most part I would not worry about it. You will do more harm messing with them than the mold will. As stated above, usually mold won't grow on a healthy egg, USUALLY. But don't throw it out if mold is the only problem. I've seen snakes come out of really stinky looking eggs.

I have not tried your method of incubation but if your temps are constant and your humidity is near 90 to 100%, you should be fine.

I think you have 12 for sure and maybe 13 good eggs that should go to term.

 

[daneale777]

Thank you all so much, everyone!! Then I will just plan on leaving them like they are. I had also heard that foot powder helps, or trying to carefully "tease" the bad one off with waxed dental floss; so I just returned from the store with both. Out of curiousity, have you guys ever heard of either of these methods?
Like I said though, my humidity level is at at least 90. I have them in pretty damp moss, and am using the aquarium method for incubating. The temp only fluxuates between 80-83 degrees. Is that what's standard; the 90-100 for humidity and 80-83 for temp? I've heard a lot of different things.
I am hoping for a second clutch soon, also, since my sweet (anery) Zelda is a known double clutcher and has just gone into blue. Yeah!!
One more question: Would it be okay to incubate the second clutch in the same container as the first one? I just thought it would be a lot more lagistical, meaning I wouldn't have to use a second probe, or find room for a second tupperware type container. Would the mold from the first make it bad for the second.

Thank you so much for everyone's responses. You've all helped to put my heart at ease. I can't believe how much a person can worry about baby eggies, but I sure do. Even my ten year old daughter is dreaming about them!!

 

[daneale777]

If you have a moldy egg that can be separated with no problem, I'd do that and throw it away. For the most part I would not worry about it. You will do more harm messing with them than the mold will. As stated above, usually mold won't grow on a healthy egg, USUALLY. But don't throw it out if mold is the only problem. I've seen snakes come out of really stinky looking eggs.

I have not tried your method of incubation but if your temps are constant and your humidity is near 90 to 100%, you should be fine.

I think you have 12 for sure and maybe 13 good eggs that should go to term.

By the way, I had been thinking the same thing. 12, hopefully 13 good at least, (I'm trying to be hopeful.) For reference, here's what they looked like on day two, when I found them. It may have been day one, but I think she laid them the day before. Sorry the pic's not so good. I couldn't stop shaking because I was so excited!!

 

[MegF.]

I've found that white fuzzy mold is usually a sign of too high a humidity while the blue green stuff is usually the bad eggs gone dead mold. Never had any of mine mold, but I've seen pictures from plenty of clutches. Mostly why I don't like a no substrate type incubation. It's too hard to keep the humidity where you want. I'd entertain a guess that your humidity is too high.

 

[daneale777]

I've found that white fuzzy mold is usually a sign of too high a humidity while the blue green stuff is usually the bad eggs gone dead mold. Never had any of mine mold, but I've seen pictures from plenty of clutches. Mostly why I don't like a no substrate type incubation. It's too hard to keep the humidity where you want. I'd entertain a guess that your humidity is too high.

That is definately a question that I had been pondering. Is what I've read about having 90-100% humidity wrong? One of my humid. gauges reads 90, the other 70. I think the 90 is probably more accurate.
If it is, indeed, too high, what can I do to lower it?
Thanks.

 

[MegF.]

I always use substrate for my eggs. It tends to keep the humidity more balanced. Then you also don't need as much water. Simply using a mixture of perlite and water (perlite will not allow you to mix too much water in...it doesn't hold excess water) so that the perlite clumps when squeezed, then put the eggs in that. Have one or two very small pinholes for air exchange, put them on a warm shelf and leave them alone. Add water to the edges of the container if the perlite gets too dry i.e....you don't see a bit of fog on the sides or a little bit (and I mean little) on the edges at the level of the perlite. I prefer perlite over vermiculite as you can actually drown eggs with vermiculite if you get too much water. Excess water runs thru perlite and there's always small air spaces around the eggs. You may have to open the lid of your incubator to dry it out a bit, but that lowers temps. The eggs really need just 78-82 to hatch out safely. I don't incubate in anything but my hatchling rack. The egg box gets put in there and left. Temps range from 78-84 depending upon the time of day and if it's very warm outside and the snake room gets a little warmer.

 

[daneale777]

I always use substrate for my eggs. It tends to keep the humidity more balanced. Then you also don't need as much water. Simply using a mixture of perlite and water (perlite will not allow you to mix too much water in...it doesn't hold excess water) so that the perlite clumps when squeezed, then put the eggs in that. Have one or two very small pinholes for air exchange, put them on a warm shelf and leave them alone. Add water to the edges of the container if the perlite gets too dry i.e....you don't see a bit of fog on the sides or a little bit (and I mean little) on the edges at the level of the perlite. I prefer perlite over vermiculite as you can actually drown eggs with vermiculite if you get too much water. Excess water runs thru perlite and there's always small air spaces around the eggs. You may have to open the lid of your incubator to dry it out a bit, but that lowers temps. The eggs really need just 78-82 to hatch out safely. I don't incubate in anything but my hatchling rack. The egg box gets put in there and left. Temps range from 78-84 depending upon the time of day and if it's very warm outside and the snake room gets a little warmer.

Thank you, Meg. I am using something that is a lot like vermiculite. I think I will look into getting some perlite. Where does everyone usually get that? I can't quite remember. I do have them on top of a screen (like the window kind,) so that the eggs don't get too damp, should the the substrate get too damp, but maybe that's not helping. Gee, I only have one child, myself; and I feel like I'm almost as nervous as when I was pregnant with her! Not really, but the feeling is familiar. Thanks for your help!!!

 

[MegF.]

Humidity is moisture in the air. If there is too much moisture in the air, then the eggs will mold. At least with the substrate you can open a hole or two in the egg box and it will take care of any excess. In the incubator you have, you don't have too much you can do to reduce the humidity except opening it to allow the air to dry a bit. I got perlite at a nursery. Make sure there is no fertilizer in it.

 

[daneale777]

Humidity is moisture in the air. If there is too much moisture in the air, then the eggs will mold. At least with the substrate you can open a hole or two in the egg box and it will take care of any excess. In the incubator you have, you don't have too much you can do to reduce the humidity except opening it to allow the air to dry a bit. I got perlite at a nursery. Make sure there is no fertilizer in it.

Thanks again Meg. I dried it out for a while, watching the temp carefully. Then I put a papertowel on top of the eggs overnight. The mold seems to have stopped. I do have holes in the actual tupper-ware type container, as well as holes in the lid.
What I'm starting to think now is that those eggs just weren't good from the beginning. I actually candled them today, without touching them, and several of them look bad. However, several look perfect; pink with veins!! What I'm thinking might have happened is that the eggs didn't stay right-side-up. I kept them that way, but I don't know how long before I found them that my girl laid them. She actually burried herself in her lay box with the eggs beneath her. She was like that for two or three days. I didn't have a clue that they could bury them, so didn't suspect anything. I don't know. Just an idea. I'm still learning, clearly.
Thanks so much for all your help.

 

[MegF.]

I doubt it was from turning that early on in the stage. You might be right about them just being bad eggs. I've seen that in most instances, if they are bad, they just go bad. Good eggs stay good no matter what's around them. The bad eggs would go bad in a wild clutch just as here and no one would be there to separate them out.