a newbee observation I thought I would share

[Mike Cavanaugh]

On my first clutch of eggs, they became dimpled pretty quickly... just a couple weeks after being laid. Around day 40 they were TOTALLY dimpled.



Well, I have since had 3 more clutches and I have officially learned a lesson. opening the egg tub every day, or every other day to quickly check on the eggs and or candle them seriously screws up the humidity.

I have left my current 3 clutches alone, and they are all as perfectly round as the day they were laid.

Thought this might be helpfull to my fellow newbees....

All of the eggs in this picture did hatch perfectly though by the way.

[2kdime]

MMMMMMMM humidity

Thanks for the post Mike!

MOST informative

[Qetu]

ive never seen that on the caresheets...nice info lol

[DesignerBP]

did you seal your boxes with eggs?

[RichsBallPythons]

Sealing the Egg Boxes is preference it is not mandatory to hatch out eggs.

[stevenkeogh]

I add a small cup of water in the corner of the egg box and open to check an average of once ever day and a half.
This helps tremendously.
My eggs never deflate, not even the day the snakes emerge.
-Steven

[RichsBallPythons]

I never check on the eggs by opening the tubs EVER. there is no need to untill the last week to keep fresh air coming in.

[Bill Buchman]

I never check on the eggs by opening the tubs EVER. there is no need to untill the last week to keep fresh air coming in.

BINGO!! I do the same -- last 10-12 days.

[Wh00h0069]

I open about once each week for air / gas exchange, and then a little more often starting a week before hatching.

[PythonWallace]

I've always noticed that eggs that are maternally incubated seem to never really stay full for very long, so I aim for that. I'm currently doing substrate-less incubation using moist cypress mulch, instead of a traditional media, and the eggs dimple quickly and stay that way. Within two weeks the eggs looked as deflated as eggs looked last year on day 50. I've noticed that the eggs are whiter and cleaner looking (today is day 49 for my first clutch), and the eggs are just as white as the day they were laid.

Last year by this time, using perlite (substrate-less) and keeping the humidity at 99% to 100%, the eggs had started yellowing a little. I haven't bothered to check the humidity, but I don't get any condensation anywhere in the box like I did last year. I'm incubating at 89.8 - 90.0, and will be cutting the first clutch on Tuesday (day 55). I want to see if this method will effect the hatch times or birth weights, but so far I'd say the eggs are looking a lot better with the mulch and less humidity than they did when I kept the humidity high enough to keep the eggs plump.