I am looking to purchase some incubation medium and have a few questions on what and how much. It seems vermiculite has the majority vote of working the best but I just wanted to hear everyones opinions... Vermiculite? Pearlite? Mix of both?? What do you use?

How much will I need of one or both for 2 maybe 3 clutches on BP eggs? I plan on going with the egg crate between the medium and the eggs to keep them dry if that has anything to do with my needs. Any help/advice is appreciated.

I use vermiculite.... don't see a reason to change from something that works. Like they say, if it ain't broke!

I get a 25lb bag from the local landscape place, I'm sure you can get smaller ones....

I'd say, don't try and get just enough.... better to have way more then you need then not enough. :)

I've used & seen used , perilite with the flourescent light grids on top. It has worked for me and I've seen many a BP hatched on it that way ( not mine unfortunately ).

Vermiculite all day everyday and twice on Sunday...:D

Vermiculite all day everyday and twice on Sunday...:D

ah, a church goin' man...

i'm a vermiculite guy too (use it for my cresties), this will be my first year using eggcrate on top.(but only for the balls)
seems like everyone else loves it, gotta be good.
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I use both, mostly vermiculite but adding the peralite allows more air flow under the eggs.

I usually use both vermiculite and peralite but this past year I used Hatch rite. I'm going back to vermiculite and peralite.

The eggcrate (plastic grid) is only useful if you keep your eggboxes airtight..The whole point to it is so that moisture doesn't directly touch the eggs,but rather that they get the moisture they need from the air instead.
The overall advantage to this method being that you do not have to worry about adding water during the incubation period (Since there should be water visable under the perlite the whole time.)

The idea of using vermiculite on a eggbox that isn't large enough to hold the water needed for the duration(without being to wet initially) just doesn't appeal to me...Now if i were using 5 gallon buckets with a walk in incubator..then maybe i would try it.

...if it ain't broke don't fix it?...I've never used vermiculite. :lol:

I usually use both vermiculite and peralite but this past year I used Hatch rite. I'm going back to vermiculite and peralite.

Hatchrite sucks, I used it last year and after the first week it dried out. I added Vermiculite to it and it was fine the rest of incubation.

I use vermiculite or sometimes vermiculite w/ perlite mixed in if I don't have enough vermiculite to use alone. It's harder to find in my area, and perlite is everywhere, so I use it when I can't find enough vermiculite.

I used hatchrite last season to take out all of the guess work. It worked like a charm.

i use a mixture of both. vermiculite and perlite but i have used just vermiculite and it worked fine. if you listen to sean bradleys show on reptile radio he explains how he sets up his eggs and i tried what he said and that worked good to. hope this helps

Vermiculite and Perlite mixed :)

Vermiculite :D

I've wanted to try substrateless but my egg boxes get moved and bumped around too much by me and the kids to have to worry about water sloshing up all over them. And the verm works perfectly fine so I don't see a need to switch -- other than to say I tried that before. :yessir:

I have used Perlite, I have used Vermiculite and I have used them mixed. The formula that has worked flawlessly for me the last 4 or 5 years is Perlite mixed with water.

Mix 1 part Perlite to 1 part water, by weight, in a 6 quart sterilite tub without any holes in it or the lid. Weigh out 325 grams of Perlite and add it to the 6 quart tub. Weigh out 325 grams of water and add it to the 6 quart tub. You want it to be roughly 2 inches deep.

Thoroughly mix it using your hands. Just get in there and mix it to hell and back as if you were playing with sand on a beach. Now just put the lid on the 6 quart tub and place the tub in the incubator and you are ready to go. Try to place the tub in incubator at least 2 or 3 days before the eggs arrive. This ensures that the Perlite mixture is evenly heated at a happy 88-89 degrees.

You will want from 1/4 to 1/2 of the egg to be buried in the Perlite mixture, anywhere in that range is fine.
http://www.sammygreggreptiles.com/dc_gallery/albums/userpics/10001/hp_eggs_07_3.jpg

In most cases you will not have to add anymore water at all throughout the entire 60 days. Every two or three days I will take the tub out of the bator and remove the lid for about ten seconds. Kind of waving my hand back and forth a couple inches above the tub to get a fresh air exchange. Then put the lid back on and pop it back in the bator.

Wait for eggs to pip. It is literally that easy.