Hi Jason –



If the only reason you want to open them in advance is that you just “really want to see what’s in these eggs”, then I would counsel patience. Unless you are expecting albinos, you won’t be able to see THAT much from slitting the eggs. For instance, you might have an animal with a major deformity, but because the little snakes are coiled so tightly in their containers, you may not be able to see that anyway.



I think the only good reason for intervening in the normal course of gestation is if you expect a bad outcome if you do not. If things have progressed normally to this point and one’s past experience with the eggs of a particular female and/or male is good, then I wouldn’t attempt to fix what ain’t broke. I haven’t kept records on everything, but my gut feeling is that the majority of the times that I have opened eggs that moldered after the rest of the clutch hatched, I found animals either with grave deformities or animals that for some reason appeared to have stopped developing very early in the process. For that matter, even with normal appearing full term snakes weird things can happen – the rare animal that pips into an adjoining egg and drowns (if you keep the clutch together in one mass); or a mad slasher that rips numerous openings in the egg but stays behind and dies for no reason you can determine.



I respect that some experienced breeders feel differently on this topic, but the leave-‘em-alone approach has always worked for me.



-Joan







>>Hi I was hoping some of you experienced breeders could give me some info on slitting eggs. I have read it is safe to go ahead and slit them at day 55, but what is the best way to go. I know I don't have to slit at all and some say wait until the first baby has slit, but I really want to see whats in these eggs! It's just such a long wait. Thanks for any or all opinions.

>>Jason

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