fluctuating incubator temps

[lemmons]

i'm a newbie to the site so hello all and thanks in advance for your advice! my beardie laid 18 eggs on 7th dec, i've put them in a hovabator incubator, in sandwich tubs of vermiculite with some sterile water. i drilled some holes in the lids to allow a bit of air circulation and weighed them this sunday (ie after one week) and added some more sterile water to make up for what had been lost. the only thing is the temp in the hovabator seems to fluctuate a bit, it mostly seems to be between 82.5 f - 85.5 f but has crept over and under the magic 82-86 is this a problem? does anyone else have problems with this? none of the eggs appear to have died - well none have gone mouldy or collapsed. i'm wondering if its because its winter in the uk and house temp is a bit cold during the day when i'm at work. also how much should i expect the eggs to grow? hoping they hatch out soon, the watching and waiting is killing me! :?

 

[gregcranston]

Those fluctuations in temp are not a problem, and they tend to happen with the hovabators. Eggs are actaully more sensitive to fluctuations in humidity than temp. The temp can go anywhere between 79-86 and they will be fine, even lower than 79 if its only for short periods, but I wouldn't let it go to much over 86-87 for any ammount of time, or they may die, as the embryo respiration rate will exceed that which can readily diffuse through the egg. I keep a sealed lid on mine and air them once a week for about 20 seconds, and I've always had 100% hatch rate, it just helps to keep the humidity more stable, I like it between 90-99%, as long as there is no condensation forming on the lid or on the eggs, they will be sweet. Given your temp range, I'd say they should hatch after about 60-65 days of incubation. They will usually grow steadily over the incubation period, but there is no need to weigh them, you should try and avoid disturbing the eggs. It's strange that your dragon layed eggs in winter, but mine have done it once before, our winters arn't as cold as yours though. Let us know when they hatch!
P.S. Welcome to the site, it is usually very helpful!

 

[lemmons]

thanks! temp seems a bit more stable now at 84. its not gone over 87 - well not when i've been around anyway - have hooked it up with a digital thermometer that sounds an alarm if it goes out of the 82-86 range. if i have inadvertently cooked them how will i know (apart from the obvious them not hatching!) will they go mouldy? so far they all look ok through the hovabator lid. thanks for your advice - really hoping they hatch!