Egg problems so far this season...

I have been reading comments by several folks on a couple of different forums about low fertility and/or hatch rates. I have also had problems with eggs this year! In years past, I have always had 95% or better hatch rates, and this year is very disappointing so far. I do have several new 1st time breeders this year, so I expected a few infertile clutches at first, but I have had about 20% of my eggs fail from either being infertile or failing in the first 4 weeks. I am incubating the exact same way I have for the last 9 years.

Now, here comes the clincher... my season didn't start off this way, but I did switch over to using the T-Rex Leopard Gecko Dust in March. That is when all the problems started! I have several females who were laying fertile eggs start laying clutch after clutch of infertile eggs, and the eggs that were fertile are failing. I have had to throw out 5 clutches of eggs just this week alone!!!

Needless to say, I stopped using the Leopard Gecko Dust and went back to Rep-Cal calcium and vitamin powder like I have been using, so we'll see if that changes anything. So, I guess my questions are... could this be the problem? Has anyone else had similar experiences? How many are using the T-Rex Leopard Geckos Dust?

I have had to throw out around a dozen and had one die in the egg this year out of a 100 or so. Thats like 88% so far. And thats not to say some more couldn't go bad. I think anywhere in the 80-90 percentile is pretty darn good. Take care Marcia. OH YEAH I STILL WANT TO SEE UPDATED PICS OF THE REVERSE STRIPERS!!!

and im on my second try at incubating eggs, my females lay the eggs perfectly fine, and then somthing goes wrong later on, i had 7 fertile eggs die in their 4th week of incubating at 83*f, very dissapointing, right now i have 2 gravid females and their food is always dusted with T-rex's leopard gecko dust, i switched from rep-cal after my females first 2 clutches and found that after i started using the leo dust she laid the eggs faster, at first they where 4 weeks apart, then using the leo dust they where 2 1/2 weeks apart, i think it's because repcal is only calcium and vit d3
where as leopard gecko dust has everything in it..if i had the container right now i'd list all it has, with rep-cal you have to mix it with Herptivite to get the proper amount of supplementation, and leo dust already has done that for you, so my word doesnt really count seeing as how im a new breeder..but this is my experience and i say go with T-rex's Leopard Gecko dust

my females lay the eggs perfectly fine, and then somthing goes wrong later on, i had 7 fertile eggs die in their 4th week of incubating at 83*f, very dissapointing, right now i have 2 gravid females and their food is always dusted with T-rex's leopard gecko dust

Do you think the problem may have started when you switched to T-Rex Leopard Gecko Dust?

when i had those 7 eggs i wasnt using leo dust, i was usung rep-cal, i started using leo dust like...4 weeks ago, the eggs probably died because the temps and humidity where wrong, i had a very crappy thermometer that said the temps where inbetween 80-83*f,and no humidity gauge, the eggs began to sweat,dent and then grew mold and turned green, i know about..maybe 3-4 people who use leo dust and hatch eggs with no problems at all
but now that i have an actual hovobator,humidity gauge,digital thermometer im hoping to hatch out my first baby leos

i guess you learn from your mistakes..i sure have, if your not to sure on using leo dust then dont, only you can make that choice

This is interesting. I'm using reptical calcium and the vitamin suppliment, and thus far out of 28 eggs I have had 4 bad ones. One did not hatch when its clutchmate did and eventually collapsed after 65 days. The other 3 molded over and collapsed within 3 days. Two of those were from Monte. I know he said he was having issues with bad hatching rate. I wonder if he used T-rex?

Regards,

Terry

I did start adding a little bit of Herptivite along with the calcium in each bowl, which I didnt do last year. Thats the only thing ive done different.
hmmm

~Crystal Light

Terry,

I would suspect so, as he uses the crested gecko diet.



Interesting though, I switched all my leos to the T-Rex as well and have had a miserable year. I'm actually in the process of trying to get my leos to stop laying, to give their bodies a break from laying dud eggs!

Maybe its the sudden switch? Regardless of what your using, or have been using? I dunno...maybe their bodies have grown accustomed to what they are being supplemented with...and the switch sets them off enough to mess things up with the eggs growing inside of them, or soon to be produced??

I dont know...just a thought...thinking out loud, LOL

~Crystal Light

I have had good luck so far this year.
Out of 25 fertile eggs so far all have hatched out with 4 due in the next few weeks.
I even had 2 first year breeders and one's first clutch was infertile but since she has layed 7 fretile clutches since then. the other first year one egg of her first clutch was even fertile. And the proven all have been fertile.
I use rep-calw/d3 and hertivite once or twice a month.