Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My last two eggs started to hatch about 3 days ago. They slit their eggs and just sat... and sat.... and sat... and sat... and sat... I know you're not suppose to help so I didn't. But today I started to get really worried cos 3 days is a LONG time to not come out of the egg. So I decided it probably would hurt to peek through the slit and see what's going on. So I did, and they were definitely dead. No questions about it. Mouths were open eyes sunken, very dead. Neither had really succeeded in absorbing what was left of their yolks either. It was as if they slit their eggs, couldn't find the openning they had made, and sufficated and died... in the egg. Or perhaps they ahd other problems with them as well. I guess it's hard to say.
Other than not coming out of the egg both were normal sized and bot were fully formed. Any ideas what the heck went wrong with those two?

My assumption is... they had some sort of developmental problem, which is why they took the longest to even start to atttempt hatching ... hatching a full 5 days after the last living baby hatched. When they did slit the egg they weren't sturdy enough to actually survive outside of the egg, and died.

there is not anything you could or maybe should have done. Had you assisted the babies, chances are they would have suffered from whatever made them too weak to get out on their own.

You noted that their egg sac was still there, at the moment of first breathe on their own, a passage way between the sac and their internal organs collapses. There could have been a problem there. Or in the heart or lungs themselves.

We've seen that most babies that do have problems hatching and finally get out, are weaker hatchling also, showing a variety of eating problems and its more merciful to let nature takes its course.... I know others may not agree with that, but seeing a week old or two week old suffer and die is harder.

Hatching is hard work on ones that are healthy and do hatch and thrive, think what it is on one that has some hatch defect to begin with.

I am sorry for the loss of any life, but I think it was meant to be. All you as an owner can do is keep the humidity up and let them try to do what was intended.

I am happy for the 22 healthy babies I've been given. Even tho one is very small, he's a fighter. I've named him "Rocky" because he's a tough little guy.

Now I've been blessed with 18 more eggs which I hope will also hatch in around 70 days.