Most big breeders cut their eggs, either at a specific date (say "day 54" or as soon as the first baby slits. Yes, it's possible to make a mistake and cut too early, particularly if you aren't intimately familiar with the operation of your incubation setup, but such a mistake is rarely fatal-I've seen eggs cut as much as a week prematurely go on to hatch perfectly healthy neonates. If the neo's coloration is pale and indicates several days until natural hatching, just close up the flap and it will emerge in its own time.

Of course, no real purpose is served by cutting eggs open prematurely, other than to satisfy our own curiousity. But I always cut all eggs in a clutch once the first one slits, because this WILL save an occasional neo unable to slit on its own (for whatever reason)...
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

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