My personal thoughts on hatchlings with tangled cords

Another thread has sparked me to post about my theory on tangled umbilical cords in hatchling ball pythons. So I apologize if you are having deja-vu while reading this!

When I used to cut clutches, (because I had seen eeeeeeveryone do it, and its "the norm" in ball python breeding) I had a few twisted cords.

Since I stopped cutting completely I have had none of these issues.

Of course this isn't a fact nor cold hard evidence that twisted umbilicus are a direct result of cutting, but I have reasonably concluded it may be a cause and this has led me PERSONALLY to choose not to cut.

Hear me out.

My theory is that when an egg is cut, especially if you remove a large portion of it as though you are carving a pumpkin, the snake has a lot more "wiggle room" for the duration of their yolk digesting period. Perhaps when a snake pips through the membrane after an egg has been cut, they utilize this extra wiggle room, poke out further, and generally "stretch" themselves more than if the egg had remained closed or mostly closed.

Also, of course once you cut the eggs and see what has developed inside, "YAY YAY YAY you think you hit your combo!" But you just can't be certain until the snake fully emerges. So, you check on the egg box a hundred times a day. Don't say this doesn't happen - we're all guilty of it!

Through the years though, I have learned patience and to let nature take its course. I only check out egg bins morning, and before bed. Sometimes once during the day if I really can't help myself. Minimal interference time during hatching = less time for the snake to be "startled" and jolt itself back into the egg. You've all seen a scared ball python ball up and hide its head underneath its body. Imagine a ball python doing that while still in the egg, with its umbilical cord and yolk just hanging around.

Sorry I know this is getting long-winded and maybe a bit jumbled up as I'm typing on my phone.

But, with more wiggle room, more back and forth in and out of the egg, I believe this gives them more time to twist themselves up in ways they would not have been able to if their egg had remained mostly closed.

I am a very, very small particle of dust in the wind in the grand scheme of ball python breeding, but like I said, that's my personal theory.

Unfortunately there are very few breeders who do not cut at all, so conducting a survey on weather they've had a tangled cord in a non-cut egg could prove to be very difficult.

Another couple of things to think about:

1) In human babies, a wrapped umbilical cord is NOT cause for concern and is actually very common. I'm a bit of a natural Birth Advocate and have been doing extensive research in that field, so I thought I would share this with you in case you wanted to read a bit more about umbilical cords and what they actually do, how common a wrapped cord actually is, and how it is NOT a cause for concern. Link here: Nuchal Cords

2) Corn snake breeders do NOT cut their eggs. If they do, it is certainly not common and wide-spread like the cutting of ball python eggs. How many threads have you seen of a corn snake with a wrapped umbilical cords? Again, dust in the wind here, but I personally cannot think of one single thread or instance of a corn snake with a umbilical cord wrapped around itself. I also Googled "corn snake twisted cord" and the first term to come up was "twisted umbilical cord on ball python" the entire first page has no mention of corn snakes at all. Then I googled "corn snake wrapped umbilical cord" and I found ONE instance of a corn snake that emerged with the cord wrapped around itself. I don't have time to google every possible combination of words that may lead me to that info, but I think just from observation it's fairly safe to say that wrapped/knotted cords are FAR more common in ball pythons.

So while this isn't an official survey or anything, I would like to hear some discussion and thoughts on this, as I am very curious. And of course, I could be completely, way off-base and there could be plenty of stories of people who have had DIE's with wrapped cords that weren't artificially pipped. That's why I'm posting!

I'd really like to hear some input from some of the veterans here who work on a larger scale. I'm a spec of dust as well so I don't have much else to add...:)

I also hold a personal belief that disturbing the eggs/babies can lead to issues like this. This isn't to say that I blame the breeder when they have issues with their babies. Not at all.

However, it's part of the reason I will be letting my females naturally incubate their own clutches when they finally have them. And I won't be cutting the eggs, nor will I be candling them.

I believe that keeping the process as natural as possible, and disturbing the nest as little as possible, will yield better results.

I've only hatched one clutch of 6 eggs so far, so the sample size is nothing. I didn't cut at all. Just let them pip and exit when they were ready. Everything went perfect. I actually never have planned to cut, mostly for the reasons you speak of. I figure the species has been doing it just fine for a gozillion years without any help. Why fix what ain't broke? I have no proof of what I am about to state but it is what I believe. I have seen so many threads where there have been issues and mortality problems and it seemed in almost every instance the thread included the following, " I cut on day.......". The other factor is that in 100% of the same threads, the paint job didn't change as a result of the OP cutting it open to see it. So why not wait?

Just my $0.02

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Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

I believe that keeping the process as natural as possible, and disturbing the nest as little as possible, will yield better results.

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selectively breeding genetic mutations for aesthetic purposes isn't exactly natural.

on topic: this is a very interesting theory. makes sense logically. i'm interested to hear input from a large scale breeder as well. haven't had my first clutch yet, and while i won't go as natural as maternal incubation, i don't think i'll be doing any cutting, at least not for the first clutch or two. just kinda seems like a spoiler to me. lol

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Originally Posted by rlditmars

I have seen so many threads where there have been issues and mortality problems and it seemed in almost every instance the thread included the following, " I cut on day.......". The other factor is that in 100% of the same threads, the paint job didn't change as a result of the OP cutting it open to see it. So why not wait?

Just my $0.02

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I fully agree with you! But everyone please take note, I do not want this to turn into a "cut or not to cut" debate!

I've seen this theory offered up before. Since I don't breed, I can't offer any personal experience or anecdotes, but I do believe the theory has strong merit and I also would be interested in hearing from anyone with a large enough pool of experience with cut and uncut eggs to offer up their point of view.

While it IS a common practice to cut ball python eggs, I think it's wrong to say "everyone" does it. IF someone is cutting eggs, they are far more likely to post pictures of it. So you see lots of pictures of cut eggs. But anyone who doesn't cut eggs isn't going to give daily updates about the eggs they didn't cut. So it only LOOKS like "everyone" is doing it, because those that don't aren't bothering to talk about it except in threads like this.

I rarely have issues with tangled cords and I do cut all of my eggs, however I cut them late waiting until some have pipped on their own and generally just make small cuts instead of installing a sun roof on their eggs.

I believe that the main purpose of egg cutting is to aid the hatchling in escaping from their egg shells and not so that you can get an early peek at what's inside (although that's definately a bonus)

I'll admit that I thought it was a bit strange that eggs were cut when I started looking into bps. Corns are where I came from and in all the time I've bred them, I think I've cut 2 eggs and that was after everyone else had pipped and I figured I'd see what was wrong with the one that hadn't. It's not unusual to have them pip 3-4 days apart. Never once had an issue with a tangled cord or if I did, I didn't know it. Logically, the argument makes sense that the more room and stress that they have, the higher the chance that there will be issues.

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Originally Posted by JLC

While it IS a common practice to cut ball python eggs, I think it's wrong to say "everyone" does it. IF someone is cutting eggs, they are far more likely to post pictures of it. So you see lots of pictures of cut eggs. But anyone who doesn't cut eggs isn't going to give daily updates about the eggs they didn't cut. So it only LOOKS like "everyone" is doing it, because those that don't aren't bothering to talk about it except in threads like this.

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You make a good point.

This is interesting, and makes a good point! Now I am paranoid because I DID in fact just cut my eggs! lol Today was Day 60 and none had pipped yet, so after reading what others do, I decided to go ahead and pip. This is my very first clutch, so I am definitely a newbie speck of dust!! :)

I haven't hatched a clutch yet, but I wholeheartedly agree with this theory

I had my first umbilical cord issue this year. I cut my eggs, and yes I'm sure it's partly, if not totally to blame for the twisting/knotting issues. I still plan to cut my eggs, and just keep an eye on the cords.

I would like to hear more on the subject of dead, fully developed babies who couldn't get out of the egg.

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Originally Posted by creepin

selectively breeding genetic mutations for aesthetic purposes isn't exactly natural.

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Really breeding snakes in captivity isn't natural at all, if you're going to go that route. When I said keeping the process as natural as possible, it was implied that it wasn't COMPLETELY natural.

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Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

nor will I be candling them.

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I haven't produced a clutch of my own yet, so really I'm just spitballing here, but it seems to be that candling is a totally non-invasive way to ensure that you aren't letting your female incubate infertile eggs for 60 days and probably refusing food for that time. Also, and again, not based on personal experience, it seems like infertile eggs or ones that start out fertile and fail to develop are the more likely ones to grow mold or start to go sour and could possibly affect your healthy eggs.

Just what I've gathered from reading around this forum and watching the boyfriend with his corn snake eggs, which he does not cut btw. If all the eggs in a clutch have pipped except a couple, he'll try to wait them out and if they haven't pipped within a day or so he'll cut to check on the baby but it seems like those end up containing dead-in-egg babies most of the time anyway.

This thread is very interesting as I have my very first clutch in the incubator as we speak. Several years ago I raised corn snakes and never cut the corn eggs, and have no plans to cut these eggs either. It seems plausible that this theory could have some merit.

Another speck in the wind here, just incubated 2 clutches of eggs and it was my first time with doing it. After reading all the stuff on here about cutting I determined that I would not cut until some of the eggs had pipped on thier own, only cutting eggs 24hrs after the first pip. I didn't have any problems with either clutch but I did decide to let the second pip on its own.Second clutch had all pipped on thier own within 36hrs and the babies were all fine. I think I will be doing this in the future to help avoid problems and to make sure the babies come out when they are ready.
And I was very guilty of disturbing the tub too much after they had pipped. Gonna try to be a good boy next year.

The science is sound. :gj:

I'm also one who now subscribes to the 'better left alone and be patient' crowd. I don't know yet if there is enough evidence in my collection to say things go better, but I sure worry less about it now. When I was cutting, I was always making sure that the eggs stayed clean and didn't develop problems. Now, I just let them run their course. So far, so good.

I raised this theory last year, actually. I don't think it's the cutting as much as the constantly checking, poking prodding to get a better look after cutting.

Sent from my Samsung Note II using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by SaintTawny

I haven't produced a clutch of my own yet, so really I'm just spitballing here, but it seems to be that candling is a totally non-invasive way to ensure that you aren't letting your female incubate infertile eggs for 60 days and probably refusing food for that time. Also, and again, not based on personal experience, it seems like infertile eggs or ones that start out fertile and fail to develop are the more likely ones to grow mold or start to go sour and could possibly affect your healthy eggs.

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All of my infertile eggs started rotting after a week or two. You'll definitely notice THAT smell well before 60 days :)

I think the problem is more likely the constant jostling and checking on the snakes while they're in the egg that causes the problem. They tend to try to hide further in the egg when that happens and it increases the chance of getting tangled.

I cut my eggs, but my egg boxes are transparent and my incubator has windows, so I don't even have to take my egg box out to check on them. I just walk up to the incubator and peek in. I open the box once a day to get some fresh air in the tubs but that's pretty much it. I understand the urge to check on them all the time, but they are much more interesting to look at once they come out of the egg anyway! :)

I've never hatched snake eggs, but I was a homebirth midwife for 20 years. Three things come to mind in relation to this thread: If you scare the mother, a properly positioned baby will often turn breech. In my experience, anything we do in labor to help the process or expedite thing often just slows everything down. According to research done now that a large number of babies have been born by planned cesarean section (rather than in response to problems during pregnancy or labor), cesarean born babies are more likely to die unexpectedly following their birth.
Other things I've heard are that people with pet mammals often find that "helping" with the process of labor does just the opposite and can lead to loss of the entire litter. If you help baby chicks out of their eggs, it kills them.
i can't imagine that snakes eggs are any different and if I do decide to have babies some day I'll be messing with those eggs as little as possible.

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Originally Posted by UltraViolet

I've never hatched snake eggs, but I was a homebirth midwife for 20 years. Three things come to mind in relation to this thread: If you scare the mother, a properly positioned baby will often turn breech. In my experience, anything we do in labor to help the process or expedite thing often just slows everything down. According to research done now that a large number of babies have been born by planned cesarean section (rather than in response to problems during pregnancy or labor), cesarean born babies are more likely to die unexpectedly following their birth.
Other things I've heard are that people with pet mammals often find that "helping" with the process of labor does just the opposite and can lead to loss of the entire litter. If you help baby chicks out of their eggs, it kills them.
i can't imagine that snakes eggs are any different and if I do decide to have babies some day I'll be messing with those eggs as little as possible.

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This is perfect. Thread ended.

I stopped cutting my eggs a couple years ago. It wasn't because of any issues with the babies hatching it was because I noticed a better feeding response from babies that hatched on their own.

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Originally Posted by JLC

While it IS a common practice to cut ball python eggs, I think it's wrong to say "everyone" does it. IF someone is cutting eggs, they are far more likely to post pictures of it. So you see lots of pictures of cut eggs. But anyone who doesn't cut eggs isn't going to give daily updates about the eggs they didn't cut. So it only LOOKS like "everyone" is doing it, because those that don't aren't bothering to talk about it except in threads like this.

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This is a very good point Judy, however I do still feel that the majority of breeders cut their eggs. Again, I could be way off base on this. I have started a poll here: Are you a cutter?

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Originally Posted by MarkS

I believe that the main purpose of egg cutting is to aid the hatchling in escaping from their egg shells and not so that you can get an early peek at what's inside (although that's definately a bonus)

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I believe that SHOULD be the main purpose of artificial pipping, but unfortunately I think a lot of new people coming in to the hobby are seeing numerous videos from big-time breeders who are cutting their eggs, and proudly calling out what the hatchlings are inside. They see that this is an accepted practice, people start asking "hey, what day are your eggs on, when are you cutting them?" I believe there may have been a shift in motives over the years. Just my opinion, however.

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Originally Posted by Kodieh

I would like to hear more on the subject of dead, fully developed babies who couldn't get out of the egg.

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I personally have had a few DIEs. Mostly corn snakes. Fully developed, yes, but I have never found a DIE that didn't have some type of obvious deformity.

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Originally Posted by SaintTawny

Just what I've gathered from reading around this forum and watching the boyfriend with his corn snake eggs, which he does not cut btw. If all the eggs in a clutch have pipped except a couple, he'll try to wait them out and if they haven't pipped within a day or so he'll cut to check on the baby but it seems like those end up containing dead-in-egg babies most of the time anyway.

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See my point above, my experience is exactly this.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I raised this theory last year, actually. I don't think it's the cutting as much as the constantly checking, poking prodding to get a better look after cutting.

Sent from my Samsung Note II using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by CapeFearConstrictors

I think the problem is more likely the constant jostling and checking on the snakes while they're in the egg that causes the problem. They tend to try to hide further in the egg when that happens and it increases the chance of getting tangled.

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This is highly likely as well. Anything that startles a baby can harm a baby. IMO.

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Originally Posted by UltraViolet

I've never hatched snake eggs, but I was a homebirth midwife for 20 years. Three things come to mind in relation to this thread: If you scare the mother, a properly positioned baby will often turn breech. In my experience, anything we do in labor to help the process or expedite thing often just slows everything down. According to research done now that a large number of babies have been born by planned cesarean section (rather than in response to problems during pregnancy or labor), cesarean born babies are more likely to die unexpectedly following their birth.
Other things I've heard are that people with pet mammals often find that "helping" with the process of labor does just the opposite and can lead to loss of the entire litter. If you help baby chicks out of their eggs, it kills them.
i can't imagine that snakes eggs are any different and if I do decide to have babies some day I'll be messing with those eggs as little as possible.

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Thank you for your input! What an interesting field of work. I'd love to chat with you more about it one day!

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Originally Posted by Dave Green

I stopped cutting my eggs a couple years ago. It wasn't because of any issues with the babies hatching it was because I noticed a better feeding response from babies that hatched on their own.

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This is another theory I have heard, and I think it has some merit, too.

Think about it, if a baby doesn't get to "use" it's VERY FIRST instinct, which is using it's egg tooth, cutting itself out of the egg, absorbing the yolk (that part is biological and not instinctual, but you know what I mean) and crawling out of the egg, then maybe it takes longer for the feeding instinct to "activate."

Also, I have to thank you all for your thoughtful responses! This is a very interesting thread for me!

This is a really great thread. It brings the 'nature vs nurture' topic to the forefront. Although I am new to the hobby (won't say business because I don't have any plans to breed in the near future), I think I would have to say I would lean to the side of nature.

I believe that everyone is a product of their environment: if you stay inside and play video games while young as opposed to playing outside in the dirt, how will you ever develop a working immune system? If you cut the egg before the hatchling is ready to exit the egg are you not disturbing the natural cycle and possibly throwing the snake's instincts out of whack?

Maybe growing up on a ranch raising many different types of animals has given me the view of hands off as much as possible. Not only is it less stressful for all involved, it also decreases the work load. Just my $.02

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Originally Posted by SaintTawny

I haven't produced a clutch of my own yet, so really I'm just spitballing here, but it seems to be that candling is a totally non-invasive way to ensure that you aren't letting your female incubate infertile eggs for 60 days and probably refusing food for that time. Also, and again, not based on personal experience, it seems like infertile eggs or ones that start out fertile and fail to develop are the more likely ones to grow mold or start to go sour and could possibly affect your healthy eggs.

Just what I've gathered from reading around this forum and watching the boyfriend with his corn snake eggs, which he does not cut btw. If all the eggs in a clutch have pipped except a couple, he'll try to wait them out and if they haven't pipped within a day or so he'll cut to check on the baby but it seems like those end up containing dead-in-egg babies most of the time anyway.

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Well, I wouldn't say it's totally non-invasive. If you are maternally incubating the clutch, as I plan to, it is very invasive to the mother. Even if you are artificially incubating, at some point the babies will have developed eyes and the extremely bright light could startle them or upset them.

I personally do cut and have seen a few twisted cords or wrapped snakes as well as lost a few babies over the years due to cord complications.

I think that cutting generically is almost an art-form. There are certain ways to do it which affect the hatchling less than other ways and there is more liberty in those methods the closer the hatchling is to pipping on its own.

Also constant checking of the babies would definitely make sense to me as having potential for causing issues. Them moving around more and more which in turn could cause issues with their cords makes sense. But I would guess is mostly in the cases where they have not nearly absorbed their yolk and are farther away from pipping on their own.

In general I would say the closer they are to them pipping that you cut the less complications you would have.
Also the closer you are to them pipping on their own the more you can check on them with out issues (after cutting).

There are people that cut in the 40s. I would say they are cutting a specific way and checking on them hardly ever, if at all, after they know what they have.

Hopefully that makes sense.....

Cutting a flap (not an open window) after the first one pips is one of the safer ways to do it IMO.

Great thread!

Does anybody else have anything to add? I'm glad I posted this as it got some very interesting discussion going!

Not sure I can add much, but I'm not planning to cut mine (first ever clutch is incubating). Not for any of the reasons listed, although I think many are spot on, but because I'm just too scared to purposefully poke my eggs with a sharp object with my shakey hands.

I'll stick with not cutting eggs due to my comment earlier. I tried to feed 12 babies last night for the first time. They are two weeks old and 8 ate frozen thawed rat pinks. Not bad at all.

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Originally Posted by JLC

While it IS a common practice to cut ball python eggs, I think it's wrong to say "everyone" does it. IF someone is cutting eggs, they are far more likely to post pictures of it. So you see lots of pictures of cut eggs. But anyone who doesn't cut eggs isn't going to give daily updates about the eggs they didn't cut. So it only LOOKS like "everyone" is doing it, because those that don't aren't bothering to talk about it except in threads like this.

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I know you're still right that not everybody cuts their eggs, but the results of my poll are just as I expected them to be so far. 30 cutters to 8 non-cutters. That's a very small sample of breeders, though. I'm hope with time the poll will gain more results.

42 cutters to 16 non-cutters, is the updated poll result.

50 cutters, 25 non-cutters

Also you have to take into consideration that breeders on a large scale do this to make sure everything is healthy and what not. Another reason people put a cut in the eggs is so that the snake doesn't drown inside of the egg. I recall somebody recently posting something about their BP dying inside of the egg because it wasn't able to pip through because of a weak tooth. Cutting avoids this. I'm not saying it's a common issue but when you breed on a large scale you're going to have issues no matter what.

Did breeders who have DIE hatchlings have necropsies done to find cause of death?

Is there any chance the hatchlings died of causes aside from drowning? How do they know the egg tooth was not lost in the process of it trying to slit the egg open, or even shortly after?

I've had hatchlings with a very visible egg tooth, and hatchlings with absolutely no detectable egg tooth just hours out of the egg. (And I don't cut, ever, so they did their own slitting and the egg tooth disappeared shortly after)

The fact is we have NO data whatsoever on how many develop without egg tooths, how many lose them in the process of pipping, and how many die due to internal defects/undetectable defects that are not visible to the naked eye.

And chances are we likely won't ever get this data.

People can justify cutting in any way they choose. The snakes belong to them and no one else and of course everyone is free to do what they choose. I just won't, because all these reasons for cutting don't have any sound explanations behind them.

When people start getting necropsies done on their DIE hatchlings, I'd be more inclined to believe they were preventing a death by cutting.

However I still won't agree that preventing said death is for the betterment of the species. If a snake is genetically too weak to exit their egg, why should they be in the gene pool?

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Did breeders who have DIE hatchlings have necropsies done to find cause of death?

Is there any chance the hatchlings died of causes aside from drowning? How do they know the egg tooth was not lost in the process of it trying to slit the egg open, or even shortly after?

I've had hatchlings with a very visible egg tooth, and hatchlings with absolutely no detectable egg tooth just hours out of the egg. (And I don't cut, ever, so they did their own slitting and the egg tooth disappeared shortly after)

The fact is we have NO data whatsoever on how many develop without egg tooths, how many lose them in the process of pipping, and how many die due to internal defects/undetectable defects that are not visible to the naked eye.

And chances are we likely won't ever get this data.

People can justify cutting in any way they choose. The snakes belong to them and no one else and of course everyone is free to do what they choose. I just won't, because all these reasons for cutting don't have any sound explanations behind them.

When people start getting necropsies done on their DIE hatchlings, I'd be more inclined to believe they were preventing a death by cutting.

However I still won't agree that preventing said death is for the betterment of the species. If a snake is genetically too weak to exit their egg, why should they be in the gene pool?

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This wasn't a breeder who it happened to. It was a guy that had just bred two of his BP's together, though he coud of been a breeder but I don't recall. It was posted last month I think. He explained everything and it was logical, you'd have to search though because I don't even know which BP thread it was under. I'll cut, but I'll take my friends advice as I've been talking to him about breeding and he does it on a very large scale. I just won't make a large cut like I see some people do, but probably a mere 1/2" so it's still a tight fit.

I'm not meaning the specific case you're talking about, I just mean in general, I've heard time and time again that people cut to prevent drowning.

Show me the hatchling actually drowned and I may believe it.

Until then...the scissors are reserved for other things

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I'm not meaning the specific case you're talking about, I just mean in general, I've heard time and time again that people cut to prevent drowning.

Show me the hatchling actually drowned and I may believe it.

Until then...the scissors are reserved for other things

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I wouldn't say people lie about it though. Do people really use scissors?

No no I'm not saying they're lying, I'm saying they're stating COD with no confirmation, other than visually a dead snake in the egg.

How else would people cut their eggs? Most use curved sewing scissors from what I've seen . I've also seen people do it with razors but wow would not trust myself with a bare blade

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

No no I'm not saying they're lying, I'm saying they're stating COD with no confirmation, other than visually a dead snake in the egg.

How else would people cut their eggs? Most use curved sewing scissors from what I've seen . I've also seen people do it with razors but wow would not trust myself with a bare blade

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Well I would do it with a razor, but I'd be very cautious. I don't like scissors.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

50 cutters, 25 non-cutters

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The size of the cut does make a difference in my opinion, There is a big difference between making a small slit and cutting away a large portion of the top of the egg. I don't cut as often these days however I still do cut any non-pipped eggs. I don't cut until at least one of the eggs has pipped however often before noticing that one egg they all have pipped so I don't have to bother. All eggs that have not pipped I cut. Yes I have had full term babies dead in the egg and some of those I checked did not have an egg tooth, it either didn't develop or it was knocked off too early. I can only assume that it drown in the egg trying to free itself, I don't know ANYBODY who would have a necropsy done on a stillborn hatchling so you're never going to have PROOF of it but I think it's a reasonable assumption.

Neal; I use scissors to cut my eggs. No matter how careful I try to be with a razor I'd often still go too deep and cut some blood vessels (although this is not as critical with a baby the size of a ball python as it is with smaller species). You don't jab the tip of the scissors into the egg, you hold the scissors sideways and cut a small nick in the egg, then you slide the tip of the scissors inside the egg keeping the tip tight against the inside of the egg shell and make a small snip, this way you can usually avoid cutting any blood vessels. I generally only cut a small V shaped slit about an inch long or so, just enough for a babies head to get out. Usually they don't even bother using it and make they're own cuts but sometimes they do.

Has this saved the lives of some babies that couldn't get free on their own? There really is no way to PROVE it, but I think it has as I've noticed a few hatchlings come out by way of the cut I had made without making any cuts themselves.

Bumping this up since there are a lot of eggs cookin' right now!

We have had one twisted umbillicus but it was already twisted before we cut the egg. Once we had cut the egg we noticed that the umbillcus was twisted. IF it was not for cutting that egg we would have not known this. Needless to say we tried everything we could but the snake ended up passing...