Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have four pietschmanni eggs. 2 were laid in early September and the other two slightly later the next month. Is it normal for eggs to go this long before hatching. If the eggs are not going to hatch will they go bad? How can I tell if the eggs are going to hatch or not?
-Matt

I've had phant eggs exceed 5 mos... dont worry.

They will mold, turn yellow or black usually when they are bad.
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www.wildeyereptiles.com

Chameleons, geckos & invertebrates

the egg may also start to "sweat" in multiple different places and stay sweated for more than a day. ( this is different than the egg seeping from one spot which can sometimes be normal a day or two before hatching)

When was the last time that you candled the eggs? I candle mine about once a month to make sure the embryo is developing.

Be patient though it's hard to wait. I have hatched 5 pietschmanni so far (to more to come) and they hatched between 142-160 days.

Good luck, once they are out they are not hard to care for.

Kim

Denmark

how does everyone deal with rotation of the egg? i know some reptile eggs will go bad if they're turned X amount of time after they're laid, and since i didnt wanna risk it ive always made sure to keep my eggs face up till they hatch. is there anyone who has knowingly shifted the egg and still had it hatch?

It is NOT a good idea to shif the egg in any direction after a certain time period... I personally never shift them... They go in the incubator in the same position as they left the cage... There can be some degree of shifting until a certain developmental stage, but one would have trouble guessing when this would be... It would be silly to mess at all with this...
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Ben

While I completely agree that it would be stupid to intentionally move them around, I have had eggs that werent secured well, get rolled around like marbles several times during incubation up until a week before hatching and they both hatched.

So, if they roll, you may still be alright.
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www.wildeyereptiles.com

Chameleons, geckos & invertebrates

thanks for the input guys, you know it always helps! i always made sure never to rotate them, and the only time i move them is when i pick them up to put them in their incubation cage. so i guess even though there might be a slight shift in them then, its usually only a day or two after they're laid so looks like im headed on the right track again!

i had crested eggs drowned from being misted directly, they seem to fully develope and then about 1-2 weeks before hatching they quit developing... just thought you might think it was interesting.

well what i actually did with the first pair of eggs i hatched was keep them buried under i thin layer of perlite, then of course more under them and throughout the container...i just did the ratio of perlite weight to water thats recommended, and made sure that the perlite was slightly moist to the touch with no excess water sitting around...worked the first time around, but too bad those were eggs i was hatching to help a friend! i got the practice though, so i cant complain about that. i keep my satanic eggs very differently though, but when i get eggs from either my henkeli, sikorae, or pietschmanni ill most likely try a technique like ben described a while ago. the reason i do my satanic eggs like i do is because thats what i tried the first time and it worked, and all 3 that hatched survived. might as well try it a second time, you know?

Phew! I really feel better now. Thanks for your comments.
-Matt

I'm sur ewe will hear, *SMILE*
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PHEve / Eve