Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here for Dragon Serpents
Click for ZooMed
Click here to visit Classifieds

When to cut?

mrkent Aug 05, 2010 10:47 PM

How long does everyone wait after the first pip, to cut any that have not pipped?

The first one pipped yesterday, but still has not come out. I have seen as much as his head out, then he pulls back in. None of the other 10 have pipped.

I don't want to rush them, but I don't want to wait too long either.

Would incubation time be affected by the fact that some of these eggs were laid as much as 5 days apart? Or should they all be at about the same stage of development, regardless of when they were laid?

Remember this female took 2 weeks to lay 21 eggs. One was laid as a single, then after 5 days she started laying again. Most of the eggs laid the second week were either duds, or went bad.

So I am pretty sure these are all good, including the single that was laid 5 days earlier than the rest.

Sorry for the long post, but I know most of you have alot more experience in this than I do, and I value your input.

Thanks.
-----
Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase
1.1 Oregon rubber boas

Replies (6)

DMong Aug 05, 2010 11:46 PM

They can very typically be a few days apart, and especially if she laid first to last five days apart, that will definitely affect how long the later one's take to incubate too.

I would wait another couple days for sure, then after another day or so, you could cut a window in any that haven't pipped on their own.

I usually wait two days after the first one's pip, but that is if they were all laid in the same day.

Good luck!

~Doug
-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Shiari Aug 06, 2010 12:34 AM

I gave mine 5 days before I cut the last two eggs, because apparently there's a pretty strong temperature gradient in my incubator setup that I will need to strive to fix for next year. The eggs nearest the back pipped first, and the pipping progressed forward, a few each day. The last baby didn't fully leave the egg until about 8 days after the first pip.

a153fish Aug 06, 2010 01:16 AM

Yeah wait a couple days at least. All my corn clutches are averaging 3 days from first to last. I bet tomorrow you'll see a few more pips. The fact that there was so much time in between makes me suspect that maybe some are infertile but personally I would just let them alone and let hatch what will. It is hard to refrian and many times I have cut a slit on top but I know that many of the eggs I cut don't hatch. Would they have hatched if I had done nothing who knows?
-----
King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

mrkent Aug 06, 2010 07:25 PM

It has been two days since the first pip. He came out last night, and I have removed him to a separate container. Still no additional pips.

I am thinking if no more pip, that I will consider cutting tomorrow. Some of the eggs are dimpling, and that has just happened in the last couple of days.

Opinions?

Geez, this is killing me!
-----
Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase
1.1 Oregon rubber boas

SlytherLyn Aug 06, 2010 08:58 PM

I wouldn't panic yet. My clutch were all laid the same day. First one started pipping July 27th. About 1/2 of the babies are out of their eggs, another bunch are in their eggs with their noses poking out, and 5 eggs haven't started to pip yet. They don't all hatch on the same day, or even the same week, and a few of them stayed in their eggs for many days before coming out.
-----
.

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 100% het Caramel Albinos (Edward & Bella)
0.1 66% ph Caramel Albino (Rosalie)
0.1 Caramel Albino (Bellatrix)
1.0 Butterscotch Ghost (Nick)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Pastel Orange Ghost (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Ghost(Nymphadora)
1.1 Mojaves (Lucius & Renesme)
0.1 Pastel Lesser (Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
0.1 Lemonblast (Luna)
0.1 Blond Pastel (Katie)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Normal (Madame Olympe Maxime)
0.0.9 Eggs in the incubator (Edward x Bella)
0.0.3 Eggs in the incubator (Jasper x Esme)

Corns
1.1 het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Bloodred (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Bloodred poss het Anery Lav (Tumnus)
0.1 Anery Lav (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma (Victoria)
0.1 Opal (Jewel)
0.0.18 Eggs in the incubator (Romeo x Juliet)
0.0.4 assorted hatchlings (Romeo x Juliet)
0.0.18 Eggs in the incubator (Tumnus x Lucy)

Hogs
1.0 Albino Western (Hogwarts)
0.1 het Albino Western (Hufflepuff)
0.1 Tri Color (Molly)

mrkent Aug 06, 2010 09:28 PM

Ok. Thanks, I will try to be patient.
Link

-----
Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase
1.1 Oregon rubber boas

Site Tools