Temp spike

[marisa]

Hi!

My eggs are incubating on a unused shelf on my rack. So far for the past 35 days it has been fine, and the temp has stayed between 75-77 at night and 77-82 in the day. The eggs look great so I haven't been too worried over the slight fluctuations.

Today I came home and the room had gotten SUPER hot and they were at 87. I know corn eggs will hatch through basically anything. but then again i read bad stories too.

Think something terrible will happen? I slowly lowered the temp and its sitting at 82 now.

Marisa

[drewlowe]

i would wait and be patient and see what happens. But i also don't know what exactly will happen cause i'm currently on my first clutch of corn eggs myself.

[Jeff_Favelle]

87F is ok. I've hatched them at 89 (in 39 days!!!) but its not advisable.

This is where a bigger incubator becomes handy. Bigger heat sink so that the temperature fluctuations are minimized during power outages and during heat waves.

[Colonel SB]

I agree with jeff abotu the larger incubator, I've never had my corn eggs as high as 89 but 87 is fine.

[marisa]

O.k. sweet. I feel better about the whole deal now. I wasn't overly worried but I definitly am hoping nothing comes out weird. :)

Damn the wait is long..........


Marisa

[gonesnakee]

I don't think you have any worries Marisa. Its that dreaded 90 mark that you need to stay below, but mid to low eighties is safest. If you incubate at the high end of the scale you get babies faster, but risk abnormalties in development. Shoot for the middle or lower end, its worth the wait. I found that I lost a lot of eggs in the last couple weeks of incubation last year due to too high of temps (pushing 90) & had 2 clutches with some bumpy-back or kinkytailed babies. The year prior I had to wait a couple extra weeks for hatchlings, but didn't experience any similar problems. I am just letting my eggs incubate in my room this year & have them all in styrofoam "fish shipping boxes" to help with temp fluctuations & it is working fine. Unfortunately I live in Calgary, AB & my reptile room is upstairs. The temps here change so dramatically sometimes from day to day (within hours) making it hard to regulate the "highs" in the upstairs room. On the hot days I have to move all my "coolers" to the floor to prevent "too high temps" & most days I have them up high because it is just about too cool on the floor. It can be like 5 C here in the am & high 20's by lunch sometimes, so it keeps me on my toes. If I'm not going to be around I keep them low to prevent the risk of getting too hot, in case it is supernice while I'm gone. I beleive Bill & Kathy Love say in their Corn book fluctuations from 70-90 f no worries, so if we haven't made you feel better they should, lol. Enough ranting already... Mark I.

[marisa]

yeah thank you!

I have moved them to a lower shelf, where the temp is staying between 75-80 again. I am keeping a close eye though, and moving gently when needed.

I am hoping the eggs are still looking good a week or two from now.

Marisa

[gonesnakee]

Ah yes, waiting, waiting, waiting is the hardest part. Mark I.