Re: First Egg

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Posted by JOSH on April 03, 2001 at 17:37:00:

In Reply to: Re: First Egg posted by bruce on May 26, 1999 at 12:30:56:

: You should note the following things:

: 1.Don't mind too much about how other people mentioned about the egg is probably not fertile if it is not buried, etc. Chances are, it's fertile and you have nothing much to lose to give it a try.

: 2.Do not rotate the egg;leave it the way it is. Rotating it would kill the embryo.

: 3.Build a homemade incubator with a big plastic tub or fish tank, put in a submersible water heater, and adjust the temp to around 83 deg F.

: 4.Put the egg carefully and in the same orientation as it was discovered, into a smaller plastic container (like a butter container or some sort) with about an inch of moistened vermiculite. (This can be done by soaking the vermiculite, then wring dry)

: The key here is moist, not wet. The butter container should rest on a piece of brick or some other stable platform so it won't float around inside the plastic tub or tank, which should be filled with enough water to cover the submersible heater.

: 5.You do not have to bury the egg entirely into the vermiculite, just make a mark with your thumb so that half of the egg sits in there securely.

: 6.Cover the egg container (the butter container) with a lid to keep the humidity but keep some vents to allow proper air exchange.

: 7. Check on the egg daily to see if it's ok. If the egg is fertile, you should be able see some blood veins developing within a week or two as you candle the egg underneath a lamp. When you candle, be careful of its orientation. Under no circumstances should the egg be turned or rotated.

: I have been able to hatch turtles and torts with the above method, hope it works for you.

: Good luck.

: Bruce

: : Just learnt from TT website that eggs left lying on the surface, ie the female made no attempt to nest them properly, are probably infertile. In this case however, note that she does not have a choice as they are housed indoor with newspaper laying.

: : Is it more practical then to 'candle' it to see whether it is viable. Anyway, not sure how it is done and what to look for. Any advice?

: :

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: : : You should note the following things: : : 1.Don't mind too much about how other people mentioned about the egg is probably not fertile if it is not buried, etc. Chances are, it's fertile and you have nothing much to lose to give it a try. : : 2.Do not rotate the egg;leave it the way it is. Rotating it would kill the embryo. : : 3.Build a homemade incubator with a big plastic tub or fish tank, put in a submersible water heater, and adjust the temp to around 83 deg F. : : 4.Put the egg carefully and in the same orientation as it was discovered, into a smaller plastic container (like a butter container or some sort) with about an inch of moistened vermiculite. (This can be done by soaking the vermiculite, then wring dry) : : The key here is moist, not wet. The butter container should rest on a piece of brick or some other stable platform so it won't float around inside the plastic tub or tank, which should be filled with enough water to cover the submersible heater. : : : : 5.You do not have to bury the egg entirely into the vermiculite, just make a mark with your thumb so that half of the egg sits in there securely. : : 6.Cover the egg container (the butter container) with a lid to keep the humidity but keep some vents to allow proper air exchange. : : 7. Check on the egg daily to see if it's ok. If the egg is fertile, you should be able see some blood veins developing within a week or two as you candle the egg underneath a lamp. When you candle, be careful of its orientation. Under no circumstances should the egg be turned or rotated. : : : : I have been able to hatch turtles and torts with the above method, hope it works for you. : : Good luck. : : Bruce : : : : : Just learnt from TT website that eggs left lying on the surface, ie the female made no attempt to nest them properly, are probably infertile. In this case however, note that she does not have a choice as they are housed indoor with newspaper laying. : : : Is it more practical then to 'candle' it to see whether it is viable. Anyway, not sure how it is done and what to look for. Any advice? : : :

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