Second clutch that never hatched

lisab_83 · 06-08-05, 02:48 PM

This is my second clutch of eggs this season that ended up dying. This female crestie layed her first clutch ever last season and the geckos hatched normally. These are her first and second clutches this year. The eggs grow big, but just as they're nearing the end they shrink and dent in. I cut these open and the geckos were fully formed but didn't appear like they even tried to hatch out.

What could be the cause of this? The eggs didn't appear to have thicker shells than the ones that hatched normally last year.

Thanks,
Lisa

DragnDrop · 06-08-05, 06:39 PM

One reason could be too much moisture, causing the embryo to drown at the last stage of development. Another could be high temperature. Warmth speeds up development and can lead to fully formed babies that are just too weak to hatch.

How are you setting up and incubating the eggs? What supplements do you give the mother, and what do you feed her? A few more details might help us narrow it down a bit for you.

lisab_83 · 06-09-05, 10:04 AM

The mother gets crickets 2x a week with peach+pear baby food on the other days (she will not touch crested gecko diet). I've been giving her herpcare cricket dust as well as zoo med's reptivite.

The eggs are in a half filled container with perlite. Some holes in the lid for ventilation. I maintain it at 2:1 perlite to water with a scale.

House temp may be an issue since I moved after the first clutch hatched. My room sits around 75F but will peak up to 83 on hot days. I moved the remaining eggs downstairs where the temp should stay in the lower 70's. Would the hot days up in the 80's cause weak hatchlings?