Endothermic reaction of water in egg substrate's effect on eggs

Stoneman

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If tortoise eggs are placed in damp vermiculite, in a forced air incubator, I have a hypothesis that the water evaporating inside the shoebox will have a lower temperature than the thermometer placed outside of the shoebox that is regulating over incubator temperature. Has anyone else included this in their measurements, or tested this hypothesis?
 

Stoneman

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I have never heard of anyone factoring in this information. When water evaporates, it causes a cooling reaction. If the vermiculite is damp, the moisture will cause a cooling effect that will not be measurable by an thermostat that is outside of its enclosure (shoebox) which means that the vermiculite and eggs would have a lower overall temperarure. I hypothesize that this could possibly cause a temperarure difference of up to a degree over the duration of the time the substrate is damp.
 

Yvonne G

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I have noticed that my damp sphagnum moss that covers the eggs is quite cool to the touch. This could be why so many of my tortoises are male. Never thought of that before.
 
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