incubator advice - open regularly for fresh air??

[Crzt4torts]

I have Russian Tortoise eggs sitting in perlite, with just below 50/50 water to perlite by weight ratio, in plastic chinese food type containers, container tops sitting loosely on the containers, some air holes that were hole punched into sides not tops of the containers. Water bowl in incubator. Periodic misting of incubator when humidity drops.

Incubator temp steady at 88 degrees, humidity 75%.
2 of my 5 eggs show definite chalking at 3 1/2 weeks.
This is our third attempt at getting hatchlings since 2014 without prior success.

My question -
Is it advised to open the incubator daily for air exchange?
Is it advised to additionally open the lid on the egg containers?
We are very dry here so I have humidifier going in the room to try and keep room humidity up.

I feel we are so close to success this time - I do not want to make any mistakes.

I have not candled as to avoid disturbing the eggs. But chalking is quite pronounced.

 

[Tom]

I have not incubated russians ever, but I've read up on it and follow the subject with interest, so I'll report what I've read and experienced here from other keepers.

Most people don't add water to the incubation media for russian eggs, but instead rely on tubs of water for humidity in the chamber. I would leave it alone though since it seems to be working.

I would not open the lids for circulation. Not necessary.

I share the next bit about species that I have incubated: When CDTs, leopards, and sulcatas pip, they eat some of the surrounding incubation media. Even while they are still in the egg. I bought some hatchling sudanese Sulcatas a few years back from a breeder who incubated on perlite. When about half of the babies failed to thrive and sent two in for necropsy to discover the cause. Their intestinal tracts were lined with broken down perlite.

I would carefully take the eggs off of the perlite and use vermiculite instead, before they hatch.

 

[Crzt4torts]

I have not incubated russians ever, but I've read up on it and follow the subject with interest, so I'll report what I've read and experienced here from other keepers.

Most people don't add water to the incubation media for russian eggs, but instead rely on tubs of water for humidity in the chamber. I would leave it alone though since it seems to be working.

I would not open the lids for circulation. Not necessary.

I share the next bit about species that I have incubated: When CDTs, leopards, and sulcatas pip, they eat some of the surrounding incubation media. Even while they are still in the egg. I bought some hatchling sudanese Sulcatas a few years back from a breeder who incubated on perlite. When about half of the babies failed to thrive and sent two in for necropsy to discover the cause. Their intestinal tracts were lined with broken down perlite.

I would carefully take the eggs off of the perlite and use vermiculite instead, before they hatch.

Thank you! I raced home tonight to check my incubation substrate. - apparently I am 'substrate dyslexic'! The bag says " organic vermiculite". Phew!!
Thanks for the info!
Fingers crossed for successful hatches.

 

[Carol S]

How exciting. I hope all your eggs hatch.

 

[Tom]

Thank you! I raced home tonight to check my incubation substrate. - apparently I am 'substrate dyslexic'! The bag says " organic vermiculite". Phew!!
Thanks for the info!
Fingers crossed for successful hatches.

I wrote this for sulcatas and leopards, but most of it applies to russians too. Hope there are some tid bits that will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

 

[shellfreak]

I'm no professional by any means. I can only give advice from my personal mistakes and success. I used to wet the substrate for Russians and my hatch rate was below 50%. Then I started placing the eggs in dry vermiculite. I use a 6oz cup of water with a paper towel in the water. When the paper towel dries out, I fill the cup again. I do not open the incubator unless I'm filling the water cup up. I do have a small hole in the top of the incubator that allows air circulation. At 55 days of incubation, I mist the eggs to stimulate the rainy season. I have noticed that this helps soften the egg allowing the tortoise to hatch. Since I've started incubating Russians this way, I have had about 90% hatch rate. I do his same technique with all Mediterranean species.

 

[Tom]

I'm no professional by any means. I can only give advice from my personal mistakes and success. I used to wet the substrate for Russians and my hatch rate was below 50%. Then I started placing the eggs in dry vermiculite. I use a 6oz cup of water with a paper towel in the water. When the paper towel dries out, I fill the cup again. I do not open the incubator unless I'm filling the water cup up. I do have a small hole in the top of the incubator that allows air circulation. At 55 days of incubation, I mist the eggs to stimulate the rainy season. I have noticed that this helps soften the egg allowing the tortoise to hatch. Since I've started incubating Russians this way, I have had about 90% hatch rate. I do his same technique with all Mediterranean species.

Great info. Thanks for sharing your techniques. You are probably one of the people whose info I read to learn what little I know about incubating russians. I think you have posted something similar to this a while back on another thread.

 

[Crzt4torts]

I'm no professional by any means. I can only give advice from my personal mistakes and success. I used to wet the substrate for Russians and my hatch rate was below 50%. Then I started placing the eggs in dry vermiculite. I use a 6oz cup of water with a paper towel in the water. When the paper towel dries out, I fill the cup again. I do not open the incubator unless I'm filling the water cup up. I do have a small hole in the top of the incubator that allows air circulation. At 55 days of incubation, I mist the eggs to stimulate the rainy season. I have noticed that this helps soften the egg allowing the tortoise to hatch. Since I've started incubating Russians this way, I have had about 90% hatch rate. I do his same technique with all Mediterranean species.

Wow, that is a significant improvement! Given my current set up situation, perhaps I should uncover the plastic containers? And just have the existing water bowl, stop misting and refill bowl when paper towel dries..
Do you keep your eggs in containers with loose lid or just uncovered in the incubator?

 

[shellfreak]

I just crumble up a paper towel and toss it in that cup. Fill up with water and wait for it to dry out. Could just be coincidental. My colony has matured, I changed a few things up with my males and females not being in same enclosure all the time. could also be that the females are just getting better at fertilizing properly. I also switched their diets around.

 

[Crzt4torts]

View attachment 163926
I just crumble up a paper towel and toss it in that cup. Fill up with water and wait for it to dry out. Could just be coincidental. My colony has matured, I changed a few things up with my males and females not being in same enclosure all the time. could also be that the females are just getting better at fertilizing properly. I also switched their diets around.

No additional water in the lower trays?
What a beautiful bat of eggs!

 

[Crzt4torts]

Batch*

 

[Crzt4torts]

View attachment 163926
I just crumble up a paper towel and toss it in that cup. Fill up with water and wait for it to dry out. Could just be coincidental. My colony has matured, I changed a few things up with my males and females not being in same enclosure all the time. could also be that the females are just getting better at fertilizing properly. I also switched their diets around.

Well, I made some modifications...
I had a hovibator ready and waiting as a brooder box for hatchlings. The eggs were in another type incubator. I have carefully moved the egg containers to the hovibator set up with just the cup of water/ paper towel like you suggest, and I have removed the lids that were sitting loosely on top of the containers.
Temps steady at 88F, I think the hovibator is more reliable than the other one I've been using, in terms of steady temperatures.
Well, watch and wait now.

At day 55 when you mist - do you mist right onto the eggs, or just into the incubator in general?