I shouldn't slit it, should I?

This egg is on Day 53 (tomorrow.) I see slight movement, and I candled it with my crappy dim LED; see red veins aplenty but the LED isn't bright enough to make out the dark blob inside... this is so frustrating. The movement was noticed by me when I looked in and noticed that the dents were in a different formation than they were earlier :) What shall I do now? Here's a pic from a few minutes ago.. if there is a baby in there, it has to be Very small, only taking up half the egg. but the bright red veins look great; is this possible? Is he so small that he can't get out? I have had it at a steady 90 degrees all through incubation. I am :tricho: :tricho:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/gggggggg.jpg

This is a tuff call :confused: .How is your humidity? I have never seen a egg dent that much.Is this the only egg you have,if not how are the others looking?

Tough call there Jen. I would pm some of our resident breeders and see what they have to say about it. Good luck!

it is a judgement call, i wouldn't get too worried on day 53. most of mine pipped this season at 55-56 days.



vaughn

It is our only egg. The rest had rotted from the outside in, and died. I admit, we were naive in the beginning and sprayed water so some got onto the eggs and they may have drowned because of this; just don't know. The ones that died, were definately goners; the last one was rotting and started to get hard, so I sliced it open around Day 40 and it had a dead embryo about 3 inches long and pink; smelled horrid :(
I asked not too long ago and was told to keep the humidity steady where it was and wait it out. I guess I had it on the lower side, fearing that the eggs would drown as I had read that too much humidity is worse than too little. But it was always at a point where the substrate was damp (never soppy or wring-out-drippy) and the container had condensation on the sides. The lid is a glass panel weighted by a thin ashtray.
I just don't know what to do; someone posted recently about a hatchling that didn't hatch out, and they cut the egg open to find it intact but dead; could it be possible that a smaller one could be incapable of getting out of the shell?

anything is possible, nature has made them with an egg tooth and the egg shell does soften up prior to hatching. it is really a judgement call? if you do cut, i would just make a very small 1/2" slit in the egg(don't make any sunroofs!).



vaughn

Well, no new developments this morning, save for a tiny spot that developed that looks almost see-through. I will give it till after 5 when I get home frm work and reassess it; any other thoughts?

I wouldn't slit it if you want to be sure it lives. Let the snake do what it is designed to do. ;)

-adam

Adam's the man. If anyone would know it would be him.

I would let nature take its course......if you slit it too early, it may do more harm than good. Good luck with the lil fella!!