| THE LAB STEPS Step 5 Incubation |
THE EGGS WERE LAYED ! At 6 am on March 22nd, Ginger was found in the process of laying her eggs. This is day 9 after her
pre-lay shed. It took approximately 5 hours for her to complete the egg laying process. She laid 7 eggs. One of which is of an
abnormal shape and could be considered a "slug" , which is the name for an infertile egg. All of the eggs appeared abnormally
dark in coloration, so the fertility factor and whether or not they will make it full term remains to be seen. The eggs were put into a
container with moist vermiculute and then put into the incubator which had been prepared to a stable temperature of 82 degrees.
The eggs will be watched closely over the next few weeks to see if they are indeed all healthy. There were many factors going
against this pairing such as illness, lack of time in brumation and only pairing completely one time, so we will see what nature
decides.
Ginger will be given small food items for the next few days and plenty of water and privacy to allow her to recuperate. Next week
she will start to be fed bigger food items to help her gain her weight back. While gravid, she weighed 560 Grams. After laying eggs
she weighed 446 grams . Prior to mating she was 506 Grams. She is expected to gain her weight back quickly and will possibly be
put back with the male if fertile eggs were not produced in this current clutch.
Click on the thumbnail images to enlarge
4-14-06 UPDATE! - The eggs did not go full term. The eggs when laid where abnormal in appearance but they were given all the proper conditions to thrive if possible. Within the next two weeks they started showing mold and further discoloration which is the sign that they are infertile. This could be caused by various reasons, but it is most likely due to the Female being sick and on antibiotics in the beginning and also only being with the male only one time which apparently did not offer fertilization to the eggs. Below are the images of the eggs as they showed they were not fertile. LAB RESULTS: NO GOOD DATA COMPILED TO DETERMINE RESULTS. No experiment is a failed experiment . We have learned much here and will continue to strive for more understanding of genetics and nature through experiences with these wonderful animals. A good scientist never stops searching for more answers and breeding season is not over yet!. Stay tuned for continuations and possible new projects.... As a matter of fact, there is a pairing going on right now... |
WEEK ONE
WEEK TWO