Reptile & Amphibian Forums

tomorrow will be 55 days incubation....it is only a 3 egg clutch....should we wait for one to pip regardless of how long it takes and then snip the other two or should we snip the first too at a certain day?

wait at least for the first to pip. they know when they are ready, its hard to not be impatient, just let them tell you when they want to come out. it always seems the clutches you are looking forward to the most, wait the longest
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Wayne and Ryan
Dark Continent Reptiles
www.darkcontinentreptiles.con

I'm never sure how to count days (does the first count? Which months have 31 days?). That's when my clutch of 8 with a long long shot at pied where laid and I'm still waiting them out. Kingsnake should organize no cutting support groups with everyone who's eggs where laid the same week, lol.

"Hi, I'm Randy and I'm a cutaholic ..."

np
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Jeff Benfer

1.0 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

Mine did start slitting on their own today.

Hi guys I couldn't help myself with Randy's comment, "I'm never sure how to count days (does the first count? Which months have 31 days?)"

I have yet to produce a clutch of BP's, but you should try using a Julian Date Calendar to keep track of your days - it makes life SO MUCH EASIER! I still can't help you decide if the first day counts (I think I would base that upon how much of the day remained when the clutch was laid)... but the rest should get easier with this; take the Julian Date for when the clutch was laid and do some simple addition to find the Julian Date for when they should be due to hatch.

If you look at the link and get confused by Julian Dates, they are just a sequential numbering of all the days in a year; 001 through 365. There is a separate chart for Leap Years (included in the link). Today is 190, or 08190 if you include the year. They get to be really easy to use once you get used to them - I used to use them a ton to track maintenance cycles on aircraft.

Happy Herping guys

~Rebecca
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1.0.0 Dumeril's Boa '04
1.1.1 Ball Pythons
[1.0.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1.0 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

I always wait until at least day 60 or 62. Waiting for at least one to pip is the best route to go, though.

Otherwise, I will start a small slit between 60 and 62 days. Just enough for them to poke their heads out - I never cut a giant "window" - it's pointless. A small slit will give them all of the assistance they need... after this they will usually extend the slit within the 36 hours and I will get a better peek at them at this point.

last year ( and before) I have had eggs / clutches , take up to 65 days to hatch......this year I bumped all the temps up and got new thermometer.....they start at 52 days now...

so it all depends on the temps how long it will take and the thermometers may or may not be actually correct.....

....wait till one pips......maybe even 2......

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when you candle them at this stage....what should you be seeing?....i see some dark....but not what i would call movement of any sort....is this normal?

I cut all eggs on day 55, and have for several years. Sometimes one or more has pipped by this time, sometimes not. So far not a single loss (of normal hatchlings-have lost kinked neos that would have been lost anyway). This season we are at over 70 juvie balls, with more than that still to hatch....
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

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

Hey Bryant,

It's really going to depend on your incubatiuon temps.
My incubator is at 89 24/7 and they make their own slit
almost a week early. I wouldn't slit until they have
started on their own. If you've had fluctuating temps
they may still have some yolk to absorb. Just my 2 cents

David Fernandez
Fernandez Reptiles

incubation*