Newbie Humidity Incubation help

[sgitman]

HELP!!! Humidity Incubation help

I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything correct. 7 days ago my female gecko had her second clutch of eggs(first dried out under sand, and yes i no longer use sand, learned my lesson).

She laid this clutch in the moss box( plastic container with moss) overnight. When i got to them in the morning, they were stuck together at one end and one of them was stuck to the plastic of the container. I gently removed them from the container side(easily came off), left them stuck together and followed Allbey's method for incubation.

The eggs felt and looked fine and I put the container with lid closed and no holes in my new exo terra incubator(very cool by the way). I also stuck a digital temp into the container as well.

Now.....I know all about the temping of them, Im going for 85 for a mix. However the humidity has been showing 55-60 percent all along. I read around that this is low, but when i went to candle the eggs, (they are fertile , they feel a bit too soft to me.

Is this normal? they feel almost water balloonish if that makes any sense. Am I doing something Wrong? They still are fertile. Will they harden up??

ANy help/suggestions is GREATLY appreciated

 

[Bongo]

If you have a 1:0.8 perlite to water ratio in a sealed container, you shouldn't have to worry about humidity levels inside of the container. An easy way to make sure that this ratio stays constant during the incubation period is to weigh the container (lid and all) when the ratio is where you want it, record this weight, and then weigh the container weekly to be sure that no water has escaped. Keeping an open container of water inside of the incubator helps to keep humidity levels up.

How are you providing your female with calcium? Leos will sometimes lay soft-shelled fertile eggs if they are not provided with enough calcium. One of my females, a first time breeder this season, is getting all of the calcium she needs but recently laid one soft fertile egg. The egg hardened up after a couple weeks and looks good now.

 

[sgitman]

Thanks for the reply!!!!

I am covering my crickets in calcium, and also providing non d3 calcium in the tank for her as well,s o I do not believe that is a problem.

I do have a 1:0:8 ration in the container, but doesn't 55% humidity in the container seem low?

Also, how does the cup of water in the incubator help if the container is sealed shut?

 

[Bongo]

I have never measured the humidity levels inside of my incubation containers, but 55% does seem low. Are you sure that your hydrometer is accurate?

I am incubating my leo eggs in cheap deli cups inside of a Turbofan Hovabator incubator. When I recently did not replace water that dried up inside of the plastic container at the bottom of the incubator, I weighed the deli cups the following week to find that they each weighed about 4 grams less than they had when the plastic container was filled with water. I now keep the container filled and the cups maintain a steady weight.

 

[sgitman]

SO i guess the humidity can still find its way into the sealed container with the eggs and perlite????Seems odd but ill give it a try....

Also, wouldn't rising the humidity make the eggs even softer?