Pertilite Keeps Drying Out

[DirtyDuck]

I have been incubating 4 eggs for about a week now and fir the second time the Pertilite has dried out. I have the eggs in a shallow deli cup with and 2" of Pertilite and a cap of a water bottle filled with water for humidity. I know for sure I have one egg bad since part of it has turned dark and has started to cave in. I am using the Little Giant Incubator 9200 and it is set on 90 degrees I don't really care what I get so I am incubating the eggs at 90 so they can hatch faster.

[Tim and Julie B]

Well at 90° you will get all males and the humidity will dissipate very quickly. You must dampen the perilite itself. Putting a cap of water in won't do anything to retain moisture. Use about 3 tbsp of water for every 1/2 cup of periltie used. That should give a great ratio. Hope the other eggs do better this way and good luck!

Julie

[TLH_Wär§cöötmän]

You will most likely get all males BTW at 90°F, but at that temps I am sure the small capfull of water would evaporate very quickly. This is most likely why the eggs are collapsing, not enough humidity. Do you have a hydrometer in there?? If not get one and check it daily. I suggest getting a larger reservior of water in there asap. Oh and if there is a fan on that model of incubator, you will have to slightly shield the eggs from the fan. I use small containers of vermiculite, covered with saran wrap with toothpick holes in it. Could be the perlite itself, not sure I use vermiculite.

[DirtyDuck]

This model has no fan. I don't mind getting getting all males I just want to have atleast one egg to hatch. Just one of the eggs is collapsing the others look fine. How long does it take before the eggsstart to get bigger, I put them in the incubator Tuesday?

[Stockwell]

Use vermiculite, it holds more water and is easier to judge when it's the correct consistency.
You squeeze some in your hand.. It should form a snowball but not drip.. add either water or more dry vermiculite until you get it right.
Make sure you have a lid with no more than one or two small holes.

[Manitoban Herps]

Did you put holes in the deli cup? Try not putting holes in the deli cup, but make sure to open the deli cups lid once a day.

[Gregg M]

Perlite is one of the best incubation substrates if you are using it it right..... Here is what I do and it is what works for me..... It is 9 simple steps to getting a good hatch rate.... So far this season, I have had a 100% hatch rate....

1- Get a deli cup with a lid.....

2- Put an inch and a half of perlite in the cup.....

3- Weigh the perlite....

4- Use another deli cup and put water in until it becomes the same weight as the perlite.....

5- You can either pour the water in and mix it up or you can put the water you weighed into a spray bottle to more evenly distribute the water into the perlite..... What ever you do not get into the perlite from spraying, you can just pour the rest in....

6- Make thumb impressions in the moist perlite and bury the eggs about half way......

7- Make one little slit in the lid and place it ontop of the deli cup tightly......

8- Put the deli cup in the incubator.....

9- Open the delicup ever 3 to 4 days for about 5 seconds so there is a good oxygen exchange....

[DirtyDuck]

the deli cup already had holes. I'd say there is about 6 holes in the cup part,mone on the lid. Would one of those containers that MealWorms come in (The 100count) that you get when you purchase from a PetStore?

[Tim and Julie B]

I prefer putting holes in the deli cup anyways. That way condensation doesn't build up on the lid and drip onto the eggs. The holes should be tiny pin holes though. If the holes are any bigger then use another deli cup. I also agree with Stockwell, vermiculite is way easier to use.

Julie

[Gregg M]

Vermiculite and perlite are both easy to use..... It just boils down to what you like better..... Personally I have had much better results useing the mothod I explained...... The thing is, which ever one you do use, if it is not done correctly, neither one of them will give you good results.....

[DirtyDuck]

I changed the container I had the eggs in. It is a small tupper ware with 4 tiny Holes (Used the Corn on the cob holders) and a crack from one of the holes I punched. The egg that started to turn dark and cave in the other day isn't caving in anymoreI added water last night. Is that a good sign or does infertile eggs do this to?

[DirtyDuck]

I found 2 more eggs today but these are white and kind of chalky unlike the first 4. But I noticed I can see a 2 red circles inside the eggs (On Egg Wall) one inside the other kind of like a Bulls Eye, Is this bad or good? so I have a Total of 6 eggs now surely atleast one of them will hatch.

[Manitoban Herps]

Sounds like those 2 are fertile.

[DirtyDuck]

Thats what I like to hear. I hope they are from my Tangerine.

[Tim and Julie B]

Yay!!! Those red marks are the veins forming inside the eggs You've got baby leos in there!LOL

Julie