Shell less egg?

CJ's Klemmeri

New member
Today I checked in on my pair of Phelsuma klemmeri and found a white circular lump and a smear of yellow gunk sitting out in the open on top of some bamboo. My female was licking the white lump. It was soft, and about the size of a normal klemmeri egg. I carefully removed it and found that yellow liquid was running out of one side. Is it possible that this was a shell less egg? For the past 2 weeks I have been able to see two eggs in her belly. I didn’t expect that she would lay them for one or two more weeks. This is her first time laying an egg (unless it’s not an egg). She’s been with a male for four months now, and she is about a 1.5 years old. I have read that sometimes females will lay infertile or singular eggs their first few times, but I imagined that these would have a solid shell. I also read that females may eat infertile eggs, so I think it may have been infertile.
She has a dish of calcium constantly available, but I have never had to refill it. She also gets calcium with every feeding and has a retisun 5.0 UVB light. The temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the basking spot and 70 degrees at the bottom of the terrarium. I mist the terrarium about six times a day, and the humidity stays around 50 and gets up to 80 right after I have sprayed.
Do you think it was a shell less egg? If so, what should I do to ensure this doesn’t happen again? Is it normal for a female new to breeding to do this?
 

acpart

Active member
I have never bred Phelsuma, but I've had a number of female Phelsuma and they have always eventually laid eggs and nearly always eaten them, so I would guess it was infertile. There's nothing you can do about it. It's not unusual for a new breeder to lay some infertile eggs. Hopefully the fertility will eventually kick in. I doubt, by the way, that the egg was laid shell-less; I would imagine she just ate away at the newly laid soft shell.

Aliza
 
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