To cut, or not to cut?

I just cut a clutch today at day 54.:gj:

A lot of people cut early to make sure the babies are ok(or just out of curiosity) but I see many more "oh crap" threads from people who cut too early as opposed to letting them pip on their own. If you're not experienced I think you'd just be increasing the odds of something going wrong cutting before the first pip. I'd at least wait until day 55, but that's me.

This year I waited until most were pipped. They had all been pipped for a day or so except one so I went ahead and cut it. They were really sunken in and soft so I just pinched a little bit an made about a 1in slit. This must have kicked this little guy into gear because he came out of the egg a day later. :)


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Ok, I got a question, for experienced breeders :D. How can you tell that the umbilical cord is tangled (a picture maybe with comparison how a good one looks and how tangled looks), and how can you actually help the baby if you see it's tangled, without hurting it even more?

And I cut my very first eggs this year at day 53 and everything hatched fine ;).

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Originally Posted by GPreptiles

Ok, I got a question, for experienced breeders :D. How can you tell that the umbilical cord is tangled (a picture maybe with comparison how a good one looks and how tangled looks), and how can you actually help the baby if you see it's tangled, without hurting it even more?

And I cut my very first eggs this year at day 53 and everything hatched fine ;).

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I don't see how you can tell unless you open the egg right up and start poking at the neonate to make it move.

On the flip side, maybe cutting and excessive disturbance causes the neonate to move unnaturally and tangle itself.

I'm not convinced cutting is in any way necessary.

FWIW I certainly see more cases of neonates dying after eggs have been cut than cases of eggs that never hatched and were cut open to find a dead neonate inside.

I have cut before but only a tiny slit to guide them on an egg thats remains unpipped after all the others have come out.

I am on day 56 of one clutch and I so want to cut them but I dont know:confused:
I am debating on either tomorrow OR waiting till one gets pipped:confused:
Then I have another clutch exactly 7 days behind this one.
WAITING SUCKS:rage::rage::rage:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I am on day 56 of one clutch and I so want to cut them but I dont know:confused:
I am debating on either tomorrow OR waiting till one gets pipped:confused:
Then I have another clutch exactly 7 days behind this one.
WAITING SUCKS:rage::rage::rage:

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Let's see pics when they pip!!! Got any albinos???

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I only cut when I have one or more pipped out in their own. I've seen myself what happens when I cut too early. I never want to experience loosing another clutch. That was my bad and more due to bacteria than the cutting itself. But since I've had far more patience it's never happened again.


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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Let's see pics when they pip!!! Got any albinos???

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not yet ;)

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Ok, so how do you cut confidently that you won't cut the baby inside?

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I candly the eggs fist, to see where any major blood vessels are, so I can avoid them if at all possible. I then make the "v" cuts like Don described. Combination of curiosity and concern, and I wait until Day 56 or first pip, whichever occurs first.