Mold Every time!!!

Wreptile

HTReptile
Messages
568
Location
Oregon
What is wrong?
I've tried vermiculite and HatchRite.
I can understand mold on the vermiuculite, because I don't have anything to measure the water, but the HatchRite? It's pre-moistened for the perfect amount. All it says to do is pour it into a container and place eggs in.

I am washing my hands before I touch the eggs and HatchRite. It's been a week now for my eggs, one has molded over, and this other one is starting to now.

Any Help?
 

THE WHISPERER

New Member
Messages
2,093
Location
California
Maybe its starting before you get your eggs in the incubation medium, what are you using for your lay box medium? Is it starting soon after you put them in the incubator?
 

crotaphytidae

New Member
Messages
370
Location
Utah
Mold tends to grow on unhealthy eggs and not so much on good, viable eggs. Are you sure that the eggs are even fertile? I hope that the problem alleviates itself.
 

snowgyre

New Member
Messages
588
Location
Athens, GA
Rick's got the right of it, if you're not using a sterile laying medium you're going to get fungus. I use coco-bedding for the egg laying chamber since it doesn't harbor fungus and yet holds moisture decently. Too much moisture in the incubation medium could also cause mold.
 

Wreptile

HTReptile
Messages
568
Location
Oregon
Well before this mold, I cleaned out the container, and the HatchRite was fresh out of the bag. I just poured it in, without touching it. I washed my hands before touching the eggs.

Vanessa, when you say Coco bedding, do you mean the Dirt Bricks that you add water to, and they expand?
 

snowgyre

New Member
Messages
588
Location
Athens, GA
Yeah, that's exactly it. I used to have a huge mold problem until I switched to the stuff. Now I don't have any mold issues at all. I don't incubate with the coco-bedding, I use perlite or vermiculite, but for an egg laying chamber it's great. The only problem it has is that it tends to be hydrophobic when it's really dry, so you have to make sure you mix water in by hand if it's dry to get it evenly moistened.
 

Gregg M

Registered Member
Messages
3,055
Location
The Rotten Apple NYC
As stated earlier, Healthy eggs generally do not mold... I have had a few bad eggs mold in the middle of good eggs and the good eggs never mold...
 

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