I have an egg that started to hatch 4 days ago and then stopped. There are 2 cracked places, one on each side of the egg, but the egg is not open enough to see anything inside. The other good egg from this clutch hatched 5 days ago, and the baby is fine. How long should I wait before I assume the baby did not make it? Should I do something? I've not had a turtle start to hatch and then not go the rest of the way. Thanks. Annette.
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How long should I wait on this cracked egg?
Annette
Aug 31, 2003 07:30 PM
Replies (3)
Rouen
Sep 01, 2003 12:55 AM
I'm sure alot of people are going to disagree with me but, I'd go ahead and open the egg, if the hatchling is still alive chances are he will die within hours of being cut out due to being in the egg so long and the stress of it all, I'd have got him out when I noticed any struggling, I'm not the type to sit back and watch a hatchling die,
hope that helped!
StephF
Sep 01, 2003 07:22 PM
I have extremely limited experience with this, but here goes; I have partially 'assisted' by expanding existing cracks to allow for a little more breathing room. Unfortunately one little guy had pipped too early and just never absorbed the large yolk it still had, but four others have done very well so far: they seemed to have been a little farther along, even though 3 were in the same clutch, and had pipped earlier.
Four days seems like a longer than usual amount of time, and I probably would intervene (me being me).
I hope all is well.
Stephanie
PHBoxTurtle
Sep 01, 2003 09:32 PM
Hatchlings do die in the process of hatchling. Have you kept the medium around the egg moist? Is there still some movement of the egg from the turtle struggling to get out? Hatchlings may end up upside down and can't move properly, or the yolk sac could have severed. Many things can go wrong. I think you should go with your gut feeling since you are the one there and can see more then any of us here can.
Four days is a long time if there's been no movement of the egg. At the very least you should be seeing the nose of the turtle. If not, then things may be wrong and helping the turtle out would be called for in my opinion. Good luck!
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Tess
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