Best Incubation Medium?

In one of the recent posts, someone said they changed incubation mediums from vermiculite to perlite because they had some problems with it and have found more success with perlite. Has anyone else found this to be true for them? What seems to be the best (or most popular) incubation medium?




Mike
surfgecko.net

i personally use vermiculite however i know alot of people use perlite both with great sucess

We use perlite and Albey's incubation method, but I am sure it is just a matter of what works best for you.

Regards,

Terry

I also use perlite using the Albey method. I used to vermiculite but was having trouble with eggs drying out. When I switched to perlite the problem was solved.

I've had good success with both but prefer vermiculite for some unknown reason

When I used to work in Gourmet Rodent, they use perlite for incubating leopard geckos eggs, the advantage is: by using perlite you prevent the formation of fungus, but one of the big problem of perlite is that all the moister drain to the bottom of the deli cup (if you use deli cups) and if the humidity inside the incubator is low your eggs can dry very fast. If you use Vermiculite make sure to know the exact amount of water per vermiculite if you apply this correctly you will never have problems with the fungus, but be very careful.

The best way to know that the proportions is mesured correctly is by touching the wet vermiculite with your "dried out" fingers. So this way you can feel how wet it is.

A very important technique that you cn apply to know if you pour too much water, squeeze the vermiculite and turn the deli cup on a vertical position, if you see water running out, means that you put too much water.

Christian

all who replied,

Thanks for the info. From what i've read, it seems to be a matter of personal preference for most people....but, I figured, if you don't ask, you won't know. i always appreciate input from others.

mike
surfgecko.net

Hey there, Michael!

I have always used vermiculite as my incubation medium. I use an extremely scientific method for determining the proper moisture content... I pinch it between my finger and thumb, and if it just sticks together, it's right! If it is too wet, it will stick to your fingers, and if it's too dry it won't stick together.

I check the medium around the eggs every 3-4 days, and add a few drops of water when it no longer sticks together. I feel it is better lean more towards the dry side than to have the eggs get moldy, and if they start to dent, I get a small piece of moss and get it wet, wring it out, and loosley cover the egg(s) for a couple of days. They usually plump back up!

Hi Marcia!

Thanks for the info...I've stayed pretty close to your methods this year. I've also developed a "scientific" way of adding the right moisture content based on your descriptions - I am using about a 1 to 1 ratio by weight of vermiculite to water...but weighing each time is a hassle so I found that (when using small deli cups) the weight of the water is about the same as a shot glass of water. It seems to be just the right amount and i just check them every few days.

I find it really interesting that it seems to be a 50/50 split on the best/most prefered types of medium for incubation. i'm pretty sure it was about the same split in a poll between colonies and pairs when mating recently. I guess it shows whatever works for you, you should go with!