My female laid two nights back. I DIY'ed my incubator (aquarium heater in a Tupperware with the glass container containing the vermiculite and eggs elevated) and it seems to be working great. It keeps a constant 83f and 75% humidity.
My problem is that I stretched plastic/cling wrap over part of the glass container holding the vermiculite (about a quarter of it was left open, so it wasn't completely sealed) to help contain heat as I was worried about drafts. When I checked the temp and humidity today I noticed the cling wrap had drooped down over the eggs, loosely covering them with itself and all the condensation it had collected. I keep reading that it's very bad to get water directly on the eggs, but I can't find why that is.
I removed the cling wrap immediately and dabbed a paper towel on the eggs to sop up any water, but I'm not sure how long it had been like that. It could have been over 24 hours. What are the chances that my eggs have been harmed? I would hate to incubate them for the full term if I had killed them in the first week
Any expertise and guidance is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Hi there....it may have harmed them if it was too wet for too long, it sort of smothers/drowns them. You will know it soon enough if they begin to cave in, mold and rot. If they continue to look plump + develop then they are fine.
Oh boy. That makes me nervous But I am relieved that it isn't a sure-fire killer. I do have some hope because there was very little water on the eggs when I paper toweled them off *crosses fingers*
Thank you so much for the response! I'll be keepin' a close eye on them.