Reptile Eggs

 

Lots of people have an interest in breeding reptiles, but are not successful due to lack of knowledge. Some are lucky enough to get eggs, but don’t know how to incubate properly. There are many different techniques to hatching reptile eggs. I will share my method which I find creates the highest success rate. Hopefully this blog will help if you are having trouble getting your reptiles to hatch.

First you will want to remove the eggs from the mother in a timely fashion. They will dry out, shrivel up, and ruin hours after being laid if the appropriate action is not taken. Next find an appropriately sized plastic Tupperware container with a lid. You will want to find a product called Vermiculite, which can be found at most garden sections at stores. You will mix Vermiculite with water with a ratio of 1:1. Fill the plastic container with the mixed Vermiculite then place the eggs in the container. You will want to make sure that the eggs are about 50% buried. Find a small incubator and set it at the right temperature for the reptile you are attempting to hatch. Leopard geckos for example would be set at a temperature of 85 degrees. Place the container in the incubator. Make sure to completely open the incubator and container daily to supply the eggs with fresh air.

 

Once you have the eggs set up in the vermiculite you will want to check the eggs for bad eggs. A bad egg will rot and mold and can spread the mold to healthy eggs. These eggs need to be removed as soon as possible. You can turn off the lights in a room and press a small flashlight to the egg. You will be looking for any signs of blood vessels, so look for red lines. If the egg has no blood vessels then it is most likely bad. Watch suspected bad eggs and remove at the first sign of mold. Good eggs will be nice and white, but bad eggs will start to turn a brownish color. If you are lucky you may be able to hatch a few reptiles of your own. You may even produce a new mutation.

Thanks for taking some time to learn about reptile eggs.

Michael Walker