Help !!
 

Well after a few years of tort keeping I was astounded today to go out to bring on my female Redfoot to find an egg !! I am shocked but really excited I know it was surface laid but am trying to get it sorted. It could have been outside for a couple of hours. I have a hovabater am trying to set it up I think I have the wafer thing on right. Do I put the water in the tray at the bottom ? I have no vermiculite until tomorrow can I use something else. What temp and humidity should I aim for ? Sorry so many questions but I am just so excited !! I have left the egg in the tortoise shed as it's warm out there till I get this working do you think it will be ok? Even if it's not fertile it was just so exciting to see it !!
So any help will be so gratefully received :)

Am really excited for you Bev, hope you get sorted :)

I hope so too Clare, been out a couple of times just to look at it :)

hope all goes well i have my first fertile egg and i,m so exited i am nearly at the point of sleeping with it :D:D

Oh thats brilliant, Beverley. I remember when I found my first egg last year- no one was in the house, I was in alone & astonished & soo excited. I dont know about redfoot eggs im afraid but just to say I think leaving it in the tort shed will be fine till your incubator is set up, as I did that with mine & now unbelievably have a beautiful baby!! Hope its fertile :)

first thing is don't panic , put water in the bottom , humidity should be around 70/75% , 30c . you would be better setting it up before you put the egg in because if the temp's go to high the egg could be ruined.

Wow how eggciting let us know how tou get on.
sue

I have put the water in the tray thing at the bottom is that wrong. Should it be in a tub near the egg. I have just ordered a hygrometer so won't know what the humity is yet :(
I'm sorry new to this, do I just put the egg in a tub on top of vermiculite that has been moistened :)
Do I just turn the screw thing at the top of the hovabator to set the temp :) I know I'm stupid I'm just panicking and worrying about the egg in the tort shed as I can't put it in yet :( Thanks Chris for your help :)

Redfoot eggs need more humidity than Testudo eggs, so yes it should be on moistened vermiculite or perlite. Humidity should be 80 to 85% in the incubator. When you have the vermiculite/perlite moistened and in a container with the egg, weigh it. This will give you a base weight and weigh every couple of weeks. Whatever the container has lost in weight add that much water to get it to the original weight.
Make sure the temperatures don't go above 30C as Redfoot eggs don't like it to warm, 29C would be safer.

Danny

Danny do you think not putting it in the incubator till tomorrow if I can get temp correct will lower chances of fertility. How many eggs can they lay I only found one ! And it feels heavy, I didn't expect it to be so big :)