Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm on day 53 for a clutch of eggs. They were being watched at my brother's house because I was on vacation for a while (they are in a hovabator) and I have had him checking on them there for me (checking temps and humidity). Well, I finally made it to his house today for my niece and nephew's birthday party, and the eggs don't seem to have anything big in them. I just candled them, and I can still see veining and dark structures on the bottom, but there's no way they are large enough to be ready to hatch babies. I wish I had more info, but they haven't been with me. I'm starting to think that I would've been better off leaving them with mom until I got home from my trip. What should I do? Just assume that they are dead? Cut the eggs?

Cut one and look in. I bet they are okay.
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CB

"I'm a truckin bassmole, and proud of it"

I doubt your eggs are dead...They actually sound quite normal to me...those babies i.e."dark structures" just appear small...give them more time, I'm sure they will hatch out for you...best of luck-Mike

I will wait for couple more days before cut the egg. By the way, if the eggs are live, you should feel the shell is softer then before. Which mean babies are going to hatch soon.

Cut a small slit in them and take a look, you're on Day 53 so you won't do any harm. They'll come in their own good time.

Here's a little more info. The top egg dented in early and I'm sure I lost that one, but the others kept their shape. There just doesn't seem to be enough dark area on the bottom to be a hatchling - really, it looks mostly clear when I shine a light through them. The veins are still red and the eggs got soft a few days ago as far as I know, but they have lost weight. He has had ball pythons and he was really excited for the chance to watch the eggs and let his kids experience everything, which is why I didn't try to pick them up after I got back in town (and I was worried about transporting them).
How long can a clutch take to hatch? I know it varies a little according to temps, etc, but by how much? Sorry for all the questions, as this is/was my first clutch after a few years of planning. I have another due to be laid in about a week (late, I know), so maybe I'll get another chance. Thanks everyone for responding.

The reason Python eggs get softer near hatching is because when first laid, there is more yolk OUTSIDE the embryo, and near term as the embryo gains size rapidly, the yolk is absorbed, converted to much denser snake, and the volume of the egg decreases. Now sometimes eggs WILL GAIN weight, but this is from water absorbed from the environment. But USUALLY the VOLUME decreases, and that is why the eggs begin to dent. Also, movement of the embryo sometimes will cause a degree of tension on the shell, due to vascular and amniotic attachments, and this contributes to denting.

Embryos are remarkably translucent, so light will pass right through them, with the result APPEARING like there's no embryo. BUT, usually there will be a PINKISH/REDDISH GLOW in an embryonated egg, and a YELLOWISH glow in an infertile one.

Incubation period can vary somewhat not just from temp variability, but from humidity, egg variables such as embryo size and shell factors, external disturbances (ie, other eggs hatching affect adjacent eggs).

One way to check viability of an egg near term (post day 53 at 89F) is to make a very small hole (I use an ophthalmic suture scissor) and squeeze out a drop of egg fluid. It should be CLEAR and slightly amber-colored. If an embryo has died, coagulation of proteins will cause the fluid to be cloudy, and the longer it is post death, the browner the fluid.

Hope this helps!
Scott J. Michaels DVM
Serpent City

I've got an egg hatching right now that is one of those "light bulb" eggs with an underdeveloped dark end (someone made fun of me calling them "nipple deformity" eggs but I hope everyone knows the kind of eggs I’m talking about). I was a little worried because I had a kinked baby in one of those eggs last year so when it hadn't slit yet on day 57 I went ahead and slit the egg and it's healthy looking sibling egg while I was at it. The light bulb egg had the cloudy fluid so I was worried but both had their heads out last night on day 58. The baby from the deformed egg isn't out yet so I don't know if he is ok or if he has a dead twin or not but I think in this case the cloudiness of the fluid was caused by a dead part of the egg (the nipple end) and didn't necessarily indicate a dead baby.

Well, I'm on day 55 now, so I tried making a tiny cut like you suggested (more of a scratch) and a tiny bit of clear fluid came out. I don't have a bright enough flashlight here to see the coloration through the egg. I can just see that it looks dark on the bottom third, and mostly clear with red veins on the top. I guess I will wait a little longer, but I won't be here to see them. I'm wondering if I should risk transporting them back with me or not (about 1 hr) so that I can keep an eye on them...
Thanks for your help. I'll see what happens in the next few days.