Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my first batch of eggs have now hit 72 days. while i am positive my 2 dragons mated, i am wondering if anyone has had eggs take this long to hatch. Out of the first batch, we lost a few eggs which seem to become deflated and turned yellow. the 10 eggs that are left all look normal to me. the 2nd and 3rd clutches also all look good although the 2nd clutch was alot more eggs and some were a bit smaller. the 3rd clutch was like the first one with less eggs and larger. I did candle one of them and saw what looked like a tail moving. i did see veins in the 2nd clutch as well.

any ideas or is it just waiting. also, is it possible if the eggs were not fertile that they could sustain themselves in an incubator without turning bad?

It's most likely that if the eggs still look good at 72 days that they are fertile and were just incubated at lower temperatures. The lower the incubation temperature the longer it takes the eggs to hatch. What temp. are you incubating them?

I have had them hatch at 60-80 days when the temp was at 84. I changed the temp to 82 and i want to see how this works

the incubator has been set to 84 but it has fluctuated from 81 - 84 for all this time.

Keep incubating the eggs. Typically infertile eggs or eggs that just fail to hatch will start to stink. If they look and smell good, then leave them be.

The eggs will start to sweat and collapse about 24 hours before hatching, so definitely watch for this.
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PHLdyPayne

Your absolutely right BDlvr. Mine were just starting to hatch today and it's been 63 days today and i have been incubating at about 82-84 with this inconsistent warm weather i have been turning my incubator up and down but try not to set it to high in case it's hot outside it'll heat up the room and incubator's don't cool down so you have to give a little lean way...and i know YOU know all this but i'm just backing you up...more feedback never hurts...

robbeardies: definitely better to err on the side of 'cool' than hot, when it comes with incubating eggs so fluctuating temps between 82-85F is far safer than letting things get too hot. Heat can quickly kill eggs, but a few cool days in the incubator, far greater change it will have no harm to the babies, other than prolong their incubation time.
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PHLdyPayne

one egg looks like it has deflated and there is an opening at one side which looks like it is ooozing something. I did not want to disturb it. What should I do if anything. also, if the dragons hatch, do i leave them in the deli cups covered. the deli cups have hatchrite in them or do i take them out of the incubator. all help is appreciated as this is our first clutch ever

If the egg is slit leave it alone the dragon is getting used to breathing oxygen and will come out when ready.

There are a lot of opinions on this. I move hatched dragons into another container in the incubator. Some say leave them with the unhatched eggs to motivate the others. I don't. If the yolk sac is still attached leave them in the incubator with wet substrate for a day or 2 at the most. I generally move mine to rearing bins within 24 hours.

here is a pic I took of the baby trying to get out of the egg

here is another view

I suggest leaving the babies in the incubator till they are completely out of the egg. If they have yolk attached, place them in a small deli dish lined with damp paper towel and you can keep them in the incubator till the yolk is absorbed.

Once free of egg and yolk, the babies can be placed in rearing containers, in small groups. Typically they won't eat for a few days, as they are still 'full' from yolk, but certainly doesn't hurt to offer some small crickets and finely chopped greens. Make sure to mist them so they get plenty of moisture.
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PHLdyPayne

does the baby in the pic i posted look like it needs help out of the egg. how would I tell and if i do have to help it out, what do i use to do it
thanks and appreciate all the help

Do not help babies out of the egg. If they are normal and healthy, they will be just fine. Helping them is more likely to hurt them then not. I have never lost a baby trying to get out of the shell. It is a tireing expierence to get out of an egg. It is normal for them to get their head out and take a rest. When they are ready, they will finish the job. Good luck.
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www.moonstonedragons.com

thank you for the info. we are just newly excited and nervous beardie parents, lol

Hahaha...I feel your concern. Don't get in the way, they know what they are doing. :O)

My egg rule is simple. If it doesn't smell and isn't fuzzy, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!
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www.moonstonedragons.com

here are some pics of the first baby that came out of the eggs. I am hoping the other 10 hatch today. It is from our pairing of our 2 hypo translucent leatherbacks. The white spots are from the hatchrite as i did not want to handle him to take it off

2 more pics

See, I told you they knew what they were doing. Congrats!
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www.moonstonedragons.com