Loggerhead musk turtle egg split open

[dragonzuiko]

Hi
Has anybody had this happen to there egg before, looks like the yolk sac has come out ? Whats the chances of still being a good egg ? its been 42 days in incubation.

[Kirkie]

I'm not an expert on this but that doesn't look good. Loggerhead incubation is 90 days plus isn't it so this is quite early. Hard to say if the material thats out is alive or not but the end of the egg looks like mine do when an embryo fails.

Can only suggest to get some clingfilm over that end of the egg and see what happens.

[dragonzuiko]

Yes could of died, thanks for the clingfilm tip, i was trying to find something just to protect it, wont get my hopes up though.

Both of the minor eggs have nearly gone white, can see red viens at the ends.

[egyptiandan64]

That has most likely happened because the egg has soaked up to much water. Hard shelled eggs can't expand like soft shelled eggs and tend to crack if they have gotten to wet. Cling film should help.

Danny

[Kirkie]

What was you ratio of vermiculite to water and have you remoistened the vermicuilte? Also what are your humidity levels.

I've been hatching 3 striped muds on vermiculite that was 1:1 in weight with water at the start that I don't top up again. Humidity at 80%. As Dannys said they're hard shelled eggs so a bit more resiliant to lower humidity than some soft shelled turtle eggs. I lost a couple of boxies this year in very similar circumstances. Got too humid and split the egg far too early. I also tried incubating mud turtle eggs on damp sphagnum and its split the eggs (but luckily not the inner membrane). You live and learn.

[egyptiandan64]

Just by the way the vermiculite looks, it's definately to wet.

Danny

[dragonzuiko]

Thanks for the replys, yes the media is wet, i moved the eggs to a dryer bed, funny thing is only one egg cracked and the common musk hatched ok.

Humidity is around 85, the condensation must have made the vermiculite wet, the tub is small, prehaps thats why ? i am learning all the time

[Kirkie]

I've gone the other way in that I place a small number of eggs in a small tub (I use hummus tubs, I eat a lot of huumus ). Poke a few hole in the lid and I don't see the condensation I was getting with plastic boxes. I just lift the lid every couple of days for a minute and make sure that the incubator, rather than the tubs, is at 80% humidity.

Keep up the good work, not many people have egg laying Loggerheads in the UK.

[Kirkie]

Like this.

[dragonzuiko]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I've gone the other way in that I place a small number of eggs in a small tub (I use hummus tubs, I eat a lot of huumus ). Poke a few hole in the lid and I don't see the condensation I was getting with plastic boxes. I just lift the lid every couple of days for a minute and make sure that the incubator, rather than the tubs, is at 80% humidity.

Keep up the good work, not many people have egg laying Loggerheads in the UK.

This is my first go at eggs this year, so i am learning as i go. i have 4 tubs in my first incubator, two of the tubs are from takeaways and the other is a sandwich tub and the other is a little round tub i managed to find when i had another three eggs and no where to put them. i have my tubs lids on but only one side, the other side is proped up with a cocktail stick to keep it open. i had to start a second incubator because the turts laid more eggs, i was hoping for a few but not this many.
Since the split egg i been checking all my pots, i found 3 pots too wet so far, so i been moving the eggs around and been squeezing the water out of the media and adding more dry media, hopefully i will get no more splits.

I only know one person that has hatched a Minor in the UK, and it was there first a few weeks ago, so i am hoping i will get one as well. I have had 12 minor eggs this year from my two females, the one female never liked the male and was really shocked when she laid eggs but none of heres have banded, i have two of heres still in the incubator, they are white but dont think they are good. my other female minor laid 6 eggs but only two of them have banded but not sure if they are good or not, she them laid another two which both banded right away and showed signs of life, then one splitted, well gutted, hopefully the second egg will make it, i have put it in a new bigger tub in my second incubator.