Gecko noob found wild eggs

[Vancelot]

I live in hot and humid east Texas. This weekend I was cleaning out my storage building. I noticed a few geckos inside. Not surprising, see quite a few around here. Doing some googling reveals them as the Mediterranean Gecko (not for sure though).
I lifted a milk crated and was surprised by a group of tiny eggs. I broke one open to see what it was, it was a gecko embryo. I feel sad now for doing that, but had to know. One other dropped on the ground and broke. The rest I moved to a Tupperware container. I placed some leaf mulch and misted it a little bit with water. What should I do at this point. I don't think moving them again is a good idea. See pictures of eggs below:

 

[Vancelot]

Wow, this seems to be a commune of gecko eggs! I hope to have a few survive.

 

[Bob2009]

Cool !

I hope they are healthy for you.

 

[Geckogeek]

wow! lucky you, but you did put them in some sort of substrate after taking those pics right? try searching the species you think it is to see what the incubation temps are as well.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I'd put them in a gladware type container with a 1:1 ratio (by weight) of water and either vermiculite or perlite. You should be able to find either at your local home depot/walmart/nursery. Put a couple of very small holes in the lid to allow a small amount of airflow. Try not to rotate the eggs any more than you already may have done. Then just set them in a warm place that's not in direct sunlight and wait to see what happens. I'd guess that temps in the high 70's-low 80's would be fine. Here's a link on how to incubate leopard geckos. It's a fairly similar process: Albey's How To Incubate Leopard Gecko Eggs

 

[Vancelot]

I put some leaf mulch on top of them and wet it down a little bit with some water mist. The lid is on and slightly cracked. The are on my back porch out of direct sunlight. It is warm here. Hight in the upper 80's. Should I replaced the leaf mulch with perlite. I have some of that in the shed.

I plan on setting up a terrarium for newborns once they hatch. Will be doing some research here to find out what I will need.

 

[bonnie]

before you do anything else, mark the top of each with a pencil. Make sure they don't turn over when moving. Best of luck!!

 

[nicole28]

if these are hard shelled eggs, then put them in dry sand and then in a larger container with a cup of water to keep the air humid, I would not put hard shelled eggs in wet substrate. if the eggs are soft shelled eggs then put them in moist substrate like mentioned above.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

You don't want to "spray" anything on the eggs. You can drown the embrio by doing such. You need to mix the water and the incubation medium and then add the eggs. A 1:1 by weight ratio does not equate to much water at all.

 

[jpmarcel]

You should listen to nicole28.
You shouldn't cover these and keep damp. Think about how you found them. Probably in dry area? The air should be a little humid but not the substrate.
Jason

 

[Vancelot]

The shells are hard. I will gently move them to some dry sand as suggested above.

 

[qiksilver]

Sand works really well. That's what I incubate on, keeps the eggs dry, but allows for high humidity if you just keep the lower levels wet and don't saturate the top.

 

[Vancelot]

Stopped by the local pet store. Did not find any sand, but they recommended Repti Bark. Is this ok? I put a layer of the repti bark in a larger container and added a water dish to add humidity. Covered and added a few slits for air. They are still outside in the shade of my back porch. Still warm here in East Texas.
Do you think this will be ok?

 

[jpmarcel]

That looks like a great set up for hemidactylus eggs.
Careful leaving your incubator outside. Any amount of sunshine in that little container will skyrocket to deadly temps.

 

[joebloggs]

Good luck with that vancelot . I would just like to ask about the 'airtight' box method mentioned in the link provided by riverside . How long would a hatchling last in there without airholes ? If the eggs hatched while you were out or asleep or whatever , would the hatchlings be ok?

 

[cliff_f]

They would be fine for a few days in there. That setup looks great they should incubate find a room temps it will just take a little longer, do not put them in any sunlight. If you could find a high shelf in a warm room in your house would be a ideal place to set them. You would be surprised how much warmer it is near a ceiling.

 

[Vancelot]

OK, will add some more air holes. I can move them inside on a shelf near a water heater for warmth.
Thanks for all the advice, keep it coming, will keep you informed on the progress.

 

[Vancelot]

Surprise! When I got home today from work I found an empty shell. After a little searching found the little guy hiding behind the water dish. I opened the lid to take a picture he hopped out. Man, was he fast. Luckily I was able to catch him.
How soon do I need to feed him and what should be his first meal? pics below

 

[cliff_f]

Congrats! I would wait a couple days before you offer him any food. They can go a week or more without eating as long as you keep them hydrated. Just mist him at least once a day.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Congrats on our first gecko hatching! Very cute! Usual rule of thumb is to wait at least until after the first shed to start feeding.


@joebloggs - I've never had any issues with a hatchling not having enough air. But I suppose that it would all depend on the size of the container, the size of the hatchling, and how long you left it in there. When I have eggs ready to hatch, I tend to keep a pretty close eye on them.