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nickyff
Yearling
507 Posts |
 Posted - 28/05/2012 : 13:53:01
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okay so Debbie did 16 eggs on may 19th, and cos I hadn't intended incubating them I didn't have a pre-organised set-up. so i rapidly got together a polystyrene box from the supermarket fish counter (how DO i get the fishy smell out? peeyeew!) and mat and stat and eggs into plastic tub on damped vermiculite with moss on top.
i just want to check i've got things about right, cos i've read a few threads that make me wonder about the moss- so ths is what i've got, here goes:
polstyrene box with heatmat inside, plastic tub over the mat with a gap of about 1/4 inch. stat and thermometer probes inside the tub with the eggs, (temperature ranging between 26 and 29, so fairly steady) inside the tub is a deep layer of damped vermiculite, then i put the eggs on top of that- she had laid them really deep in the moss-box, so there was a lot of moss trapped between and round the eggs; i left it there, rather than disturbing them to remove it- is this okay? they're pretty much surrounded by moss, and then i put a bit more over the top to keep them damp. when i opened the box to circulate air yesterday, i moved the moss a bit to have a look, and it seems to be staining the eggs- is there such a thing as too much moss?
at some point i need to transfer the eggs to a slightly bigger tub i've now found, cos the one they're in is very snug- i know to keep them all the same way up, but should i perhaps try to remove some of the moss? would they be better just on top of the vermiculite with just a teeny bit of moss over them? there's so much moss in there atm that i can't truly know that there's 16; it was part counting, part guesstimate at the time, cos i couldn't see them so well cos so much moss round them....
so there we go. long rambling worry-about-nothing,... opinions/advice please? |
and you thought there was no such thing as a stupid question....
1.2.0 corns: captain haddock, sharon the tiddler and Darling Debbie. plus 0.2.0 cali kings: spot and Numpty... not forgetting the delightful Miss Lovely-Gonzalez-La-Poop apricot pueblan milk snake, and we all miss the Lodger who thought he was a cobra....
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mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!
United Kingdom
2901 Posts |
Posted - 28/05/2012 : 19:44:18
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to be honest, it sounds fine as it it. Staining the egg isnt an issue. You dont really need the extra moss on top, i never cover the eggs when i incubate, and i suffer very few losses.
Its more important to have good air circulation within the tub than to have them too damp, so personally, and this is just my preference, i wouldnt have any extra moss in there at all, that way also you can see the eggs much more easily and dont have to keep opening the tub and moving the moss to see. As for opening up for airflow, i personally open the tub once every 7 to 10 days, just briefly to allow fresh air in, but you dont even need to do that! |
Location : Worthing, West Sussex
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nickyff
Yearling
507 Posts |
Posted - 28/05/2012 : 23:11:42
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| thanks for that- so when i move them i'll take out most of the moss then- as long as the vermiculite is damp enough they'll be fine, i guess- |
and you thought there was no such thing as a stupid question....
1.2.0 corns: captain haddock, sharon the tiddler and Darling Debbie. plus 0.2.0 cali kings: spot and Numpty... not forgetting the delightful Miss Lovely-Gonzalez-La-Poop apricot pueblan milk snake, and we all miss the Lodger who thought he was a cobra....
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mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!
United Kingdom
2901 Posts |
Posted - 30/05/2012 : 20:53:52
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| they will be fine yes. THe best way to see if the vermiculite is damp enough is to soak it in water, then squeeze out the excess, that will do the eggs fine for the entire time without topups. |
Location : Worthing, West Sussex
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just checking....
