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question on bedding for incubation

Paranoika

Paranoika

New member
I went to wal-mart to find bedding to incubate the eggs in and they recommended the Expert Gardener Moisture Mix Potting Soil. The ingredients are: reed-sedge peat, composted forest products, sphagnum peat moss, horticultural perlite, ground dolomitic limestone, a wetting agent, time-released fertilizer and water holding polymer crystals (potassium polyacrylamide polymer). Is that ok? Or is the fertilizer unsafe?
 
I wouldn't use it personally, in case the fertiliser leaches into the eggs. Last year I used perlite and moss, this year I'm trying plain vermiculite
 
I'm having trouble finding both perlite and vermiculite here, so for now they're in Fir and Sphagnum peat moss mix. Do you think that's ok?
 
Oh, Gods! I didn't know that! Should I maybe just put them on moist paper towels until I can get the right stuff? This is so gut-wrenching! Also, I've got them on a heating pad with a digital thermometer (the probe is inside with the eggs, but the reader is on the outside), it's at 83.4F right now, but I'm worried about how to keep that constant over night, when I'm sleeping, or even when I'm at work. Any advice? I keep peaking at it every five minutes, I'm so worried about screwing this up! I was SOOO not expecting these babies!
 
Oh no, it shot up to 84.9F... Leaving them on that pad is definitely not viable! What should I do... I feel like my heart is in my throat!
 
Vermiculite

paranoika3 said:
I'm having trouble finding both perlite and vermiculite here, so for now they're in Fir and Sphagnum peat moss mix. Do you think that's ok?
Click to expand...

Menards sells Vermiculite.

I've used Vermiculite for over 7years. tried moss this year and hated it. switched back to Vermiculite. You also could try Ace hardware if you guys have them up there.

If Menards doesnt have a small bag in its Garden Section go back by the insulation.

~F
 
paranoika3 said:
Oh no, it shot up to 84.9F... Leaving them on that pad is definitely not viable! What should I do... I feel like my heart is in my throat!
Click to expand...

When supplying heat, via a heat mat or other heat source, for incubation, it should always be controlled by a thermostat, to avoid the temps becoming unstable. Temps over 90F can spell death for the eggs :(

If you have a closet shelf or the top of your refrigerator, that stays in the very high 70s to mid 80s farenheit, then the eggs should do ok there. Many people use this method, if the temps are good.

Here's a link that might be of help :)

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65141
 
The top of the fridge sound like a great idea, I'm just worried about them getting knocked around (my little brother is a rather clumsy 11 year old). Right now they are by my bed in a Rubbermaid durable container, wrapped in a couple t-shirts and on top of a heating pad. I take them off every time the temp gets above 84. I just worry that I'm fluctuating their temps too much. (It's been ranging around 77 and 85)... I'm also not too sure about the closet as it's a walk-in and may be too big to keep a nice cozy temp. Any other tips you can think of?
Thanks a ton for the link by the way! It's awesome.. unfortunately I don't have all the material necessary for it yet (do you think it would work with a 20gal?), so I'm hoping what I have now can work as an emergency incubator.
If what I have them in now is a bad choice, please let me know! This is my first time, and I feel oh so lost!
 
ThermoSTAT, as in control the temp, or thermoMETER, as in read the temperature?

Digital thermometers are probably the best way to measure temps, apart from a temp gun.

If it's a digital thermostat, I don't see why you have a problem managing the temps, it should control the output of the heat mat.

There's more than one way to make an incubator in that thread, did you read it all?

The fluctuation in temp shouldn't be too bad, just may take a little longer to hatch, temps rise and dip in the wild, don't they ;)

The only thing I would be concerned about, is leaving them on the heat mat without a thermostat, when you go to sleep, as you won't know the temps then. We had a mini heat wave over here in 2006 and the temp in my incubators hit the low 90s, for just under a week, so when my corn eggs hatched I had about 50% of the babies hatch with really bad spinal kinks and they had to be euthanised :(
 
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear(read) that! :( It's terrible when stuff like that happens! But it's so amazing when you can bring healthy new lives into this world, isn't it? :)
I wish you all the luck in the Verse for your future breeding endeavors! ;)
I am DEFINITELY not keeping them on the heating pad at night. They're only on it right now b/c I'm lying right next to it and checking it obsessively. I was thinking of maybe keeping them wrapped in t-shirts/towels at night to keep the warmth in.
I'm still reading the post... this may be a silly question, but what's a uth? I'm confuzzled...
 
So the eggs are on perlite now. I talked to the manager at the pet store where I work and he said that he's used both perlite and vermiculite, but that he prefers the perlite b/c the vermiculite has a possibility of absorbing the moisture from the eggs themselves, which would be bad. I also called a breeder I know (a got a beautiful lav off of him a little while back), to see if my set-up would work ok, and he says that it should be fine. That comparatively speaking, corns are pretty easy to incubate. They both say that the slight fluctuation in temps should not be too bad.
So, yeah... basically reiterating what I've been told here.
Thank you so much for all your help! You guys rock! ;D
 
I’m not sure I understand your last post but I would strongly suggest that you loose the heat pad. You’re going to cook your eggs.

You can find a spot in the house that stays fairly warm. On top of the fridge, on top of the water heater, maybe some closet some where. Take your thermometer and find a suitable place and then leave them alone.

60 days at 79* degrees would be better than 5 minutes of 90*.
 
paranoika3 said:
I went to wal-mart to find bedding to incubate the eggs in and they recommended the Expert Gardener Moisture Mix Potting Soil.
Click to expand...

I think there is a lesson to be learned here. As much as we may try, we just can’t know everything and there are times when you just need to ask for advise from people who know more about a particular subject. There is no shame in this. A wise man knows when to stop and seek help from more knowledgeable people.

I had a professor in college once that said that knowing how to find the answer is more important than knowing the answer.

When I have questions about egg incubation, one of the first places I go to for help is the checker at Wal-Mart. These people are trained. They know their snake eggs forward and backward. I often go to Wal-Mart and just stand by the checkout line and listen, trying to absorb all the information and knowledge that I can.

When I got my degree, the first place I applied for work was Wal-Mart. Unfortunately I couldn’t pass the entrance exam and had to settle for this crummy Brain Surgery job. Life is hard.
 
Look, Wade, I went to Wal-mart to ask about vermiculite, not about how to incubate my eggs. I don't think your attitude helps anyone.
 
As for the rest of you that are truly kind and helpful, thanks again!

Oh, and the heat pad at the top of my "incubator" is keeping my eggs at around 84, but not over that, so, no, I'm not cooking my eggs. :p
 
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