Burmese Eggs

[mrtoofay]

My Burmese Star laid eggs! Since I haven't been actively reading the forums for a while, this caught me off guard and I am trying to figure things out. This is laid by my 2016 stars.



The Green X was the first one, then 1 week later, the black X. Another week later, the 2 big dots, with one of them, the lower one, being a little elongated than others. Another week later, last night, the center one was laid. Found it fresh behind my large female's tail, still wet. Few questions.

1. Is it normal to have eggs laid with so much time in between them?
2. Is it normal for them to have different colors? The darker ones are just dirty? or are they not viable?
3. Is it normal for them to have different shapes?
4. Should I use two containers? Larger container? or is this ok?

I have them cooling at 19C now, but the first egg is already 3 weeks in, and the last one is still fresh, should I wait another 3 weeks or so to bump the temp up? Sorry for all the questions. Like I mentioned before, haven't been actively reading the forums and this caught me off guard. My first batch of eggs.

Thank You

 

[Yvonne G]

First time mom's sometimes don't know what's happening back there and just poop out the eggs as the spirit moves 'em. Frequently those eggs are not fertile, but I incubate them anyway. Good luck!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

@Tom knows most about incubating eggs

 

[Tom]

1. Is it normal to have eggs laid with so much time in between them?
2. Is it normal for them to have different colors? The darker ones are just dirty? or are they not viable?
3. Is it normal for them to have different shapes?
4. Should I use two containers? Larger container? or is this ok?

1. No. Not normal. They normally lay 8-10 eggs in a nest in the ground and then cover them up. As Yvonne explained, first time moms frequently drop eggs around on the surface. I have one female that consistently lays only 6 or 7 eggs. I occasionally get 12, and my all-time record was one huge clutch of 14 that all hatched.
2. No. Not normal. They are usually very uniform in size, shape and color. I get an occasional "odd ball" from time to time. Only time will tell if they are viable.
3. No.
4. Whatever they fit in will be okay. Just keep the incubation chamber very humid and add water to the media as needed.

I would begin incubation when the last egg has been cooled for a month. It is totally fine if the other eggs go longer than a month. I've gone up to four months cooling. Cooling works from 16-23C, and its okay if it varies within that range during the 4-6 weeks, and a night drop is fine too. My "cooling area" is on top of my grandfather clock in my entryway. The temperature there is usually around 20C in winter and 23C in summer. This species lays eggs in winter and again in summer, and the diapause break works for me at either of those temperatures and anywhere in between. I incubate them at a constant 31C, and this produces very high hatch rates for me. Other breeders build in a night drop or other wise make temperature changes during incubation, and they have good success too. This tells me that there is a wide margin of error and most any routine should work, within reason.

Questions are welcome.

 

[mrtoofay]

Thank you so much for your input! My friend got one of those cheapo incubator as soon as he got his tortoises, but unfortunately they haven't laid eggs, so I went to his house and stole it out of his garage! Got the temp set to 19c now, and I'll wait for another month before bumping the temp up!

Keeping my hopes up while preparing for the worst at the same time! Here's a pic of the incubator.

 

[mrtoofay]

Just got 3 more eggs last night. That's a total of 8, at almost exactly 1 month apart.