To cut, or not to cut?

So, I was reading another thread where someone cut eggs too early. And it sounds like sad results. I am not close to breeding yet, but now I am curious. How many people cut eggs, and why? I would think wait and let them come on their own, but it seems many of you cut??

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You invest a lot of time, effort and money so you want to maximize your odds of a healthy baby snake. Cutting near the end gives you the opportunity to see if you see a tangled umbilical cord and helps any neonate that may have an under developed egg tooth.

I cut, but around day 56 or 57. If you cut much earlier you risk bacteria sitting in a warm moist environment for too long a period of time. With experience, you can cut sooner, but day 56 works for me.

I cut at day 52-54 depending on if I'm going to be around. I cut to increase the odds of the babies surviving. Although it doesn't happen all the time, babies definitely die that get trapped in the egg. You have to make sure to keep the egg clean and moist when you cut it. I mist mine once or twice a day depending on how they look once they are cut.

Honestly, its a mixture of curiosity and worrying. Of course you want to know whats inside, and I wont deny that thats a factor, but I also worry about babies drowning. I havent had a ball drown, but I have had a corn drown. never want to go through that again.

Also, don't go crazy if you cut. Here is a sample of my cuts. I do a "V" flap than can be closed to keep the egg closed up unless a little nose is peeking out. Here is a clutch from last year that I cut on day 56.

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC00778.jpg

Don't go crazy with the cuts!

I plan on breeding this year and will probably cut around day 56 or 57 like don said if none of the eggs have pipped by then. Ive heard of cases of the hatchling dieing by getting wrapped up in the egg so i definetly wanna maximize my chances of survival!

I cut, a little earlier than some, and haven't had issues with it. I have however, lost a baby in a clutch I didn't cut, and feel that if I had cut the eggs, I would have had a chance of saving it. I've heard of at least one person who cuts a tiny hole as early as day 30 with no problems. For me, it's a matter of seeing that all is well inside the egg more so than appeasing my own curiosity as to what I'll be hatching.

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

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I would do it like this. Here he is cutting them around day 43 i think. (he says theyre 12 days early so im guessing thats 55-12days= day 42. BUT im not positive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLHsQ7Y-Y0I

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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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If the eggs are collapsing, I pinch them and only cut what I can hold in my fingers with scissors...if they haven't collapsed yet, I'll use a razor blade and just barely slice into them.

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.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

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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.