Need help - babies on the way

[bugwump]

I am hoping to get better response from this forum than the other one I subscribe to...as I have heard NOTHING back from them yet (you guys are usually more helpful anyway!).

Hey all - I have a pair of Cresties and the female started laying eggs in early December 2008. So I have a few questions and hoping I can get good answers...

1. Isn't early Dec a little out of season for egg-laying? She has laid three pairs now, and is fat again so a fourth is coming...is this ok?

2. How many pairs of eggs will she lay - I know they are 4 weeks apart but I don't know when to expect her to stop.

3. The eggs seem to be doing good...the oldest ones are quite a bit larger than the newer ones, and none are fuzzy. I tried to candle the older one with a strong flashlight but can't see anything - might be doing it wrong...or maybe the shell is too thick to candle (used to do it when my parent bred birds all the time)...I believe the incubation period is 90 days - is that correct?

4. Here is the tricky part...what do I do when they start to hatch? No assistance? How long does the hatching process typically take? Should they remain untouched for a certain amount of time? Please help me with the steps and timeline from the start of the egg hatching to the point where the babies are in an enclosure and eating cgd (hopefully). I don't think there are TOO many steps to this...I just don't want to bring the babies into this world and do things wrong and cause any suffering or unnecessary stress for them.

Thank you so much and can't wait to post pics - this is really amazing and am excited to let me kids see the process of life unfold.
I have included a couple of pics of the female and one of the male (dalmation) just to share...

 

[Valley Reptiles]

They will lay eggs all year if they are breeding. Some of my groups breed during the winter and some during the spring/summer so I get eggs all year. They do slow down more in the winter though.
You would probably need to keep the male out until she stops laying and after her last clutch give her a 3 month break before putting the male back in.

They can lay anywhere from 8 to 20+ eggs in a year, depends on the female.

I dont bother with candeling. If the eggs look good then they almost always hatch. The bad eggs usually start molding soon. Incubation will be 60 days or as long as over 100 days if they are kept cool. Your first ones should be hatching soon.

When they start hatching the baby will slit the egg and usually sit with it's head out for a while. When it's fully out of the egg you should take it out right away and mist it with water to get all the substrate off so it doesnt ingest any of it. They shed soon after they hatch and will eat whatever is stuck to their body. After they are rinsed off you can put them in a small kritter keeper or tub. I dont feed anything for the first week, then offer cgd. I offer crickets once a week after they are a month old but it's not necessary. I mist them a little more that I do the adults. You want it moist most of the afternoon/night but also want it to dry out during the day so you dont get mold.

I have pictures of the eggs incubating and babies hatching out of the eggs if you want to take a look. It's under my care sheet. Just click on the colored words and a picture will come up. http://www.thevalleyreptiles.com/caresheet.htm