Orchid ooth okay?

[PIaf94]

I have an orchid ooth I've been incubating for about 3 weeks now. Kept it moist, warm, ventilated and everything. I've noticed over time it turned darker from the cream color it once was. Can anyone tell if it's still viable? The pic shows the dark ooth above and a recently laid ooth on the bottom. Yes they are both fertile.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Sounds perfectly normal. Oothecae can darken over the first few weeks.

 

[PlayingMantis]

I don't know if it helps, here is a pic of my orchid ooths:

Going from top to bottom in the photo:

1) My mated female's 2nd ooth, laid March 6th. Today, it is still roughly the same color, hasn't turned dark yet, will expect a hatch in mid-late April (well, if it hatches).

2) Same mated female's 1st ooth. This ooth was laid Feb 4th and when it didn't hatch in late March, I popped up an individual egg and saw it was still green/transparent, meaning the egg was not fertilized (?) even though the female was mated.

3) Old hatched ooth from last August, ooth obtained from another breeder

3) Old hatched ooth from last August, ooth obtained from another breeder

 

[PlayingMantis]

More recent picture, taken at the end of March:

Top: Mated female's 2nd ooth, laid March 6th, same ooth from the above picture

Bottom: That same female's 3rd ooth, laid March 25th



I don't know if there's a relationship between ooth color and viability. Maybe there was a connection between my 1st ooth's dark color and the fact that it didn't hatch. Or maybe there wasn't. I don't know. I also read that orchid female's first ooths often have low or zero hatch rates?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Happens all the time, should be ok.