Damaged Phelsuma standingi eggs

[mkschaefer]

After my female Phelsuma standingi laid her eggs this morning, the male came over to investigate. She appears to have gotten defensive, turned around to defend the clutch, and, eventually, he moved elsewhere. She did not lay in any bamboo or in any of the plants in the enclosure, but chose to lay near the top of the enclosure, between the glass and the top of a bamboo section. After the disturbance, the eggs rolled into the bamboo about five or six inches and the female went in after them. I caught this whole sequence on video.

A small section of the egg shell remained fixed to the glass.

When I was able to remove the eggs, I discovered that both were damaged. Has anyone had success using tape or spackle to cover the membrane? Has anyone had eggs like these hatch?

Clutch size comparison
Phelsuma standingi (foreground)
Phelsuma klemmeri (back left)
Phelsuma kochi (back right)

 

[PrestonG]

I have had luck with clear nail polish on damaged eggs so long as the membrane under the shell is still intact the one with numerous cracks might be a goner but incubate of course and watch for mold.
Good luck

 

[mkschaefer]

Thanks for the suggestion, Preston. The membrane is still intact, so I did apply some clear nail polish to the damaged areas. I'm hoping this doesn't happen again, but maybe my wife will donate another item to my reptile husbandry tools.

I rearranged the bamboo a bit today and added some larger split sections to give her better options next time. I thought she had plenty of good sites, but maybe something that looked good to me didn't look good to her. This was her first clutch, so perhaps that could be an additional factor.

 

[Gexter]

I've had that happen to my tokay gecko eggs.....unfortunately mine molded over the very next day Hopefully you will have better luck than I did. I never knew about the nail polish idea though. I will try that if it ever happens again *knock on wood*....

 

[mkschaefer]

The eggs appear to be developing well. I have not noticed any problems yet!

 

[PrestonG]

The eggs appear to be developing well. I have not noticed any problems yet!

good sign! Update us in 35 days or so

 

[Hilde]

I've had pretty good luck gluing hard shelled eggs with liquid bandage. It holds tightly enough, allows air flow but doesn't present a hard barrier for hatching.

 

[mkschaefer]

At this point, one egg looks like it is developing well and the other egg appears to be decaying. If the egg fails, I may drain the contents and hope the other one hatches.

 

[Adrn]

If it is turning dark yellowish-brown it may be a foregone conclusion. You will have to make this call, but mold finds any tiny space to grow from. If the other one appears to be healthy, but with imperfections you may want to protect the good one.

 

[jadrig]

They both looked like they were too far damaged...

The best way to tell if it is bad is by holding it close to your nostril and smelling it...

Dead gecko eggs smell really bad, especially when they were fertile.

No harm in keeping them in the incubator...the mold will not spread to the good eggs...If one is rotten, you might want to break it off of the good one.

 

[mkschaefer]

I examined the clutch again this evening and decided to drain the egg that was most damaged. It is now quite clear that it was not developing. Fortunately, I was able to remove the contents and almost all of the shell without damaging the other egg, which is developing. Just a few more weeks, I hope!

 

[Adrn]

Great to read that the good one is doing well.