Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, I don't recall seeing this question, but if it's been in here bear with me okay?

My third clutch of corn eggs (21 eggs) were laid exactly 60 days ago. About ten to 15 days into gestation, one of the eggs started to "leak".... it began to lose egg-goo from one of the ends of the egg. I didn't notice it until it had pretty much leaked everything right out through a hole and it was all "hard boiled like". That egg was pitched, and the remaining 20 seemed fine.

So today I open the egg box, hoping the little buggers are ready to start hatching. I notice two of the eggs look kinda funny.... they have a little glob of vermiculite on one end, sorta like that "leaker" from early on. Sure enough, both of them had started to leak also... but a lot less extreme of course than the fifteen day old egg. I was brushing the vermiculite away from the end and the egg sorta .... popped a weak point? I don't know how to describe it. It's like it developed a larger hole and out pops some of the yolk goo from inside. (Not the clear fluid, the pinky whitish yellowish stuff.) Looks like the egg is blowing a bubble. So I say to myself.... do I ignore it, or open it? Will it die if I leave it, or recuperate, and will it live, or die if I open it. I decided that the chances of it hatching were close to NIL, and the chances of it living if I opened up the egg were also close to NIL, so I opened it up. Inside was a little normal corn that took a few breaths, and then expired.

The little baby looked "weird" in that it's forehead was all domed. Not sure if that is something that they all look like at this stage before hatching, or if the little guy was actually deformed. He just seemed very odd looking is all. (when he expired his little hemipenes stuck out.... so I know he really was a male). My guess from the developmental state of the egg is that the temps have been low enough to add a full 10 days or so onto their incubation times... another ten days and maybe I'll see some hatchlings.

My concern is that the one egg "leaked" early in incubation, now two more have started to leak (on one I brushed the vermiculite away a little more carefully, and it didn't "burst".). Could it be moisture? The eggs are very firm to the touch, but I have never thought of this egg box as being an overly moist one. No windows to speak of. If it isn't too high a moisture level causing the eggs to over-fill, then perhaps it is something else??? But what?

I'm also worried... if this baby is deformed, do I have to expect a whole clutch full of deformed babies? They were exposed to some 88 degree temps for about 12 hours early in incubation due to an AC malfunction. He was a real cutie, and I feel very sad to have caused (?) his expiration due to removing the vermiculite from the leaky hole in the shell.

My other clutches are all at days 64, and 62, and 60, (well, and then there's the one that is on day 4)
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~Sasheena

I remember reading somewhere that premature hatchlings have domed heads that finally flatten out closer to hatching time, so I wouldn't worry about deformed babies.

The only thing I can think of is that these spots that are leaking are due to "windows" that you just can't see well. And maybe it is too humid. So far all of my eggs are still firm to the touch, but not overly so.
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alstiver@hotmail.com

1.0 2001 Coral snow cornsnake
0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost poss Het Amelanistic cornsnake
1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake
0.0.13 2004 Eggs (potentially normals, hypos, caramels, and ambers)

Thanks for the reply. I checked the eggs again this morning. The other "leaker" is a little more "flacid" than the rest. I just can't imagine these eggs having too much moisture. There is no condensation on the sides of the egg box. They're firm (except the leaker) but not too firm. There are LOTS of windows on another clutch that is on day 65 of incubation, but those eggs haven't leaked. Ah well, we'll see what happens! It's not like I can take them to the vet ER and have them magic them alive if they're doomed to be dead. Patience. I just need Patience.

>>I remember reading somewhere that premature hatchlings have domed heads that finally flatten out closer to hatching time, so I wouldn't worry about deformed babies.
>>
>>The only thing I can think of is that these spots that are leaking are due to "windows" that you just can't see well. And maybe it is too humid. So far all of my eggs are still firm to the touch, but not overly so.
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~Sasheena

Ok now this may be a dumb idea, but what about putting scotch tape over the holes that are leaking to stop any further loss of egg fluids? If they are going to die if the egg leaks too much it is worth a try, no?

Wayne

I put a bandaide over the end of the egg... seemed to be the best choice... thanks for the idea of "tape" .... that brought me to think about using a bandaide. Only about 10 percent of the shell of the egg is covered with the bandaide, so i figure that the chances of it hindering the actual hatching are slim, and it won't appreciably lessen the air exchange... so it is something that I figured could only help. If the baby is doomed the bandaide won't help, if it has a chance of hatching, the bandaide can only help.

I set back my "egg counter" to a 70 day incubation, so instead of being late, all my eggs are still early... it's only day 65, 63, and 61 of my three corn clutchs (the one with the ruptured egg is at day 61)
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~Sasheena

Just thought it'd be worth a try esp since you said the other one was alive for a little while. Hopefully the other(s) will make it, if not at least you tried.

Good luck with all the clutches. 5 weeks into corn ownership and i am already thinking about another lol

Wayne