# incubating royal eggs



## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

I im stuck on my the decision weather to incubate the eggs in a plolly box, with a mat on the lid, then put the eggs in tubs with vermiculate, and all controlled by a stat, then i was thinkin i dont want to mess around with the eggs just incase i damage them or mess the process up, so i was wondering how long does it take for them to hatch if i do it naturaly, with the mother compared to incubation? cheer's 
4PY


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

You are unlikely to be able to maintain heat and humidity levels if left with mom. But if you can achieve this the the incubation period is the same as if you took them away which is anywhere from 53 - 60 days when kept at 90F. If you want a good chance of them hatching my advise is to remove them and place in an incubator


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

I would agree with putting them in the incubator


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## bluerain (Jun 7, 2008)

Agreed as well...too complicated to keep humidity high enough in a viv, you will end up with shriveld dessicated eggs! Take them away, set up in large tupperware box with vermiculate, and incubate yourself...much easier!!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

sorry to hijack this but what typical humidity and temp range is best for royal eggs?


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

fantapants said:


> sorry to hijack this but what typical humidity and temp range is best for royal eggs?


Best temp is 90F but can vary slightly from 86-91F (I dont do celsius). As for humidity there is no set number but it is reasonably high without the eggs becoming too waterlogged or puffy. The main thing is to avoid them sitting in very wet conditions as is always said conditions should be damp never wet. It is something you just learn to judge by eye. I never keep a humidity gauge in with them as I have never found the need. I am sure someone on here can give you an exact figure.


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## ChrisBowman (Jan 1, 2008)

Humidity Can Be up to 100% Ive Been told, But carnt be Lower than 70%-ish.


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## Alex27 (Jul 26, 2008)

bowie1125 said:


> Humidity Can Be up to 100% Ive Been told, But carnt be Lower than 70%-ish.


100% is soaking wet :lol2:


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

80-90% is best


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## ChrisBowman (Jan 1, 2008)

pastelpythons27 said:


> 100% is soaking wet :lol2:


Tis what i read on CaptiveBredReptileForums.:whistling2:


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

Thanks for all the tips guy's but am still confused though, if im going to be using a poly box, with a mat ans stst, its got to be hard keeping twmps, if youuve got to open the box every so often to fill the vermiculite up with water again hasnt it?


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

:2thumb:BUMP


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

4PY said:


> Thanks for all the tips guy's but am still confused though, if im going to be using a poly box, with a mat ans stst, its got to be hard keeping twmps, if youuve got to open the box every so often to fill the vermiculite up with water again hasnt it?


Not very hard to maintain temp in a poly box. And you dont need to open it very often as humidity doesnt drop fast unless left open for a good while. Make a viewing window in the top of the box so you dont have to open it to see if the eggs are starting to dry out/puff up.


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

Rite ok cheer's how would i go about putting a viewing glass on top of the lid of the poly box, and in that case i would have to use the heat mat on the bottom of the box instead of the top wouldnt i, rite im going to say, the set up that i got told would, work just let me know if its ok, start of with the poly box, put a heat mat on the bottom, controlled by a thermostat then fill the box up with boxes of vermiculite and eggs.is there anything i need aswell let me know yer cheer's 
4PY





oakelm said:


> Not very hard to maintain temp in a poly box. And you dont need to open it very often as humidity doesnt drop fast unless left open for a good while. Make a viewing window in the top of the box so you dont have to open it to see if the eggs are starting to dry out/puff up.


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

:2thumb:Bump


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

4PY said:


> Rite ok cheer's how would i go about putting a viewing glass on top of the lid of the poly box, and in that case i would have to use the heat mat on the bottom of the box instead of the top wouldnt i, rite im going to say, the set up that i got told would, work just let me know if its ok, start of with the poly box, put a heat mat on the bottom, controlled by a thermostat then fill the box up with boxes of vermiculite and eggs.is there anything i need aswell let me know yer cheer's
> 4PY


Yeah heat mat would need to go into the bottom then the smaller plastic tubs with eggs and vermiculite. To make a viewing window you can either get a piece of perspex and silicone in in place or cheaper option to cut 2 squares from a plastic wallet, stick one on the inside and one on the outside (double glazing) best to use silicon and not tape as the humidity will cause tape to peel off. You could even put a viewing window in the side of the box if it is deep enough and still keep the heat mat on the top. Personally always had heat mat in the bottom but get creative, a couple of good examples are on the home made incubators thread, have a search for it. But I think you have covered all the basics, good luck with the eggs.


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

Yer cheer's mate , thank's alot :2thumb: i think im going to go with the heat mat on the bottom, then using perspex with silicon, i like the sound of that one : victory: also do you think its a good idear to put water in bottles ontop of the heat mat for humidity then place shelves on top of the bottles and then place your boxes with vermiculite and your eggs on top, cause ive herd of people doing it that way but i just wondered what you think about it? cheer's
4PY


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

4PY said:


> Yer cheer's mate , thank's alot :2thumb: i think im going to go with the heat mat on the bottom, then using perspex with silicon, i like the sound of that one : victory: also do you think its a good idear to put water in bottles ontop of the heat mat for humidity then place shelves on top of the bottles and then place your boxes with vermiculite and your eggs on top, cause ive herd of people doing it that way but i just wondered what you think about it? cheer's
> 4PY


You need a spray bottle in there so you have water at the same temp for misting if you have room. As for the water bottles under the box with eggs, thats a new one to me. Some people put a dish on the heat mat to create more humidity and make a shelf over it for the box. But that means you are going to end up with very, very high humidity. If you check on the eggs every so often using the window then the humidity can be adjusted with a spray bottle. I dont like the dish method, leaves everything far too soggy. Good tip for you is to place a piece of paper either over the eggs or just a square on the vermiculite then if the paper is super soggy and slimy the eggs are so leave the lid slightly open for a bit, but if the paper is crispy then the eggs need misting. Good way till you get an eye for it. There are a million ways to setup and incubate eggs, everyone has there own preferences. Once you have done a couple of hatchings you will soon have your own preferences.


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## 4PY (Mar 13, 2008)

Yer i guess so mate, well thank's alot again, i think im going to try and leav a spray bottle in there with it so the water stays at the same temp then and try it that way  i'll let ya no how it all goes:2thumb:


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