Crested Egg Question

[PurpleFlutterby]

We've been incubating a Crested egg for about the past week & a half now. I checked on it tonite when we got home & much to my surprise found the thing deflated. I'm new to this so I was just wondering if it was ever even fertile or if maybe it was something I did to make it deflate? Maybe Olive wasn't getting enough calcium before we got her? (We got her the same day she laid the egg) Thanks!

 

[AneesasMuse]

When is the last time she was with a male? What was she eating prior to living with you? With what and how often was she supplemented? How are you incubating... what is the media? Is it moist enough? Too moist? Is the incubator heated? or just at room temps.. if so, what are they? Does the inc'y have proper ventilation? When you increase the moisture to the incubator media, are you careful not to directly wet the eggs?

There are a lot of factors, as you can tell by all the questions. Can you post a pic of the egg?

Oh.. and did you rotate the egg in any way at all when you transferred it from the location you found it to the incubator? It is very important to NOT rotate or change the position of the egg once it's been layed.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I don't know about cresteds specifically, but some lizards and even some snakes are like domestic hens--they will lay eggs without ever actually mating, the eggs just aren't fertile.

 

[PurpleFlutterby]

Grabbed the cam & snapped some shots of the egg & the incubator container...

Now on to the questions lol ~ I know absolutely nothing about Olive. My husband picked her up from a friend of his & she laid the egg at some point with him right before Nate picked her up. Once we got her home, we put the egg in the incubator. I wouldn't say we moved the egg too much, just enough to transfer.

I'm so glad I've done research! But there's always stuff to be learned that isn't typed!

We're incubating in a 6x8 plastic container containing vermiculite & a small amount of peat moss. Room temp (avg 73 day & maybe a 3-4 degree drop @ nite), lightly misting if needed (checked by hand) every 2-3 days, not on the egg, just around it.

I think that covers them all lol! Thank you so much for helping me! My husband knows nothing about geckos & I'm still learning! I'm definitly glad I joined!

The Egg

The Incubator

 

[AneesasMuse]

Honestly, it's hard to tell anything... the egg looks perfect... just with a big dent in it. I mean, it looks calcified just fine, so Olive is probably fine in that department. It's possible that this was an 'end of season egg' and it was never fertile ...or.. the egg was accidently turned ..or... the egg got too dry somehow during transit.

I would leave it in the incubator and wait to see if it molds over. You can candle it, if you really want to torture yourself Take a little keychain type LED light or a big ol' maglite... either will work fine.. and hold the light's beam pointing up into the egg, from underneath. If the egg is yellow'ish throughout... it's a dud. If it has a pinkish red tint to it and/or a "donut" near the top, you have a weiner... err, winner! Now, if it's a winner... lots of prayers and good vibes are in order... to get that dent to disappear. It is possible, though.

Some miraculous things have happened with these little pearly jewels.. so never give up until the mold is overwhelming.

And don't feel funny about being new to these guys.. I was brand spankin' new once, too. Heck! There's still tons of stuff I could learn, I'm sure. I read a lot of stuff on the web and try to keep in mind that I can't believe all of it... and I ask a lot of questions when I'm around the serious breeders, hobbyists, etc. And... I really pay close attention to each and every single one of my animals.... however crazy that may seem You can learn a LOT of stuff by just observing them.

Good Luck! If you have any other questions or concerns or anything, just pm me or whatever. I'm always available to help... or help find someone that can.

 

[PurpleFlutterby]

Already candled it & it's a definite dud.

I hear ya on the not believing everything you read! If I see something that is common between different sources, then I take that as more than likely being true. Hey, if numerous, seperate people found the same thing, then mosta the time it's true.

Haven't had the opp to talk to breeders, only been in this for a few weeks now. So I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot from me! Thanks again!!