Ever get a hatchling from an egg you didn't think was fertile?

Once upon a time...kidding.


Not really. About 6 years ago I purchased my first pair of Balls with the intent of breeding them. They were a pair of 100% het pieds. Well as many of you know, things don't always go as planned. Since the purchase I have bred multiple animals the past few years, all younger than the hets...still virgins. The female has always been a stubborn feeder...

But,

This year she finally reached a size where I felt she was ready to breed...finally. I had successful locks and was expecting maybe 4 eggs from her max. She is about a 1,350 gram animal, stout.

Well this morning she dropped...7 pearly whites. They are a bit on the small side. I candled them to find hardly any veins. The veins I did find...I think...where hair-thin. They may have been nothing but a product of wishful thinking.

My question...I plan on incubating them of course...just in case. Has anyone ever had success hatching animals from eggs/clutches they did not think were viable to begin with?

Thank you.

Sometimes they are laid with only a small section of the eggs having veins. Usually in a few days they are totally full. I would check them again in a couple days. I bet they are fine. Either way you will know in about a week if they are fertile or not.

Could you possibly get a pic of them being candled?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pfan151

Sometimes they are laid with only a small section of the eggs having veins. Usually in a few days they are totally full. I would check them again in a couple days. I bet they are fine. Either way you will know in about a week if they are fertile or not.

Could you possibly get a pic of them being candled?

---

I may post a picture in a few days if nothing gets better or worse.

Hope they fill out...been looking forward to this clutch for the last 6 years.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jerhart

I may post a picture in a few days if nothing gets better or worse.

Hope they fill out...been looking forward to this clutch for the last 6 years.

---

I know what you mean. Check out my thread.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=121447

I had a female lay a clutch this year 5 great looking eggs and one of them looked at the time to be infertal.. I checked them after a few days and low and behold it is full of veins.. It's a good thing I didn't pull it out and throw it away cause I'd have thrown away a perfactly good baby ball python. .:D

good luck with that egg.. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pfan151

I know what you mean. Check out my thread.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=121447

---

Wow...

I hope this clutch proves out for you in the end...and I hope I am not starting down that road.

If this clutch isn't viable, it will be the first time I have gotten an infertile clutch. Go figure it is the female I am most excited about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I had a female lay a clutch this year 5 great looking eggs and one of them looked at the time to be infertal.. I checked them after a few days and low and behold it is full of veins.. It's a good thing I didn't pull it out and throw it away cause I'd have thrown away a perfactly good baby ball python. .:D

good luck with that egg.. :D

---

I'm hoping that veins pop up in these...

Anyone else?

Yep. I had a half egg as well in a clutch, and had no problems in the end.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...alf+veined+egg

To be honest, I never bother to candle the eggs. If they are not fertile, they'll collapse in the first week. If they are, they'll stay nice and plump. Any egg that doesn't turn into a flattened, discolored, rubbery mess gets to stay in the incubator.