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My first ever Ball Python clutch (pied to pied) of six eggs is doing great but I have a question.
I usually do not cut eggs but I took the advice of almost every breeder and slit them on day 55/56. There is a baby in each egg and they all look good. It is now day 58 and no babies out. How long before I need to worry about egg foulness?
Thanx
Kevin
Gently touch the hatchling with something slightly pointed like the end of a probe. If it moves away from the touch, the baby is live and will come out when his yolk sac is appropriately absorbed. When you manually cut the eggs and oxygen hits the liquid in the egg, the yolk begins to be absorbed. The baby should not come out until the yolk is completely absorbed, so don't force them.
Good luck and be sure to post pics!
Susan
SSNAKES
Thanx!
my days to cut is between 58-60.....if they haven't pipped on their own. if you want to cut, you can as they will be fully developed (assuming you incubated at around 88-90 degrees)lower temps equals longer incubation period.
and if you decide to cut, don't worry they will come out when they are ready...and even sometimes you even have to pull them out.
just keep in mind if they were meant to be born....they will. regardless if you intervene. you made it this far a couple of more days isn't going to hurt.
Pitoon
>>My first ever Ball Python clutch (pied to pied) of six eggs is doing great but I have a question.
>>
>>I usually do not cut eggs but I took the advice of almost every breeder and slit them on day 55/56. There is a baby in each egg and they all look good. It is now day 58 and no babies out. How long before I need to worry about egg foulness?
>>
>>Thanx
>>
>>Kevin
I incubated at 89/90 degrees so it should be any day now.
Good luck! .........and remember to post plenty of pics!!!
(also good advice from Brandon)
Pitoon
>>I incubated at 89/90 degrees so it should be any day now.
The only thing I would add to what the others wrote is this:
Leave them alone like everyone said, but if you notice that one or two babies are still in their eggs 36-48 hours after everyone else has come out, then you might want to take some action.
The only times that this has come up for me has been when the baby gets it's umbilicus twisted and is unable to absorb it's yolk. This is something that you usually can see if the baby is still in it's egg since it will most likely be sitting on it's yolk sack.
When this has happened with my hatchlings, I gently remove the baby and it's yolk. Be VERY careful and gentle - the yolk sack is very fragile (which is one reason you want to wait as long as you can before trying this - give the hatchling every chance possible to come out on it's own).
After removing the hatchling you will want to inspect the umbilicus (umbilical cord) and see which direction it is twisted in. Untwist the umbilicus.
After this I don't place the baby back into it's egg. That would be too difficult. Instead I use these little colored bowls that you find in the baby food section of your GROCERY store. I think Gerber makes them. They are about the right size for a hatchling ball python to sit in snuggly. I line one of these with a damp paper towel and place the hatchling and it's yolk sack into the Gerber cup, being careful not to retwist the umbilicus in the process. I then place the baby back into the incubator and within a couple days it should have absorbed it's yolk.
This has happened with five eggs of mine in the past (so it is fairly rare but can happen). The only time that I was not able to save the baby was when I noticed that the umbilicus was actually wrapped around the snakes body and twisted like a twist tie. The snake was dead before I even noticed that it had happened and even if I had caught it in time, I'm not sure I could have done anything to save it.
I know this is an unlikely scenario, and hopefully you won't have to perform anything like this, but maybe this will help out someone else out there who may be reading this.
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Stay United!
I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?
I wrote in my original post:
"This is something that you usually can see if the baby is still in it's egg since it will most likely be sitting on it's yolk sack."
That should have read: This is something that you usually CAN'T see...."
Sorry about any confusion!
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Stay United!
I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?
Thanx for the info.
I had one last season that had gotten itself intertwined before i had even slit them open(early too!)...The poor thing had died from starvation before it ever even had a chance(,and it was one of two in existance.ugh!)..Some are just doomed i guess.
To the OP,the odds are you should be fine and your healthy happy pied hatchlings should be out and about any day now..Good luck,and congrats!
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Charles Glaspie
picasaweb.google.com/coldthumb
Yes, good advise for this situation...just remember that you need to insure that the hatchling with a yolk sak still attached needs a moist and warm environment. It should have absorbed all the yolk within a few days and be fine. We want to know how it turns out ....post pics!
Let them chill some just like to take some time to come out. If you're poking them a lot the ectoplasmic goo will go bad quicker so try to leave them be - if they get stinky you can dump some of the goo out as well. They should be fine - pokin heads out by morning probably. Congrats BTW!
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Tosha
JET Pythons
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