Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Kingsnake eggs have been incubating for 42days. Damp paper towel doesn't plump up eggs and 3 or 4 are wrinkling pretty badly. Humidity is high so I'm wondering if perhaps this is normal? Doesn't seem to be anything I can do to reverse. The two most wrinkled are impossible to candle as they seem dark all the way through. Any comments? Thanks.

Kingsnake eggs have been incubating for 42days. Damp paper towel doesn't plump up eggs and 3 or 4 are wrinkling pretty badly. Humidity is high so I'm wondering if perhaps this is normal? Doesn't seem to be anything I can do to reverse. The two most wrinkled are impossible to candle as they seem dark all the way through. Any comments? Thanks.

Usually eggs will start to soften and dimple anywhere from 5-14 days before hatching. If your eggs were incubated at the high end of the range, this could be the case. I think you're close enough to hatching that you shouldn't worry about it. Without seeing a pic of what the eggs look like, it's hard to say......but you probably only have about 10 days or so left. How are you candling the eggs? In a completely dark room? When you are this close to hatch time, you can usually see hatchlings moving around in the egg. Make sure you have a small enough light that it doesn't bleed through around the egg. Try different points on the egg to get the best view. Good luck and let us know WHEN those babies hatch.

Brandon Osborne

What temperature are you keeping the incubating eggs? I have had eggs hatch at 49 to 50 days at 85 degree temperatures, but you really want the eggs to go full term which is normally around 60 days. You can achieve this with temps around 82 degrees. If you candle the eggs and see nothing but solidity the eggs are usually infertile. Do the eggs feel like they are hard boiled or rubbery? If so, they will not hatch.
Eggs do begin to dimple or wrinkle within a few days of hatching.
Good luck with your eggs and keep us posted.
-John Lassiter-

Correction on number of days in incubator. Recounted and realized it has been 46 days. Temps have ranged from 82-83.5. The attached pic is kind of blurred but you can see the long dimpling present in the two eggs that are adhered to one another. These eggs are fertile but candling shows that the eggs are seeming filled and light doesn't penetrate well. One more is beginning to dimple also. But the rest are still plump and I can see the embryo in them. They were plump until two/three days ago. So you think I am closer to hatching that I thought? Oh, my. Can there be a big delay in the first hatching to the last? These are Brooski and should be lavander and het for lavander.

46 days... seems likely they are going to be slitting within 10 days or sooner. I had one clutch last year hatch at 60 days, average incubation temp 83.5 the second clutch incubated closer to an average of 85 with the last 24 hours being closer to 100 degrees (AC malfunction) ... they hatched at 51 days. (plump up to the day of hatching)

Good luck and POST PICS when they start hatching!!!
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~Sasheena