First clutch (heartbreaking)

Sorry to hear about your losses. I used to cut my eggs back when I first started breeding. These days I only cut once I have pips and if the others haven't pipped in a reasonable time after those first pips. It is best to wait and avoid the temptation of cutting early. Good luck with your future clutches :)

So many things you did wrong sadly.

1# Until you KNOW when your clutches would start to pip naturally do not cut that early it only expose the animal to bacteria. Next time wait till the first one pips and then cuts, once you have hatch a few clutch if your clutches hatch at day 55 you can cut 2 or 3 days before but not until you KNOW for sure

2# You check twice a day well that is how you get twisted umbilical, the more you mess with eggs before they pip (like candling too much), or mess with them after they are cut (like checking on them) you startle the hatching that will tangle themselves up.

Hopefully you learn a lesson here, it's sad but sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

I just want to clarify a bit, I didn’t mess with the eggs at all the whole incubation.
I also didn’t cut a big peace of egg off I only made one straight cut.
Also when I checked on them I ment I just looked threw the egg box quickly from the top to see if they where out yet and 4 of them did have there heads out on day 56 if I remember correctly.
Also the one that had the ambilicul cord wrapped around him I don’t see how that could of happened after I cut, it must have ben like that from the beginning.

DO it nature's way. Let the hatchlings cut the egg themselves when they are ready. Heck, I've considered maternal incubation, but I don't think I could maintain proper humidity conditions, otherwise I would let nature's way rule and let the mom incubate her own eggs, as well as let the hatchlings pip the egg shells themselves.

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Originally Posted by Yannick Lajoie

the ambilicul cord wrapped around him I don’t see how that could of happened after I cut, it must have ben like that from the beginning.

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Nope that is not how twisted umbilicus happen they mainly happen because of this

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i checked on them every day sometimes twice after I cut.

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The more you mess with eggs right before they pip (like candling too much), or mess with them after they are cut (like checking on them twice a day) the more you will have tangled umbilicus, if you startled the hatchling they will tangle themselves up. (not my first season or first clutch ;))

When you cut you do so by doing a small flap and you put them back in the incubator until the emerge on their own you do not bother them.