Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After the first egg has pipped, about how long does it take for all of the eggs to pip? I can't find anywhere that says. Am I looking at waiting for a week for all the eggs to pip and come out or should they have come out within 24 hours of the first one pipping? I don't want to slit the eggs if I don't have to but when should I think about it?

I just figured all three eggs would pip within a day of each other. Makes sense to avoid being vulnerable and eatable. Do we know how long the mom snake would stay coiled around the eggs when they start to pip?

The first baby is still sitting in its egg. Last night it was sleeping with its tail hanging out

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

Jenny...I usually wait about 24 hours after the first has pipped (unless it pipped unusually early), and then manually pip the rest. You can search this forum for "slitting eggs" or "manually pipping", and you should find something. If not, holla back......

What do you use to slit the eggs? Kitchen knife, scissors...?
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

I normally use little tiny cuticle scissors (the ones with the curved baldes). There's sort of a technique to it. Obviously, the idea is to cut a small opening in the egg without harming the contents. Its preferable to not cut the inner membrane with blood vessels, just the outer egg "shell". Again, I would wait at least 24 hours, if not 48 after the first pips. How many days has it been since they were laid, and at what temps? I ask because occasionally an egg pips early due to some sort of stress or problem. In that case, its fine to let the others incubate normally until they are ready.

I'll have to look and see if I have any cuticle scissors hiding somewhere.

The first egg pipped at about midnight the night before last (tuesday feb. 6th), so about 36 hours ago. They were laid December 14th, 2006, so the first one pipped on day 52. Temperatures were around 88 degrees give or take a degree, more often leaning towards 89. The last week or so they have been at around 87 (cold spell).

I figure I'll wait til Friday or Saturday if I do slit the eggs.

Thanks for your help!

~jenny
-----
1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

Sounds like the one that pipped is early, rather than the others being late. At those temps, I would expect an incubation time in excess of 60 days. I usually incubate right around 89 degrees and my average time is about 56-58 days.

In my experience, the early ones have often been odd-balls, if you'll parden the pun. Smaller than the rest, sometimes with some abnormality (kinked, malformed, or a problem with getting nutrition from the yolk - ie: a hardened yolk or twisted umbilicus). Not always though. If the first little one leaves the egg and looks normal I'm sure he'll be fine. I would be willing to bet he is considerably smaller than his clutchmates though. Keep me up to date!

Hmmm, I'll keep that in mind. The one that pipped already is an oddball in my book - his nose is spotted, and from what I can see of his markings while he's in the egg, he doesn't look much like either parent. Maybe it's the mailman...

Thanks again, maybe the other two will end up being valentine babies after all!

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

Jenny - the biggest gap I've had was three days between the pip of the first to the pip of the last - given your temps I would also venture to guess you had one pip early and the others will probably come closer to the day 60 mark.

With the clutches that I have maternally incubated mom usually remains loosely coiled around the clutch until the last one hatches.

Congrats again and Good luck I can't wait to see picts when they are out!
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Tosha

Baby the first is out of his shell and doing his very best to escape from his new cage. Little booger fits perfectly in the miniscule gap between shelves so I've had to do a bit of jerry rigging until he grows some.

No hard belly, nothing obviously wrong with him, he's just a kinda wrinkly, shiny little baby. Very inquisitive and sweet like his daddy

Thanks so much for your help

~jenny
-----
1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

very cute....

Don't know, I don't have a scale. It's on the list of non-essential-but-probably-should-have things that I'll have to wait to get until classes are out and I'm working more.

-----
1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org

Nice looking snake. He does look like my mailman. Is it a boy or a girl? Claude

Lil girl. At least, I'm 90% sure its a girl. We'll see when she grows some and I feel comfortable probing her.

I have never actually seen my mailman, so he could indeed be the culprit... lol!
-----
1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
0.0.1 chupacabra (it ate our chickens)

jenny.thegreenes.org