Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Our first lot of eggs have started to hatch, very exciting! We have 2 amels and 3 normals so far, with 11 more to go, but no signs at all of any more starting to pip.

This afternoon I decided to try 'candling' the eggs, very carefully so as not to turn them. I shone a penlight through them putting the torch right up against the egg's surface.

They all have blood vessels inside them, but most only look like they're half full of dark matter.....surely the size of a hatchling would mean they'd be crammed and you couldn't see through them?

Does this mean they're dead? They look fine and are plump, and none have gone bad. It was 60 days yesterday, and the 5 have hatched since Monday......what shall I do? Any advice would be most welcome.

thanks in advance
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Vicks and Bubbs

0.0.2 baby corn (Smokescreen and Demon - small boys named these two)
0.1 albino corn snake (Doris)
1.0 grey rat snake (Derek)
0.1 brindle pooch (Stella)
1.2 moggies (Sid, Sadie and Puddy)
0.0.5 fish (Bob,Bob,Bob, Long-one and Bob)
2.0 homo sapien monsters (aged 7 and 8)

Believe it or not, the egg appears about half full just prior to hatching - it will look like this right up to time of hatch. I think it is a bit of an illusion but yes, if you just candle the top 1/3 of the egg it looks like it does at 10 days after laying. The top contains the fluid that has been present through the hatchlings development.

Just be paitent for the rest to come along. One thing to consider is the temp. of the eggs if there is a relatively long period between the first and last to hatch. I have had clutches that were tall masses of 12 eggs. They hatched from the top down!! This was due to the heat source of the incubator being in the top - therefore the top of the pile got a bit warmer than the rest and they developed slightly, slightly quicker...

Good luck on the rest...
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2.3 Albino Nelsoni Milksnakes
0.1 Snow Corn
0.2 Sunglow Corns
1.1 Albino Motley Corns
0.0.23 '04 hatchlings
0.1 Albino Corns '03
bunch.bunch Bearded Dragons
some Bearded Dragons Cooking
1.3 Albino Leopord Geckos
1.0 Pictus Geckos
1 great wife
2 great boys
0.2 dogs (they're great too!!)

what a relief!! I think the temperature has varied a bit between eggs. I have them in a small tank on a heatmat (I've monitored the temps very carefully with a thermometer stuck in the vermiculite under the eggs so they didn't get too hot)and the first two that hatched were the bottom two,obviously the warmest. The next 3 were also near the bottom, but they're pretty much seperate now as the ones that hatched were holding the rest together, so they're all on the same level, and hopefully the same temperature. I can see definate markings in little 'windows' in one or two of the eggs, but the rest just looked just half clear.

Patience is a virtue I know, but I'm not feeling very virtuous at the moment! Just want them out, we're going away next weekend for a week! Eeek!!
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Vicks and Bubbs

0.0.2 baby corn (Smokescreen and Demon - small boys named these two)
0.1 albino corn snake (Doris)
1.0 grey rat snake (Derek)
0.1 brindle pooch (Stella)
1.2 moggies (Sid, Sadie and Puddy)
0.0.5 fish (Bob,Bob,Bob, Long-one and Bob)
2.0 homo sapien monsters (aged 7 and 8)