Hello first timer here!! I got these eggs into an incubator with appropriate temp (84 degree) and my humidity has hung around 80. I don’t know if that is too high or not but as you can see I had some deflation in my babies. All eggs were candled and fertile and they were laid yesterday and taken out of the cage immediately after being laid and put into vermiculite (5:1) and an incubator. Any info you have I am so grateful for. Are these salvageable? Did I have an error I can correct for the future?
Hi there, did you add water to the vermiculite ? That's what really counts more than actual humidity levels. The eggs need to be nestled in a moist substrate. BTW, you can't always 100 % determine viable eggs right when they're laid, sometimes there are a few plump duds among them.
I mixed the vermiculite with water 5:1 vermiculite to water ratio it’s not sopping wet but is all damp and moldable. We candled each and saw an embryo in all of them is it possible that that’s just because they were fresh? Would you say these are no longer fertile if deflated?
Definitely keep them since it's so soon, they can def. plump up if they're fertile and in the right conditions. Where is the heat source in the incubator, can you post a picture ? If it's from above it can dry the eggs out.
It is from above /: should I put ventilated lids on the bins they are in ? I don’t have them directly under the heat source but it is a cheaper incubator and heat is coming from the top.
Yes, lids with holes in them is what I used. You just check every few days to wipe any condensation off of the inside. If it drips on the eggs you have to dab it with a paper towel.