Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I am currently incubating my first clutch of ball eggs. They were laid 5/16. They are all in a chunk so to speak and look good in general. One egg on top has been dented for over a week now. I thought it was bad. Today I decided to poke it. (I never do that but it looked bad) and it poked back! So apparently there is life in there. It has only been 48 days. Is this normal for it to dent now? Is there anything I should do? It is my understanding that it is about a 60 day incubation. I have been incubating at 89 degrees.

Thank you for any advice.
Carole

It is normal for them to dent in about 1 - 2 weeks before they hatch. I have a clutch that was born around the same time yours was and all of mine is dented in as well. If some of yours still looks swollen I would pipe the egg at about day 55 or the snake might drown in its own fluids. MHO
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www.BallPython.Us

I have the same thing going on in my incubator as we speak. The top eggs in two clutches are dimpled. Mine have not poked back yet, but I hope they do. The conclusion I had is that the top eggs may not be getting enough moisture.

I hope all turns out well for you on your first clutch, Al.

I just hatched my first clutch of Ball's also. I had 2 that started to dimple, but I just let them be and they hatched with no problems. The other 5 remained perfect til they pipped themselves, or were cut. I wouldnt worry too muchlike I did. As long as they look good, just hope for the best.
Tom Baker

Hi all, I want to thank everyone for their advice. This morning one of the other eggs pipped and there is a head sticking out! YAY! The bad news is I think the other one (the one I wrote about moving in the egg) is no longer moving. I poked it last night and it didnt poke back and this morning it didnt either. I suspect it is dead in there and couldnt get out for whatever reason. I did put a small hole in it this morning but I dont hold out much hope at all for that one which is really really disappointing. I should have done it yesterday but who knew they were close enough to hatching???

Thanks again!
Carole