Incubation??

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Tony the tank

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Well I went out and brought a zoomed incubator... So I transferred all the eggs over making sure not to disturb there position... Just need to know the correct temp and humidity to set it at..

Any help would be appreciated..Thank you
 

turtlelady80

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I have my sulcata eggs set at 87 degrees with 80% humidity

Also make sure to give the eggs oxygen once or twice a week. And if you see any mold growing on any of them, make sure to use a damp paper towel and gently wipe it off but DO NOT rotate the eggs in any way. Make sure they stay EXACTLY the way your sulcata mommy dropped them. Hope that helps. Good luck!!
 

jackrat

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Just be sure you take your temperature readings at egg level. If this is a reptibator,you'll have to set the digital display higher,as the temp sensor is in the top.
 

Tony the tank

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I set it at 90*F..which is 88-89 at egg level..is this temp correct???..humidity is at 88%... I would love to get it higher but it's not climbing....I have the soaked foam , water in the base and two cups with water on the shelf with he eggs... Wonder if a couple of soaked sponges would help raise the humidity??
 

turtlelady80

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I wouldnt up the humidity anymore. Too much humidity could harm the eggs.

Also dont let the temp get any higher than 90 degrees. Too hot can kill the eggs. Also 90 degrees should produce all female. I set mine at 87 to get a mixture of males and females. And I am doing that because its a lot safer. Above 90 degrees can also cause split scutes and some difficulties. But def wouldnt go any higher than 90...tops.
 

Tony the tank

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turtlelady80 said:
I wouldnt up the humidity anymore. Too much humidity could harm the eggs.

So you think 88 % is enough...i thought I read 90-92% was the correct humidity level for sulcata eggs...
 

jackrat

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I'm not sure about sulcatas,but I incubate my redfoots in the high 80's.
 

turtlelady80

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Ive read 80% humidity BUT I could be wrong. It seems that websites often contridict eachother so I read alot of books and I go by experience. But this is my first time incubating sulcata eggs too!

I was told to stay away from high temp incubation until I got it down to a science. Just because it could turn out bad. Let me know how you do! I'll be anxiously awaiting to hear about your babies!:)
 

Tony the tank

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I know what you mean lots of contradictions... That's why I'm asking here.. I read temps from 86-90*F and humidity from 90-95%...
 

ALDABRAMAN

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We have found that between 85f and 86f with 90+ humidity gives us the best results.

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Tom

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I incubate mine at 88-89. As for humidity, I don't worry too much about it. I mix vermiculite and water in a 1:1 ratio by WEIGHT (not volume), put the eggs in a closed top shoe box with 2-4 1/4 inch holes drilled high on the sides and then I don't mess with it. When I see the first egg start to pip I'll add a few teaspoon of water to the medium as this seems to help them hatch a bit. I do put the water at the bottom of the incubator, in the little channels, but I really don't re-check it during the three months. When they start to hatch I leave them in the incubator until they remove themselves from the egg and start walking around. Sometimes they will sit in their open egg for two or three days absorbing their yolk sac and nibbling on the egg shell. Once they walk out of their egg, I rinse them thoroughly, soak them and then put them into a brooder box. I use damp paper towels in the brooder box and throw their left over egg shell and something green to eat. I find that if I don't provide them with a snack, they will eat the damp paper towels even when they still have some yolk sac protruding. They spend anywhere from 2-7 days in the brooder and then I put them into their first enclosure once the egg sac is absorbed and the umbilical scar closes up. While they are in the brooder boxes I still soak them daily and change out their paper towels while they are in their soaking tub. I keep the brooder boxes pretty clean. I don't want mold or mildew since its so damp in there. My brooder boxes are the exact same type of shoe boxes, with the same holes drilled, as my incubation boxes.
 

Katherine

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I have had great success with an incredibly simple incubation system. 83 degrees, 80% humidity. I use plastic Tupperware with perlite as a substrate, and usually break the clutch up into groups of 6-8 eggs in separate but equal containers; this way if something goes wrong or one egg is bad you are less likely to loose a whole clutch. When the first egg pips I up the humidity to 90 and/or gently mist them to help the little guys out and then remove them from the perlite as soon as their head is free (don't want them to eat any!) I'll try to post a pic tomorrow, it's simple, it's inexpensive, and it has hatched many many healthy clutches for me : )
 

Katherine

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Oh junk. Sorry. I don't know how to remedy that... I attached it to this too but used same method so expecting same result : ( tips on how to imbed successfully welcome... I'm new if you couldn't tell : /
 
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