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Best way to take care of eggs....
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by vanerka on January 24, 2007
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I have a couple of new arrivals. My het raptor leopard gecko has finally laid eggs last night and after I got up this morning I noticed a large mound of subtrait in the corner of the tank. As I bagan to redispurse the subtrait, I noticed eggs. Im excited since this is the first clutch have ever produced. I was wondering what the best way to take care of the eggs would be right now. Im planning on going to the fire place store down the street and picking up some virmiculite and placing them in a heated plastic container. I would try to keep the temp in the container at 87 degrees to keep the eggs alive. If anyone could offer any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Eric
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RE: oops...
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by vanerka on January 24, 2007
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well its 100% het. This is a visual het so this is what it would look like as a raptor. But since mines not visual it looks like a normal minus the spots.
http://www.leopard-geckos.net/bilder/farbzuchten/10_het_raptor_amgecko.jpg
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RE: oops...
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by Cro on January 24, 2007
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Eric, you will want to wet the vermiculite to about the dampness of pipe tobacco or slightly wetter. Generally, folks use the same WEIGHT of vermiculite to WEIGHT of water. Not Volume.
You will want to open the container every few days to let it air out some with fresh air, and you will want to keep a water sprayer on hand to dampen the vermiculite from time to time as it dries out.
Using a 87 degree temp could be risky, depending on how accuratly you can regulate that temperature. If it goes too much higher, you might kill the eggs. I would shoot for a slightly cooler temperature of say 83 to 85 degrees F.
Good luck hatching the eggs.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: oops...
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by Rob_Carmichael on January 24, 2007
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80 to 82 degrees F. is optimal for leopard geckos. Temps in the mid (for prolonged periods) to upper 80's will kill them, or, potentially cause severe deformities.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: oops...
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by vanerka on January 24, 2007
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Ok, thanks, I am just going to keep it between 80 and 83.Ill take them out after I get back home, Im at my dads place right now and the animals are all at my moms. What would be the best way to keep them warm, just using heat tape or should I use some sort of light. And how long about will it take for th eggs to develope and hatch?
Thanks for the help...
Eric
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RE: oops...
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by Rob_Carmichael on January 24, 2007
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Ideally, you should get an incubator; even a cheap hovabator will work fine. If that isn't an option, you can rig one up with a 10 gallon tank, an aquarium heater, 4-6" of water and a shelf built in to rest the eggs on (above the water line). Cover the top with styrofoam, or, heck, even saran wrap, and you'll have a simple set up. If you are using heat tape, make sure the egg box doesn't overheat, get too dry, etc. Maintaining optimal humidity levels is crucial for this species. Place the eggs on 2-3 inche of vermiculite that is jsut barely moistened. Hope this helps.
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RE: oops...
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by Cro on January 24, 2007
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Eric, Rob is offering you some really good advice on the temperature range for hatching the geckos. It has been many years since I have hatched out geckos, but I am sure Rob has worked with them resently.
What a lot of keepers tend to forget is that even in tropical animals from warm climates, that eggs are usually layed on the forest floor in the substrate and leaf litter and detritus.
This material on the forest floor is often a lot cooler than the high air temperatures reached during the day.
It is very easy for humans, who run around at 98.6 degrees all day long, to assume that what feels warm to them is all-right for reptiles.
A human palm is usually 93 to 94 degrees F, so anything that feels warm is hotter than that!
Often, what seems like a good slightly warm temperature for a reptile to a human, is actually way too warm for reptiles.
Lots of snake hunters will touch a road surface when road cruising, and say something like "the road is still warm, so snakes should still be crawling." Often, that road surface that feels "warm" to humans is still way over 100 degrees F, and is way too hot for snakes and other reptiles to want to cross it.
A good thermometer or temperature gun is an excellent tool to have when working with reptiles and establishing temperatures in incubators, and cages.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: oops...
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by vanerka on January 25, 2007
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I have been thinking about getting an incubator but i cant seem to find one under $100. I do have a few spare tanks at home (as most of us do:) so I think im gonna try Robs idea. I also hvae some extra packaging materials so styrofoam is no problem either. And I never stopped to think about the temp of the human body compared to other objects. Ill keep that in mind. Even when Im out herping.... Thanks for the advise. Ill let you guys know how things turn out... Ill prepare the set up tonight im at school right now. Ill be home in a couple of hrs. I've got a class till 1:45. So after I get home Ill set it up.
Thanks Guys... Eric
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