Problem with 1st clutch please advise

[pfeiffer]

I checked on my clutch and there are 2 eggs with a small spot of ashy black on them and most of the eggs have light brown spots in different areas!!!!
I have them in an incubator, The eggs do not seem to have any furry mold growing just the spots and none have begun shriveling up yet...Is there anything I can do to save these eggs?
PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN,
Thanks for any and all advice ya'll can throw my way, Tonya

 

[carol]

Any chance you can get a pic?

 

[pfeiffer]

Any chance you can get a pic?

Here they are,

 

[danielle]

Your substrate appears to be too wet, can you open the incubator a little and let it dry out some or just carecarefull take the substrate out and wrong it out good?

 

[danielle]

I meant carefully take the substrate out and wring it out- I have issues today

 

[pfeiffer]

I have gently lifted the eggs out and wrang out the moss (I took some advice I saw on here about gently marking the tops of the eggs so I was sure not to accidently turn any.)
I heard something about using Listerine but don't know if you are supposed to rub it on the eggs with a q-tip or add it to the moss????

 

[pfeiffer]

Anyone with anymore advice on how I can try and save these eggs?

 

[Old_School]

How many days into incubation are you? If your pretty sure it is mold or fungus, try putting a small amount of foot powder on em. that is what I do and It seems to keep em from getting any worse.
Good Luck, and don't worry too much, some pretty ugly eggs go on to produce nice healthy hatchlins!

 

[Cornsnake124]

everyone has addressed the spots on them. But, wet ink markers and such should not be used on the eggs to mark them. It can bleed through and potentially hurt the growing snake inside. But, your main concern right now should be the mold. Put some foot powder on them. Another way to do it though I recommend you use the foot powder first and give the powder time to work, you can put Listerine on a Q-tip and swab a little bit on the effected area. But that would be a last resort for me.

 

[Cornsnake124]

just an idea that popped into my head and i am most likely wrong, but could those spots (with the exception of the black ones) be calcium windows?

 

[pfeiffer]

just an idea that popped into my head and i am most likely wrong, but could those spots (with the exception of the black ones) be calcium windows?

Hopefully someone else can answer that, I don't even know what calcium windows are and is that a good or bad thing?

I will be putting the powder on them tonight thank goodness I have 3 boys and a hubby in the house so I actually have some on hand....lol

And we are at 16 days in incubation.

Thanks so much for all the advice, as always I GREATLY APPRECIATE the help!!!!

Also, can anyone advise me on how to tell if the eggs are fertile? I had originally assumed she mated, laid eggs, and we would have babies but, having read around this site some I have heard mention of infertile eggs. Just wondering if there is a way to tell. THANKS!!!!!

 

[pfeiffer]

How many days into incubation are you?

16 days....Thanks for your help!!!!!
Tonya

 

[crackerhead]

You really don't need to do anything. I've hatched out eggs that sat next to some disgusting shriveled moldy looking brethren. If an egg is fertile it will hatch. You eggs don't look bad. If it makes you feel better swab them down with some anti-fungal solution like lotrimin or athlete's foot powder or anti-bacterial like Listerine. The brown marks are probably from the moss which stains the eggs with tannins. Water based markers won't hurt the eggs but next time use light pencil marks to be on the safe side. Take a deep breath and hang in there.:wavey:
Terri
PS - The eggs look fertile to me but you can candle them (shine a light though the shell) and look for veins, a sure sign of life.

 

[pfeiffer]

You really don't need to do anything. I've hatched out eggs that sat next to some disgusting shriveled moldy looking brethren. If an egg is fertile it will hatch. You eggs don't look bad. If it makes you feel better swab them down with some anti-fungal solution like lotrimin or athlete's foot powder or anti-bacterial like Listerine. The brown marks are probably from the moss which stains the eggs with tannins. Water based markers won't hurt the eggs but next time use light pencil marks to be on the safe side. Take a deep breath and hang in there.:wavey:
Terri

Terri, Thanks so much, I did use a water based marker so I am feeling better about that already. And hearing the other spots may just be stains is another relief I was worried I had lost the whole clutch....THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
for your help, advice, and especially encouragement!!!!
Taking that deep breath now and chilling out....Thanks, Tonya

 

[Old_School]

Make sure you come back and tell us how you made out candling them. Just put a flash light to em in a dark room, you'll see the red viens. If not still do not panic, just keep incubating like your doing. they look good to me!

 

[pfeiffer]

Make sure you come back and tell us how you made out candling them. Just put a flash light to em in a dark room, you'll see the red viens. If not still do not panic, just keep incubating like your doing. they look good to me!

:dancer:
we saw veins in all the eggs....YAH!!!!!!

Thanks everyone for helping put me at ease.... I REALLY appreciate it so much.
One thing I was wandering is will the black spots go away with the anti-fungal treatment or will the treatment just stop it from spreading? If anyone knows, I am a sponge right now soaking up as much info as I can learn...lol

Again Thanks everyone, Tonya

 

[Cornsnake124]

i really dont know about the treatment. I have never had first hand experience with this. I will answer your question about windows for future refrence.. They are spots on the egg where there is not enough calcium and the egg starts to get not solid white in spots but a smoky kind of color. But it does not normally harm the eggs. Just to ask, what kind of incubator are you using. Also, what kind of moss is that? it looks way different than the sphagnum moss I use.

 

[pfeiffer]

Just to ask, what kind of incubator are you using. Also, what kind of moss is that? it looks way different than the sphagnum moss I use.

The moss is repti-moss, I went to a pet store asking for help before finding this forum and the repti-moss was what the girl gave me when I told her I needed it to incubate corn snake eggs, considering switching them to sphagnum, now that I know to go to home-depot or such to find it. Would moving them gently to a better substrate be a good idea or should I leave them be?

The easiest way to explain the incubator is by just pasting the on-line directions I found for it:

Step 1: Place the two bricks into the aquarium, so that they will serve as two supports elevating the sweater box.

Step 2: Fill the bottom of the tank with water, so that there is approx. a ½ to ¼ inch of the brick not covered.

Step 3: Place the full-submersion aquarium heater completely under the water. Be sure that the heater is meant to be fully submerged! If you not, you will electrocute yourself.

Step 4: Place the sweater box on the bricks above the water. Fill with moist vermiculite. Be sure that it is not wet! It should be damp, but not wet.

Place the thermometer in a visible area inside the sweater box. Drill/punch a few holes in the lid of the sweater box. This is important, so that the eggs get adequate air.

Place the eggs inside the sweater box, and place the lid on. Only secure one side of the lid. Let the other side of the lid rest on the lip without snapping down. This is so that if some condensation collections on the inside of the lid, it won't drip on the eggs - instead, it will run down the slight incline and drip on empty bedding.

Step 5: Finally, place either foil, cellophane, or a piece of glass over the top of the aquarium. Punch a few holes into it, or leave a slight crack at the edge, to allow moisture to escape.


I heard about misting and just opening the sweater box once a day to circulate air but I couldn't find a place in the house that held a warm enough temp, and our workshop gets into the 100's I was told that is too hot so the above sounded like the best idea for me at the time, But I am very open to other idea's so if anyone has any pass it on.

Thanks, Tonya

 

[Cornsnake124]

incubator design

here is what i use:

get a foam cooler

ok... i use flexwatt viv ones so i had to wire it myself but I dont know about you. You very well could use something else but I just like flexwatt.

get a heat pad the size of a 5 gallon viv bottom

Put it in the bottom, with the wire running out of the top

hook that up to a theromostat/rheostat

put 4 bottles of water on top of the heat pad

put a rubbermaid container lid that just fits snug in the cooler on top of the bottles

put in your container w/ a bottle on each side. put the cooler lid on and use door insulation strips to seal the spot where the locks on the lid are. (if you have one like mine)

Get a thermometer with a probe on it, and put the probe in the box with the eggs

Cut a groove in the rim so your chords don't get squished. but make sure the groove is barely big enough

Your done!

 

[Cornsnake124]

by the way you should not mist the eggs directly you could drown them. and you only need to open up there box every week. And i dont recommend having holes in it because then the humidity escapes. and with my design you NEED to have the heat pad in there and with any design usually with a few exeptions a heat source is needed.