KaHane,
Great babies! Trace is very jealous! She's on her way down to kidnap them.
A few thoughts on your hatching issue-
1. In the past I have run into the same issue with a few species. One thing I have found is that the more the container is opened the lower the hatch rate. In my opinion the release of the warm humid air in the container has the biggest affect. I think the shock of temp change is the factor. I have seen this in pardalis, lateralis, senegalensis, cristatus, and dilepis.
2. If the female came in gravid the nutrition provided is off. In species that are fast producing (pardalis, lateralis, oustaleti) nutrition in the earliest stages seems very important. Pre gravid health is even more important in the African species. Senegalensis, dilepis, quilensis, and gracilis.
In captivity we don't see all of the problems associated with poor nutrition while gravid. In the wild I suspect that poorly nurished females either don't make it out of the hole or die shortly after laying. In captivity we always help the females along by giving them moist dirt, plenty of water, and a good meal after laying.
3. Improper incubation. This species comes from so many varied enviorments. In some locales a very strong seasonal change is experienced. Moisture levels in some species is the trigger for development. When the level either stays the same or is changed at the wrong time in development has been known to cause problems.
Of the 25 or so species I have worked with it's always the "weedy" species that have the presented more incubation problems.
Just some thoughts.
Carl
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