frustrated... eggs deflating...*PIX ADDED*

[maddiesue]

i don't know what's going on! my beardie has laid 2 clutches of beautiful, fertile eggs. and a few days after being laid, both clutches start to deflate. i use vermiculite, i add enough water so that it sticks together but doesn't drip (i put the vermiculite in deli cups, no lids), i use the hovabator (NOT the fan model) and add plenty of water to the bottom PLUS an additional cup of water. i even tried misting the vermiculite about once a week. my hygrometer says the humidity is always at a steady 83%, never gets below 80, never gets above 85. my temps are at 84 degrees, varying a tiny bit by the temp of the day (i live in sunny so cal). yet still, somehow, a large percentage of the eggs (not all) get deflated. does anyone know what i'm doing wrong or what else i can do to try to get the lil eggies to puff back up? she's due to lay her third clutch sometime next week and i'd really like to see those guys stay puffy!

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Post a picture please.

 

[maddiesue]

sorry it took me awhile to get back to you! here are the pictures:

these are all that made it this far from her first clutch... they're stained with eco earth, bleh! i'm not too worried about these that are caving in because they are due to hatch any day now...

these are the ones i'm worried about, from clutch number 2 (apologies for bright flash):

you can see how they are shriveling and becoming "skinny"

yet these eggs, from the same clutch, are all doing beautifully:

and here is how they all look together (the cup of water is for added humidity):

 

[deenwals]

What "DAY" is each clutch? This may help with your pictures.

 

[maddiesue]

the first clutch (first pic) was laid on 4/16, and the second clutch (all the other pictures) were laid on 5/14 so they are 26 days now. they look even more deflated today... how deflated is too deflated to save? :-/

 

[AHBD]

The ones that are shriveled up are severely dehydrated. Once they start caving in the least bit, water must be added to the vermiculite. You can still add water around them now, but it's very unlikely that they will survive. The plump ones look good though, but they also may be on the verge of drying up....I think I see a slight indentation starting on 1 or 2 of them.. The cup of water will not help, you need to add water directly to the vermiculite.

 

[CourtneyLS]

I always use a lid when I incubate. That's what I've always done.
Try adding a little water to the vermiculite, and then put a lid on each container.

 

[maddiesue]

thanks all! i added more water to the vermiculite and put lids on the tupperware containers. i just wish i knew why the vermiculite was drying out so quickly, it feels like i'm adding water at least once a week! oh well, if it helps my eggies then i'm more than willing to do it. i'll keep ya updated thanks again for the advice everybody!

 

[AHBD]

I just realized that your original post mentioned no lids.....that was a big part of your problem, as the other poster mentioned. I think some of the eggs will be O.K, but others look to be goners.

 

[maddiesue]

do you guys put holes in the lids? or just snap 'em on tight without air?

 

[AHBD]

I put holes in , and I check them every 3-4 days to be sure all is well. At times you may have to wipe water off the inside of the lid so it doesn't drip on the eggs.

 

[CourtneyLS]

The vermiculite shouldn't be that wet that it's causing condensation on the lid.
There should be condensation on the sides of the container on the inside, but not on the lid. If there is condensation forming on the lid, take it off for a while to let the vermiculite dry out a little bit, then put the lid back on.

 

[AHBD]

That's very true Courtney, but since he was already adding water because of the dehydration, he will probably get a little condensation on the lid inside....that will need to be wiped off right away as dripping water can ruin the egg. It's just one of the things that has to be experimented with for each person as they learn to get it right.

 

[DragonMorphs]

just a quick note dont put too many holes in the tubs as they will dry out just as fast 3 or 4 with a srewdriver sould be fine

 

[maddiesue]

thank you so much everyone! the eggies are now all covered with lids