Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. It is my first year breeding a pair of bearded dragons, and I have to admit, I have never bred any other reptiles either, so I have a few questions. Her first clutch has been in a homemade incubator set between 80-84F for 77 days now. Peter Rushton was "lizard-sitting" for me while I was on vacation and became concerned with the fact that normal incubation for these lizards is between 62 and 75 days. He told me that after that, if the babies don't get out, they will die very easily before even hatching. I don't know if it was this forum he contacted about this or if it was someone else, but that person told him to advise me to make a small 1/4 to 1/2 inch slit in each of the eggs to help the babies come out. I did that last night(6/21/03) and they still haven't hatched themselves. I know for sure they are still alive in there because I accidently made one of the slits too large and the baby sort of oozed out. He lived for a couple of hours but this morning when I woke up his egg sack had ruptured and he was dead(I kept the baby on wet paper towels with a heatlamp on the cage for warmth). I am quite concerned because the egg sach is still quite large(larger than the size of the 2inch beardie) and has a few veins in it. Again, I don't know if this is normal because I don't have reptile breeding experience but it concerned me. Is the egg sack supposed to come out of the egg with the dragon or stay in the egg with the dragon still connected to it (because the sack came out)? Before I buried the little guy after work, I flipped him over and noticed that he was quite thin, looked very dehydrated, and was "squishy" to the touch everywhere except the spin and head. Is this normal or is it just because the thing was dead? None of the other babies have hatched yet, is this normal after slitting the eggs over 24 hours ago? If so, when should they come out? I am really concerned about the babies and would love more than anything for even one to survive. I have been researching breeding for around 8 monthes but there's nothing I can find about what to do if the babies won't come out even after slitting them. Any help at all would be greatly appriciated.

I don't know who told you to slit the darn eggs. Sounds to me they were not ready to come out yet. They hatch when they are ready!. Could be that the temp was off and they were kept cooler thus taking more time to fully grow, and hatch. Wait for help please, I hope some one else can help you.

I have one beardies eggs who never start hatching before the 82 day and usually not until the 86th.....the range books give you in the average range, not the absolute......and that's based on a specific temp....cooler temps will generally take longer.

Leave them and hope for the best.......

i have already slit the eggs, if they aren't ready will they hatch on their own time even with detroyed eggs? u guys made it sound like its uncommon to try this method, but have you ever heard of it being successful??? im really worried now that i may have killed the whole clutch!

I'm really worried you killed the whole clutch also. Just leave them alone hope for the best, and continue to incubate. Hopefully the liquid in the egg will reseal the slit. Not sure about this though. I heard of people having one or two eggs out of the whole clutch not hatch and when they slit it open. The baby inside was still alive just not ready to hatch. That particular baby didn't make it. Just don't know why you slit it if the eggs were one day past the average hatch rate. Hopefully some one here can give more advise. Good Luck

I'll keep my fingers crossed....there is no more you can do since you slit the eggs......maybe they will reseal themselves and hatch when ready. Good luck.

You may not get an answer as to what to do, because I don't think anyone here has ever slit the eggs. I'm really sorry that this person told you to do this.
As far as the egg sacks go, there is no set rule. It's better if the sack is absorbed before hatching, it makes for a nice healthy beardie that is full of nutrition and you don't have to worry about it tearing or rupturing.
If it is still on when they hatch, do what you did and put it on moist paper towel.
Good Luck, I hope they survive. Make sure you don't touch them though. They need the liquid that is inside, with the slit there any pressure may make it ooze out.
Please let us know how it all turns out.
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TheClassyLizard

Never heard anything about slitting the eggs cause they didn't hatch to help the beardies. What I have heard is it is always best to let the eggs hatch on their own, just incubate them at the currect temperature and humidity.

You could consult the idiot who told you to slit the eggs and find out if he knows what to do if the babies don't hatch right away, though I wouldn't take anything he said as fact. I do hope these eggs do hatch despite the slits put into them. Not sure if there is anything you can use to seal the slit without harming the hatchling inside. Maybe dampened paper towel cut just big enough to cover the slit (not soaking wet, just damp enough to stick to the egg) will seal it enough to prevent excess moisture being lost through the slit and any bacteria getting in to harm the baby.

Best of luck on hatching the rest of them. I do hope they make it.