# Help - Herpnursery - incubator



## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone has had any problems with Leo eggs & the herpnursery 2? I had lots of sucess last year with a homemade incubator so im a little uneasy about this herpnursery. 

I've currently got 8 eggs in there which were layed between 23/02 - 16/03. None have sunk or deformed (bar 1 which is prob infertile). However none are showing any blood vessels yet or signs of development. Surely they should be by now? 

up until 2 days ago I was incubating at 27oc (temp gun) I've upped the temps now to 29oc (temp gun) also ive put a digital thermometer in the tub with the eggs which reads 28.6oc. I've put a bowl of water in the bottom to keep the humidity up & im using a tupperware tub with vermiculite. 





































Has anyone any pointers as to what (if anything) might be going wrong or am i just being impatient? 

Thankyou!


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

No problems with mine. Got a hatch last night, fifth of the season so far, on incubation day 46. Currently set on 27 celcius for majority female. My incubation day hatches have ranged from 41 to 50 days over the past 12 months in the herp 2. I put my eggs in a sealed container with perlite hydrated to 80% of vermiculite mass and open up to let new air in every two days. I weigh the container every week and add water to retain the 80% as necessary which is very rare.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

Austin Allegro said:


> No problems with mine. Got a hatch last night, fifth of the season so far, on incubation day 46. Currently set on 27 celcius for majority female. My incubation day hatches have ranged from 41 to 50 days over the past 12 months in the herp 2. I put my eggs in a sealed container with perlite hydrated to 80% of vermiculite mass and open up to let new air in every two days. I weigh the container every week and add water to retain the 80% as necessary which is very rare.


Aww jealous...I want little un's! :Na_Na_Na_Na:
Thats pretty much the incubation time i had last year...average 47 days but I was incubating around 30-31oc. Do you think I should see blood vessels after this long?


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## Marcus_anthony24 (Sep 2, 2007)

*Humidity in herpnursery*

I tried the herp nursery but found it difficult to regulate the humidity, it went too high, do i just reduce the amount of water I put in the perlite? Is it safer to spray just so I get the right humidity?


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## steve_3125 (May 20, 2009)

I used the herp nursery II last year with no problems have got 2 clutches in there now. Only thing for me is its too small and I am going to have to look at a bigger incubator.


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

Sixth hatch of the season incubation day 50 (four days after its brother/sister) at 27 celcius. If the eggs are fertile and undamaged my herp two is giving me no problems.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

I'm very confused then...what boxes is everyone using in the incubator?

I've moved mine now into my home made incubator....is there any chance of them still developing or will they be duff now? They still look ok just no blood vessels :O(


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

I use ordinary or clip top sealed boxes. Once correct mass of water is inside i find that i rarely need to anymore during incubation. I open them up every two days to let in air and weigh the box weekly. 
Re looking for blood vessels arteries developing i never bother as i don't like disturbing the eggs when in situ. I only dispose of eggs when black, mouldy and totally manky. Only clue i rely on for fertile developing eggs is slight darkening from inside the egg as the body squeezes up tight against the shell and stretching as nose pushes to the tip of the egg which usually happens roundabout incubation day 35 ish.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

Austin Allegro said:


> I use ordinary or clip top sealed boxes. Once correct mass of water is inside i find that i rarely need to anymore during incubation. I open them up every two days to let in air and weigh the box weekly.


It was a piece of cake last year. I didnt use air tight boxes but as you say.... they pretty much seen to themselves.


Austin Allegro said:


> Only clue i rely on for fertile developing eggs is slight darkening from inside the egg as the body squeezes up tight against the shell and stretching as nose pushes to the tip of the egg which usually happens roundabout incubation day 35 ish.


 Its weird how nothing seems to be happening with any of them (bar 1 thats a bit yellow & defo infertile) but yet their not sinking or going mouldy :devil:


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

New world record for me to add to the herp 2 stats. I had a hatch last night on incubation day 53 from temperature setting at 27 celcius start to finish. To date over the last twelve months my hatches have ranged between 41 - 53 incubation days. I think my shorter hatch dates last year were from 28 celcius which is possibly explained by the fact that the bio chemical reactions are at a faster rate at a higher temperature. have plumped for 27 celcius this year for a definite bias to produce females. So the longer incubations I am getting are giving me more confidence in my babies being female. 

Would be nice if everybody would list the incubation day lengths when selling babies rather than just incubated for female which from my own experience seems to often not be correct when they grow on.


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

Another world record for me in the space of two days. i got a baby on incubation day 55. the herp two is working okay for me.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

Austin Allegro said:


> Another world record for me in the space of two days. i got a baby on incubation day 55. the herp two is working okay for me.


I've gave up with the damn thing. Doesn't seem anyone can shed any light as to why mine doesnt like me :blahblah:


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Have you calibrated the temperatures? Although they are accurate in terms of temperature control, the display is often a few degrees out. You need to use a decent digital thermometer, with the probe inside the egg boxes, to check the temperature and then adjust the incubator accordingly. I have hatched corns, hognoses, and even barons racers (which are apparantly very difficult to successfully hatch) with 100% hatch rate using this incubator.


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## tonkaz0 (Apr 25, 2008)

Luvbug19 said:


> I've gave up with the damn thing. Doesn't seem anyone can shed any light as to why mine doesnt like me :blahblah:




I know what you saying I could never get my temps right in mine! and then just after the guarantee ran out the heater packed in! so it's just used for storage now! I use a hovabator and homemade and all work better than the herp2, I know lots of people have trouble with them! Then again some people love them.


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## lukendaniel (Jan 10, 2007)

Luvbug19 said:


> I've gave up with the damn thing. Doesn't seem anyone can shed any light as to why mine doesnt like me :blahblah:


 

there was nothing wrong with your incubator you evensaid your self no denting going mouldy or anything. you have to wait you probs have maybe another 2 -3 weeks that they could hatch in. also its not always so easy to see the red veins just cos you crnt see them does not mean they are not there 

imo you should of just left them its only been 51 days so far it is usually between 40-65 days so you still have 14 days left and thats 2 weeks and could also be a few days over anyway 


luke


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

ian14 said:


> Have you calibrated the temperatures? Although they are accurate in terms of temperature control, the display is often a few degrees out. You need to use a decent digital thermometer, with the probe inside the egg boxes, to check the temperature and then adjust the incubator accordingly. I have hatched corns, hognoses, and even barons racers (which are apparantly very difficult to successfully hatch) with 100% hatch rate using this incubator.


I calibrated the temp with a temp gun & also a digital thermometer in the tub.



lukendaniel said:


> there was nothing wrong with your incubator you evensaid your self no denting going mouldy or anything. you have to wait you probs have maybe another 2 -3 weeks that they could hatch in. also its not always so easy to see the red veins just cos you crnt see them does not mean they are not there
> 
> imo you should of just left them its only been 51 days so far it is usually between 40-65 days so you still have 14 days left and thats 2 weeks and could also be a few days over anyway
> 
> ...


I think i just instinctively know somethings not right, i just don't know what. I've started putting eggs into my home made incubator & by day 3 there glowing a nice pink unlike the others in the herp2 after 50+ days


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

And another world record for me with a hatch on incubation day 59. Tell you wot dropping the temp to rock bottom 27 celcius ant half extended the length of time for my hatches. On the postive side its has also increased the proportion of females that hatch.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

Im thinking i was maybe a little impatient :gasp:

On the plus side...just had my 1st little super snow hatch from my home made incubator :flrt:


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## bobo1 (Jan 2, 2010)

I am having the same problems as you mate, my eggs get to about 50days old then start going mouldy or colapsing. I have mine in boxes with 9 holes drilled in the top and there in damp vermiculite. the egs hold up fantastic until near the end then it all goes wrong ive lost 12+ eggs already. The temp seems to hold fine and you can see condensation in the boxes and i open them roughly every 4 days to let fresh air in. I have a tub with water as well in the incubator. so far ive managed 4 hatchlings out.


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## Luvbug19 (Feb 10, 2009)

bobo1 said:


> I am having the same problems as you mate, my eggs get to about 50days old then start going mouldy or colapsing. I have mine in boxes with 9 holes drilled in the top and there in damp vermiculite. the egs hold up fantastic until near the end then it all goes wrong ive lost 12+ eggs already. The temp seems to hold fine and you can see condensation in the boxes and i open them roughly every 4 days to let fresh air in. I have a tub with water as well in the incubator. so far ive managed 4 hatchlings out.


its so frustrating isn't it. I'm not having much luck at all this year. They've started collapsing/moulding in the other incubator now. Had around 95% hatch rate last year :gasp:


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## bobo1 (Jan 2, 2010)

ive started checking every two days opening the boxes and fingers crossed this might help. I threw 8 eggs out on sunday


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

And yet another world record incubation period. I had one hatch out on day 60 yesterday.
Herp 2 is working well for me.


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## candycane (May 18, 2010)

bobo1 said:


> I am having the same problems as you mate, my eggs get to about 50days old then start going mouldy or colapsing. I have mine in boxes with 9 holes drilled in the top and there in damp vermiculite. the egs hold up fantastic until near the end then it all goes wrong ive lost 12+ eggs already. The temp seems to hold fine and you can see condensation in the boxes and i open them roughly every 4 days to let fresh air in. I have a tub with water as well in the incubator. so far ive managed 4 hatchlings out.


 you dont need to add water to the bottom just in the tubs with only 1-2 holes in ..


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## Reptile R' Fun (May 15, 2010)

you need to open once every 2 days dude, thats why ur eggs are going bad, it says that in the booklet...


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

Blimey a massive leap in my personal leo incubation day record with a little bewt breaking out this teatime on day 64.


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## vanassen (May 29, 2010)

Im a newbie to this and my first set of eggs went bad but for my 2nd set which i got yesterday ive followed this guide:

Albey's How To Incubate Leopard Gecko Eggs

Hopefully i have better luck with this method. Only thing thats making me 2nd guess it though is people on here saying open the box every 2 days where as this guide says once a week.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Austin Allegro said:


> And yet another world record incubation period. I had one hatch out on day 60 yesterday.
> Herp 2 is working well for me.


Not quite a *world* record - my longest incubation was a leopard gecko egg that hatched on August 31st.... after being laid in April. I had given up hope that it would *ever* hatch.


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## kaimarion (Dec 31, 2007)

Just fill your incubator up to the brim with livefood boxes filled with crumpled up newspaper, it will help keep your temps stable.
I also spray the inside of my incubator every couple of days to help keep the humidity up, giving the lids a very light misting on the inside also helps just make sure it's a light misting as you don't want water dropping on the eggs.


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

I never hatch eggs on substrate ei. vermiculite, perlite etc...

Though i am yet to use my HerpnurseryII as i haven't eggs at this moment, when i hatch eggs i sit them on plastic egg crate, the crate is sat on top of an open tub, usually half filled with damp subs for humidity and a tub of just water the other end of the incubator for extra humidity.

Works fine for me! as the eggs can't get too wet and therefore mouldy, and they can't absorb anything that may have got into the subs that's harmful.

and when they start to pip i moved the crate onto damp kitchen roll (still in incubator of course).


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## Austin Allegro (Oct 5, 2008)

Ssthisto said:


> Not quite a *world* record - my longest incubation was a leopard gecko egg that hatched on August 31st.... after being laid in April. I had given up hope that it would *ever* hatch.


My personal world record is getting closer to your personal world record as i had one hatch on day 69 last night.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Austin Allegro said:


> My personal world record is getting closer to your personal world record as i had one hatch on day 69 last night.


Isn't "personal world record" a bit of an oxymoron?

It's either a "*personal* record" - the longest/biggest/smallest/shortest/tallest/etc YOU have ever encountered - or a "*world* record" - the longest/biggest/smallest/shortest/tallest etc that ANYONE has ever encountered, ever, in the world.

Yes, I'm dreadfully pedantic and keen on precise word usage.


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