Eggs!

I can't believe it! I checked in on my Crested Geckos this morning before I misted them. I could not find my female, Jenga, at first so I decided to look in her flowerpot - she LOVES burrowing under the dirt to sleep. When I looked in the flowerpot I noticed something unusual under the dirt...
Two Beautiful, Perfect eggs were hiding under the dirt! I am SO excited!!!! With her not eating and CGD lately and having a bad shed, I didn't think she was going to lay any eggs.
This is my very first set of eggs and I want to make sure I do EVERYTHING EXACTLY right! Because I was not expecting eggs, I didn't have the Superhatch ready. I poured some water in it and left the eggs in the dirt while it drip dries. Will they be okay in there for a few hours? (I'm in class for about 4 more hours). I have a small ziplock container, or a larger one that the superhatch will not quite fill, will they be okay in a smaller container, or should I stick with the big one? What is the Perfect size for two eggs? I had given up hope for eggs anytime soon, so I feel underprepared... I want these eggs to hatch SOO bad!
I'm super excited!

I have had several eggs hatched from my Crestie pair. I'm no professional, but I did read a lot about them and here's what worked for me.

We would uncover the eggs (try not to turn them over), dig up some soil from around the eggs, place it in a plastic container with small holes punched in the lid, place the eggs in there covered 2/3 of the way, seal it good and then put it back in the enclosure with the adults. Every so often a fine list on the soil to keep it from drying out.

My logic was always that the adults were thriving in the environment and she picked the perfect place to lay the eggs, so why mess with it.

Why put it in the plastic container? Because Rhacys are smart and eat their young as soon as they are born. No upset, heartache, heartbreak, feeding, nursing, caring for, just eat them and move on. LOL Don't even ask how we learned this.

So, we hatched just about every egg (almost a dozen) successfully this way.

You will know if the egg is viable because it will change shape and grow fatter along the way. You will know when they hatch because Mom and Dad will be on the top of the container trying to get to the little ones and "love" them, in their own special way.

Rhacys are great fun and just adorable when they are born.

But alas, here's the warning. It's not easy to care for 12 siblings, or find good homes for them (we had cages stacked everywhere), so if you hatch a pair and get more eggs, seriously consider the impact they will have on you. Sometimes it's better to ogle over the eggs and them put them in the freezer for a few days.

Congratulations and good luck to you!

I'm using Superhatch for vermiculate and the place that I have the incubation box is in essentially the same exact conditions as the mom is, so that should be fine I hope. My humidity and temps are a bit high right now, so I am trying to bring that down. I will post pics later. I bought the female to pair with my male (although she was bred to a red right before I got her so these eggs are fertilized by him - meaning they should be some sweet little babies too! ) so I am prepared to care for the babies and sell or keep them. I plan on probably keeping a couple and selling the less nice-looking males. I will probably keep them all for a while anyways. I am hoping for two more eggs in a month and my fingers are crossed tight that these little guys will hatch! I'm so excited!

Pics of the eggs when I found them, and of the incubation box.

She hasn't been eating, she had a "bad shed", you have been concerned for her health and yet you intend to keep breeding her? Am I missing something here?

Do geckos have a pre-lay shed like snakes do?

Originally Posted by LovetheBaruu

She hasn't been eating, she had a "bad shed", you have been concerned for her health and yet you intend to keep breeding her? Am I missing something here?

Yes you are missing something. lol
I was not expecting her to lay eggs because of all of that honestly. She was bred literally RIGHT before I got her. I do not intend to personally breed her until I can get her back up to par. Probably at least not for another year even. Also, I was wondering if maybe she was not eating because she was gravid? However, she has already been bred and as I unfortunately have no way of lowering the temps (trust me I have tried many things but my apartment is jut HOT period) so I have a feeling she will keep laying eggs for a little while. I am not going to refrigerate the eggs because SHE is not doing well. lol
I am more than open to suggestions though! I am soaking her every day and have been spending a lot of time on the Repashy Forums as there are a lot more people there with years of experience in rhacs and Crested Geckos specifically. If she does not get the shed off (or eat) soon I intend to bring her into the vet. Some more of it did come off, which is good, but there is still her whole belly left. I am also trying to find out where to get that liquid-calcium stuff to give her. Oh ya, and I did get her to eat some crickets! Just no CGD yet. And she pooped.

In the meanwhile, I intend to give the eggs (and hopefully the babies! ) the best care I can and am open to all advice possible. These eggs have been the very bright highlight of a crappy week.

Originally Posted by Dragoness

Do geckos have a pre-lay shed like snakes do?

I have never heard of one... Does anyone else know?