Incubator at 93% RH

[voodoochild]

Is this a bad thing? I think I added too much water to the hovabator. I'm incubating RF eggs. Thanks!

View attachment ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439556611.621986.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439556628.878200.jpg

 

[wellington]

Maybe @N2TORTS can help here.

 

[N2TORTS]

the humidity is fine.....although don't "soak" your eggs. Leaving them sitting on a "very wet" substrate can and will cause problems ....molds, fungus and just plain ol' egg rot.(besides space, one reason I DON'T use hovabators = poor O2 transfer, although in recent years I know on some models they added internal fans to them) You would be surprised at how many micro-organisms are living in there even though your using "sterile" vermiculite. I will also note here this is why I also mix it with pearlite - even though many times read here on the forum- I have seen other breeders frown on this within their set-ups for fear of the hatchlings eating the substrate. I find no cause for alarm on this subject as I check my eggs and due dates before the neo-nate has a chance to do this, simply by transferring to a different "nursery" set-up ( I use green moss) within the incubator itself when the egg starts hatching...why keeping good records ex: laid dates ect. Plus the fact ...the little one's wont eat for about a week or so anyhow upon hatching. The reason I mention this ....is the pearlite is a great "sterile filler" and allows O2 to filter within the substrate in your cooker. So I mix the two together, thus Vermiculite = good for retaining moisture and Pearlite= good for allowing Oxygen to "blend" within your hatching substrate.
Just my .2 cents ....and I have hatched a couple of RF eggs .....(add grin face here) <~~~~what happened to the smiley icon things?

 

[voodoochild]

My hovabator doesn't have a fan but I think I can add one. But that's good to know. Substrate isn't wet. The incubator itself is 90%+. I may try the perlite too. Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Another reason for not allowing the eggs to become too wet is that they absorb the moisture into the egg and sometimes this causes the shell to split.

 

[voodoochild]

Now my thermometer is going crazy. I took some water out of hovabator and the temp started going up to 93F. But when I put another thermometer in there it showed 84F. Frustrating! Everything has been setup for weeks and now my thermometer wants to play games. At least I have a backup.

 

[Carol S]

I normally keep at least two thermometers in my incubator just to make sure the temperature is accurate. I like the digital ones that show temperature and humidity that has a probe.