Whether you’re raising backyard lizard pets, or you’re a scientist who wants to learn more about reptile biology and anatomy, it’s fascinating to learn that lizard eggs are among the most nutritious and diverse of all reptiles. The fact is that lizard eggs are very difficult to kill, because they have hard shells, which are also hard to break. And while most lizards lay one to three eggs at a time, some will stress multiple eggs, which will increase their hatch rate! In addition to providing warmth and shelter for the young during their first year of development, lizard eggs can also serve as an excellent food source later on. Unlike most reptiles, lizards will not eat their own eggs. Their dietary requirements depend on their species and their environment, but they always have plenty of food to spare.
In the wild, most snakes and their hatchlings are hatched in spring, although those who prefer to raise backyard lizard pets may attempt to breed some in captivity. If you’re considering breeding snakes, understand that incubation temperatures can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit! So, unless you want to be careful with the snake‘s incubation temperature, or you’re willing to spend a lot of time outdoors to monitor their hatchlings, it’s best to leave incubation temperatures alone when planning to keep snakes. Otherwise, you could end up with a huge mess on your hands, especially if you plan to release the hatchlings after a few days or weeks, because the snakes will destroy any excess material they can find. As for iguanas, their iguana eggs are small, so they won’t disturb the incubation process.
But back to the question: Do lizard eggs need to be exposed to high humidity? Well, the answer depends on your type of lizard and its needs. Although many reptiles do fine in low humidity, and most lizards won’t even harm any eggs if they’re not kept in extreme temperatures, there are some requirements that all hatchlings should have. hatchlings will generally do better in slightly higher humidity because this will help them develop quicker. At the very least, they’ll need to have an incubation humidity of around thirty percent.
It’s also important to note that two types of reptiles rarely hatch from eggs: terrestrial and aquatic. Terrestrial lizards usually require access to a water source for their developing eggs. They’ll lay several clutches of eggs, so they may need to periodically drown their eggs to prevent over-hatching. Water-based reptiles, on the other hand, will lay their eggs in moist soil. The eggs will hatch quickly in this condition, and the young will have to be housed separately from their parents.
When choosing a way to incubate your snake eggs, think about whether the eggs will hatch at all without outside incubators. In the wild, most hatchlings are hatched in a shallow water pool, but sometimes, they’ll find a wet surface on which to lay their eggs, such as in a crack between two logs. This is why you’ll often see lizard and snake species laying their eggs in trees. For your hatchlings, make sure the incubator has a humidity setting of around thirty percent. This will ensure that the eggs hatch at a rate of about one percent per month.
In the wild, most species will incubate for between fifteen and twenty-five days, but you can use fifteen to twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit if you want to accelerate the process. You may also want to experiment with your incubation temperature on your own. Just make sure you do it in a controlled environment. Keep your lizard and snake species safe, and you’ll have fine-tuned your lizard eggs so they’ll hatch nicely.
After choosing the right incubation medium, you’ll want to place your lizard eggs in the container. Remember that incubators differ in size, and this depends mostly on how many eggs you’re trying to hatch. If you’re trying to hatch fifty eggs, then you should use a ten to twelve inch long container for your medium. It’s possible that you’ll need a different size of container for larger numbers of eggs. Keep your vermiculite in the incubator during the process to keep it from becoming too cold or to encourage the growth of bacteria.
Once your incubator is ready, put your house lizards and snakes in and wait for them to begin hatching. When your lizards begin hatching, they’ll likely pop out a few of the tiny lizard eggs. Then, you can remove the small ones from the incubating area and transfer them to a larger container. Continue doing this until all of your house lizards and snakes have laid their eggs!
