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Perlite??

C

cornsnakefreak0

New member
Hi,
This is my first season for breeding corns. I am preparing to have eggs and was wondering what anyone thought about using perlite to incubate their eggs. I heard that is was one of the best choices for incubation medium. Is there any reason I should reconsider? What should I do? Do I completely cover the eggs or just put them on top? I am going to biuld my own incubator so any tips there would help. I am going to get started building as soon as I get my heating element. I want to make sure it works and set to the right temp. Is 80-82 degrees good for corns eggs or should I go higher? lower?

Please help.

Thanks Charlene
 
i build my own incubator in the summer out of a 13 dollar athletic cooler. I used a sterlite container for the egg box with 2 small holes drilled on either side to regulate humidity. The summer was really hot, so the cooler kept the eggs at a great 80 degrees. i've seen people put some heat tape at the bottom of the cage, and run the cord through the spout for water. then put two bricks on either side of the tape, and set the egg box on that. Also have 2 thermometers, one in the incubator, and one in the egg box, same with the humidity readers. TEST everything out before the eggs come. I suggest you run the incubator for a few days to see how the levels get, and make adjustments from there. Besure to fan the eggs every 3-4 days too with the egg box lid, to circulate some fresh air.

80-82 degrees sounds fine. I would stay at that. That's why i like having 2 thermometors you can just look at general levels every day and then the eggs every 3-4 when you airate them (i don't like to disturb eggs), and test everything out for a fews days.
 
Charlene -- Perlite is an excellent choice but can be a bit tricky the first time you use it. The key is to get it just moist enough (still feels dry to the touch) to be of use. I use a 1 part Perlite to 9 parts water ratio; others use a 1 part Perlite to 7 parts water ratio. Since my eggs are placed into a homemade 55-gallon RubberMaid plastic tote incubator with 100% humidity levels, the 1-9 works here in dry West Texas. It is trciky because many first time users tend to get the mix too soggy. It MUST still feel almost dry. Try different ratios to see what I mean. That's why I settled on 1-9. This ratio worked extremely well for my leopard geckos, too.

I place my eggs in the shoebox on top of the Perlite and push it up against the sides of the eggs. I don't bury my eggs but others bury them slightly more than I do. You'll have to adjust as you go along. Eggs stacked high in the egg mass get buried more than those I can separate (rarely) and place indvidually on top pf the Perlite (like Leo eggs).

I check the Perlite every week and will add water around the edge of the shoebox to the Perlite (not NEAR or ON the eggs) if it needs a tad bit more. The temps and humidity in the tote usually preclude this, however.

Shannon
 
I use Perlite to incubate my eggs, but I use a different method of getting the right water to perlite ratio. I saturate the perlite completely and then manually squeeze as much water out of the handfulls as I can. When the water stops dripping, I find it is just the right water content for eggs to incubate!

Good luck!

:cool:
 
Charlene,
While I don't disagree with using Perelite, I don't really like it. If this is your first breeding you will probably do well with Sphagnum Moss. It is very easy to tell by feel how moist it is and it's slightly acidic, this will help retard bacteria growth. use the method described by Darin, saturate it and then ring it out till it's damp, and surround and cover the eggs with it. A piece of damp paper towel or news paper over top works great for a humidity gauge. A digital thermometer from Walmart(about $15.00) will help monitor your temps. If your only hatching a few clutches, do yourself a favor and purchase a HOVABATOR(about $35.00). Although on the smaller side, they work very well. Keep in mind, these are my opinions. Experience is the best teacher!

Best of Luck!
Matt L.
 
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