#89419

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

I did use straight vermiculite but less moisture than you would use for say leopard gecko eggs. dryer than what you would think would be healthy. I kept an open container of water in the hovabator to keep the humitiy up with out having to add water to the vermiculite all the time. When I did add water it was only a few drops here and there with an eye dropper never touching the eggs. The incubation at between 88-92 degrees took 71-78 days. my first hatchling emerged at 71 days he was anxious to greet the world because the rest hatched over several days after that. How many eggs do you have?

 #89771

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

Gexy, I have 15 reds right now. I lost my entire first clutch of yellows a month ago. Last year I tried the vermiculite but did not have success. I found that even if the water is added away from the eggs, the vermiculite tends to swell and can spread to under the eggs rather quickly even if adding a small amount. My problems have usually resulted from condensation on the egg chamber lid dropping down on the eggs or direct moisture contact from below when trying to tweak the moisture levels. I usually set up my chambers 3 weeks ahead of time and track the humidity level. Unfortunately, it seems that not all eggs respond to the same humidity settings and then you run into the issue of too much or too little moisture and the problems associated with increasing or trying to decrease the levels. I had thought about an open egg chamber and incubating at a higher humidity level in the entire incubator. I did not do this for two reasons. First, my incubator is four feet high and it would be difficult to maintain the proper humidity levels. Second, I feel that each clutch reacts a little differently to humidity and therefore may need to be tweaked. This would be impossible with an open container. Did you have dimpling when you added the water or what triggered you to add more water to the substrate? You said that your humidity level was lower than what you would think would be healthy. What was your humidity level and did this change during incubation? This last batch (15 reds) I tried something new by suspending the egg above the substrate so that they were not in direct contact with the substrate. I started incubating at almost 100% humidity and have allowed the level to decrease down to about 80%. I elevated one end of the egg chamber so that I could prevent excess condensation contamination from the lid. I am looking at around a 60 day hatch time as my temperature has stayed consistent at 93F. I have two egg chambers set up and the one chamber which started with 100% humidity seems to have a little larger eggs. This is normal as the eggs are very permeable for the first week to 10 days. I temporarily vented the lid early into incubation so that the eggs would not split which they will do if they absorb too much moisture. The other egg chamber had a humidity level around 95% and no tweaking was necessary. All of the eggs looked terrific from the start of this experiment. Even if I have success with this method, I do not believe that I am guaranteed success next time around. I think you will probably find this to be true after you have attempted to incubate a few clutches. I may be able to test this experiment again as my red female may be double clutching this year. How are the hatchlings responding? Do you have any that are struggling or are they all pretty strong?

 #91282

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

Sorry I took so long getting back to you. I knew this would be a long reply and I would need time. Maybe if you could figure out what is causing the build up of condensation and fix it, then maybe you’ll have better control over moisture and humitiy. I didn’t have any condensation in the egg containers. Maybe your incubator is not insulated well enough. As you know, cooler air mixed with warm air will produce condenstaion. This happened to my crested gecko eggs when I tried to incubate them in my basement where the temp is 65degrees I put the egg container on top of a heat pad to bring the temp up to 75 degrees(I didn’t want to put them in the incubator because crested eggs need lower temps)Anyway, The eggs didn’t make it because the condensation build up was so great that water droplets were dripping from the inside of the lid on to the eggs. Much like the problem you had. In my case there was no insulation between the the cooler air outside the container and the warmer air inside the container. I actually didn’t have anything to measure humitity. I just went by the dampness of the vermiculite. I’m sure the humitiy levels fluxuated just as the temps did. I would say between 75%-90%. Perhaps the eggs need a bit of temp and humitity variance. You were saying you’re keeping the temps at a constant 93degrees that seems 2 degrees too high. I know when you incubate at higher temps the eggs usually will hatch in less time but there is a greater chance of having weak or deformed hatchlings or worse, embyro death. So far, my hatchlings are doing excellent! They are eating very well and gaining weight. They are between 4.8- 5.2grams. something very peculiar but seems to be important, is feeding the parental feces to the hatchlings. My first hatchling didn’t have a great appetite and I was really concerned so I decided to give the "feces" theory a shot. I think it acts as an appetite stimulant, because they are always eating! I only gave them a small about every other day for the first week. None of the babies are weak or stuggling. Let me know when yours start to hatch! Good luck!

 #91436

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

Actually, studies in the wild on ornate uromastyx show that eggs are incubated at higher temperatures than 93F. The people who were involved in the four years study feel that ‘we’ are incubating much too low and that the ideal temps are somewhere between 96-98F for uromastyx. I have had conversations with this individual and do not feel a bit uncomfortable incubating at 93F. Condensation is a factor for myself and other well known breeders that I know such as Doug Dix. Balancing the high humidity and higher incubation temps while keeping an eye on the egg is the tricky part. Most of us deal with larger incubation chambers so that we can handle multiple sets of clutches at once. Checking the egg will result in temperature fluctuation which in turn results in condensation. I will probably be setting up egg chambers with see through lids next year which will allow me to view the condition of the egg without having to open the egg chamber. This should alleviate some of my condensation issues. Providing fecal matter is in fact beneficial. Again, studies in the wild show that hatchlings will immediately snack on the parents droppings and will do so for the first few days. I know Lindsay Pike and others that I speak with have had good results when providing droppings for the hatchlings. It does not necessarily have to be the parent’s droppings just any parasite free non-medicated uro. It is thought that the hatchling is provided natural antibodies from this. How many years have you been keeping uromastyx? Have you had multiple successes with incubating uromastyx eggs or was this your only attempt?

 #91541

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

While what you are saying about ornates in the wild is true, some uromastyx species come from higher elevations therefor, are exposed to somewhat lower temps. In nature the uro eggs would be exposed to a range of temps especially at night. I’m sure it isn’t 93 degrees everyday, so perhaps a fluctuation is good. I’m not saying your wrong I just don’t think it’s good to have a constant higher temp. I have had my saharans for 4 years now. I purchased them as WC adults. I didn’t attempt to breed them until 2 seasons ago. My first attempt was unsuccessful because the cooling period wasn’t adequate. I gradually lowered the enclosure temps to 70 degrees and shortened the hours of daylight for 2 months this program didn’t work. The following season after further research I decided to try something more drastic. I still shortened the hours of daylight and gradually cooled the temps and finally turned off all heat sources and stopped feeding them. I removed them from their enclosure and put them in to separate dark rubbermaid containers and left them in darkness for 2.5 months lowest temp was 55degrees. This proved to be successful they emerged from hiberbnation in fine health and within 2 weeks were breeding. This was my first clutch of eggs. I also have a pair of ornates but they won’t be mature enough to breed until next season.

 #92149

 This is how I incubated the eggs (uro_fan)

Actually, incubation chamber temps are fairly consistent according to research and from what I have read and heard. One temperature study on an ornate egg chamber showed the chamber to be a consistent 96F during breeding season and the next season showed the very same egg chamber at 96F. I am sure that this is not true for all but I do feel that there is probably more temperature and humidity consistency that we first thought. Keep in mind that some of these egg chambers are 3-4 feet in depth so it stands to reason that fluctuation may be limited due to the depth of some chambers and the natural insulation that results. The temperature readings appeared to differ more in the off season that they do during breeding season. Most reputable breeders that I know will tell you to keep your temperature as consistent as possible during incubation. I certainly believe that there is some room for variance but I would not intentionally look for that variance. I no longer put my Geryi through brumation. I have found that the natural decrease in temps at night throughout the winter will allow my females to cycle without messing with lights, changing the diet, or manually decreasing temperatures. My females have had very nice size clutches with good shell formation. I know other breeders that no longer brumate their uros and are also having terrific results. Mali’s are a different story (in my opinion) and I feel that they need a little heavier brumation for the females to properly cycle. On the other hand, I feel that their eggs are more forgiving than geryi so it is a nice trade off.