First time eggs

Hey everyone, this is my first time to this site, but I'mhoping to become a regular. I’ve owned leos for many years, but just recentlydecided to start breeding. I have a couple questions to get answered, and I’lllet you know what I’ve done so far.

I have a female sunglow (super hypo tangerine carrottail) and a male albino rainwater. Even though it’s optional, I brumated myfemale, then reintroduced the pair. After about three weeks, theymated and she laid a clutch of eggs about a month after (on April the 16[SUP]th[/SUP]).

I used perlite as the substrate, and used a 0.8:1substrate to water ratio. I made my own incubator, using a Styrofoam box, sidelight, humidistat and thermostat probe, and an undertank heater (I’m gonnainstall a humidistat/temperature controller, so I can just set the temp and walkaway). I've been trying to keep the eggs at a constant 84 degrees Fahrenheit, but without a controller, its been fluctuating between 80 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit.

I’ve been checking the eggs every three days, and on the18[SUP]th[/SUP], the eggs appeared to have a very small dent in them. I added alittle bit more water to the substrate, making a 1:1 ratio of substrate towater. Today the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] I checked the eggs again. I noticed that therewas a very small amount of mold on the very tip of the eggs. I’m thinking theseeggs are just infertile. I’m not familiar with how a fertile egg should feel orlook, so I figured I’d turn to this forum for help. I’ve attached a few picturesbelow for reference.

Please let me know if you believe these eggs are fertile,and if so, what you think I should do to maintain the health and integrity ofthe egg. Thanks in advance for any advice or help you can offer.

Welcome to GF! I do see some red in the eggs, though it is not in the classic "bulls-eye" shape and, to be honest, I've seen red smudges like that in eggs that didn't develop. On the other hand, I've also seen eggs that don't seem to have candled well hatch out healthy geckos.
I have 2 suggestions which will improve your success rate (it's not unusual for first eggs to be infertile, or not develop even if they are fertile, and you should be getting more eggs soon):
--do something (it sounds like you have some ideas already) to stabilize your incubator temps. I have found a greater percentage of birth defects when the temp fluctuates too much
--candle your eggs when they are laid and then leave them alone. I don't think a lot of handling is good for them. It's hard to wait and hard to deal with the unknown, but try to put up with it.

Good luck with breeding.

Aliza

Thanks for the advice Alize. Is there anything that I should do with the mold? I'll wait a week to check them again (instead of every three days) and give you an update. When should I decide to throw them out? Also, what is the interval for my female gecko to lay eggs again, I've heard its about every 3 weeks, is that right?
Thanks for you advice! as soon as that control sensor gets here, i'll immediately install it! I'm sure the fluctuating temperature isn't helping at all.

You could gently wipe off the mold, though it's usually a sign that the egg is no good. I have found geckos to have a laying interval anywhere from 2-6 weeks. You can usually see the eggs in their bellies when they're getting ready to lay. If the egg collapses and/or gets covered with mold, it's time to "let it go".

Aliza