Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...This is only our second clutch of bp's. Two hatched last weekend, but there are 3 eggs still unhatched. All three contain FORMED, FULLY-COLORED snakes...No movement.

I've considered pulling them, in case there may be a hope of saving them if they're too weak. I've never done that...is it doable? I know there's at least one partial yolk in one of the eggs, so maybe there just some gestating left to be done.

How long before the likelihood of their being stillborns outweighs the optimistic hope they hatch? They aren't normals, so if there's a CHANCE I can "salvage" one or two of these, I'd probably take it.

Am I just being impatient, or should I be ready to cut my losses?

I don't really understand if they are open and just not coming out or if they are closed? Kind of sounds like they might be open because you are saying they have full color. At day 65 they should be good to cut the top off of the egg if you are that nervous about them? Just leave the bottom part of the egg in place. Can you post a picture? Can you e-mail a picture? If you have a probed and you gently rub the snake you should get some movement out it. if you can e-mail a picture my e-mail is rmontez@frontiernet.net

I'll take some pics and post them tonight.

I did slit them, so they're open. I've not detected any movement though, so I'll certainly be trying to prod them a bit with one of our probes, as soon as I get home. Thank you for that suggestion.

The last two weeks have been UNBEARABLY hot and humid here, so I think incubation temps may have gotten significantly over 90 in the daytime...probably being the factor that makes me consider their demise as a possibility!

Not having hatched so long after their clutch mates makes me worry. Unless the others where for some reason much hotter (top ones in an over head heat incubator or something like that) I would think these should have hatched by now if they where ok. I've seen dead full term babies not go bad for days, they seem to sort of pickle in the egg (mine where albinos if that helps any). If you can't get any reaction from poking I'd bet they are already dead. Sorry. If they where alive I wouldn't think pulling them out would give them any better chance of surviving so I guess it's just a question of how long you want to wait.

Poked at them...nothing. Opened one up further, definitely dead. Would've been nice, too.

Chalk it up to experience.

But on the bright side...

I was sure mine where still alive since they didn't stink (any more than just hatched live eggs) after a couple days of being dead and open in the incubator. But eventually (around day 65 like you) it got late enough that I had to face the facts that they should have hatched and they should be moving when prodded so I opened them all the way to find two dead kinked albinos. Not sure what’s up with the pickling effect that keeps them from going bad quicker. Maybe some anti microbial substance in the egg fluid.

Yea...that threw me too. I figured they would've been stinking to high heaven after a week or more.

By the time I posted here yesterday, I think I knew it was inevitable.