Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have my first clutch of ball python eggs from a pastel to a normal female and was wondering when most of you cut the eggs or when the earliest it is safe to cut them.

THANKS

my rule of thumb is not before 50 days, i wait to 55 days if i am going to cut to see good news, be careful when cutting, small scissors and small round hole only, just enough to see with a small flash light. do not cut the egg pieces off, flap them back down after looking to give them comfort and peace. once you know what you have let them hatch on there own from there. mark

I cut any that have not pipped within 12 hours of the first pipper...
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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've only been breeding balls for 4 years. I had 2 clutches in 2006, 9 in 2007, 19 in 2008 and I have 26 on the ground and at least 10 more this year. I have cut every clutch after 2006. I've even cut as early as day 50. I never had any problems. I cut my first clutch of this year on day 53, 2 lessers and 5 normals. Bad luck on odds and worse luck after I cut. I guess moving my in cubator from my overfilled snake room to my bedroom must have dropped my incubator temps because of the ambient temp in my room being much cooler than my snake room. All of the baies still had unabsorbed peach-like tissue they were laying in. I'd never seen it before. One by one, they all died. The only survivor was 1 normal, who just came out of the egg yesterday at day 66.

Sorry for the long post, but sometimes it takes a hard lesson to learn, LEAVE THINGS ALONE!!!! LOL I doubt I'll ever cut again. If I ever do, it definately will be after the first one pips!!!!

That's exactly why I wait until after the first pipper-that way you know they are mature enoughg to be viable!
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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 ALWAYS cut no sooner than day 52. But with that being said I know how my incubator works and they have ALWAYS hatched on day 58 after I cut.
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Damian Macioce
www.strongholdreptiles.com