need help, eggs show signs of bacteria

[craigonator]

hey all,
a few of my leos laid some eggs a few days ago and they are already showing some signs of bacteria. (small yellow blotches) It's weird because the bacteria is not showing on top of the eggs but on the underside of them. I need to know if there is anyway i can stop the bacteria from growing anymore. disinfectant, UV light, etc. And what i need to do so this doesn't happen again.
thanks much,
Craig Condon

 

[Sarah H]

Could your incubation substrate be too wet? Sometimes that can cause mold, discoloration and such to start. Makes sense if it is starting on the underside.

Also are you sure they are fertile?

 

[craigonator]

the eggs are most definately fertil, veins are showing already! The substrate could be too moist, that's what a few others have told me. I will keep the humidity lower. now i need to figure out how to get rid of the bacteria already on the eggs. someone in the rpetile chat room said that ahtletes foot powder should work, any thoughts on that?
thanks for the help!
Craig Condon

 

[gko reptiles]

They have a generic athlete's foot spray that works really well. Also, how are you incubating the eggs? If the container they are in is not "air-tight" I would switch them into a food saver container of some sort. We made that mistakes with our first set of 'experimental' eggs about a year ago and ended up with moldy eggs!

 

[craigonator]

well the incubator i have them in has a small hole to allow air flow, (1/4 inch or so) but aren't you suppose to have one?
thanks much,
Craig Condon

 

[gko reptiles]

lol, I mean inside the incubator, the box that the actual eggs are in! yes, there are supposed to be a few small holes in the hova. hmm... do you have your eggs inside a box that's inside your incubator? That might be the problem!!

 

[craigonator]

i just have them in a tupperware container w/ a heat matt and thermostat

 

[gko reptiles]

I think I'm retarded, sorry for my ignorance but I'm not getting what you're using for an incubator! (I think I'm too tired for this right now!!) Ok.. so you have an incubator with a heat mat, thermostat, and tupperware containing eggs inside it? or you have just the tupperware sitting on a heat mat with a thermostat in the tupperware? Again, I'm sorry it's just not registering!

 

[craigonator]

lol it's fine, i really appreciate the help! the incubator is just a tupperware container sitting on a heat matt with a thermostat that has a prob going into the tupperware.
thanks much,
Craig Condon

 

[gko reptiles]

Okay gotcha!!! Sorry, sometimes it takes me awhile!! lol First of all, I have heard of incubators like this, but I heard that they don't keep a constant heat well, and other problems that don't usually happen otherwise. The best (and 2nd cheapest) thing for you to do is to go to a Tractor Supply Store, or a tack store or feed store (you get the drift) and buy a Hovabator. It's actually an incubator for chicken eggs, but it works great as a leo incubator. All we do is fill food savers with 1/3 moist perlite, insert eggs, and insert container into the pre-heated incubator. The hardest part is getting the incubator to the initial temp, but after that you really don't have to mess with it much. As I said before, some people use the form of incubation you are currently using, but I don't know if I'd trust it with my baby's lives!!! Best Wishes and Good Luck!

 

[craigonator]

great, i might do that, thanks for your help