Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How many of you separate the eggs when they have been laid in a pile and stuck together? Its seems like eggs not touching the incubating medium dry out faster than those in contact.I understand there is a risk of damaging the eggs in the process of separating them. A while back I seem to remember a post where somebody said they always separate the eggs. Any special tricks to doing it? Thanks

I always separate eggs-there are just many advantages, with the only disadvantage the (slight) risk of egg damage. Just be gentle and slow-it requires at least a small degree of patience, particularly if the eggs have been in contact for a considerable time. the best method is to "roll" the eggs slightly back and forth-tearing increases if you only pull the shell in one direction.

Don't worry overmuch-I've separated several hundred eggs so far this year, without a single damaged shell. I even peeled apart a very well-stuck green tree python clutch (yes I was sweating over that one!) with no major problem-and 100% hatch later on!
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

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

Another trick to try is to use dental floss. I seperated a clutch last year this way and it worked wonders. Gently work the floss back and forth where they are attatched. GENTLY ! Helps to have two people for this one though.

Thanks for the tips Joe and Brad. My pyro starting laying about 8 pm about 1 egg per hour. I took them out of the lay box one at a time, after about 11 I got tired and went to bed but got up about every hour to take the egg out. My wife thought I was nuts! It appears all 6 eggs are good.

I never have seperated my cornsnake eggs and they have always hatched just fine. The one time I bred Pueblan Milks I didn't seperate them and they hatched just fine. Now that I'm getting into breeding Lampropeltis getula, I'm not seperating their eggs either and I'll bet that they hatch just fine.

I just can't see me going against nature's way and I'll stick to what has always worked. The way I set everything up, I never even touch the eggs throughout the entire incubation process.

Just wondering-what do you do when an egg goes bad in the middle of the clutch? That used to happen fairly often before I started separating the eggs, and though that sort of thing may not effect other healthy eggs-sometimes it does, and I had losses. Now if an egg goes bad I can easily remove and discard it, with zero danger to the rest of the clutch.
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

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

If its on the outside I'll remove it. If its the middle of the pile I'll leave it. I've never had a bad egg affect the ones around it.

You'vce been lucky-believe me, it can happen
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

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

I never seperate...actually I try and make them touch...balls I will even place different clutches in the 'bator and have them touching....

it helps save moisture/ transfer moisture...in my opinion...

.....I hate to see boxes of eggs with 2 inches between them....makes me wonder.....

space is for chicken eggs ....???...
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I give it to Brad, I just separated 13 eggs from my Mexican bairdi very easily with his patented slight twist manuever, thanks for the tip Brad! (they were a lot smaller than last years' but they all look viable!)
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Todd Hughes