First Time Cutting Eggs

Well today is day 52 for our first clutch (Ardra's clutch) and our first time experiencing cutting BP eggs. Mike and I have grown pretty confident with most aspects of our daily work with the snakes but let me tell you, today I'm nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

We've got our brand new small curved blade cuticle scissors, we've got eggs ready to be cut....now I just have to stop worrying and hearing the voice in my head yelling "I don't know nuthin bout birthin no snakes!"

Wish us luck. I'll try to remember to take pictures. If you have any words of wisdom from your own experience cutting eggs, feel free to share.

P.S. This is a clutch of 6 eggs, 4 are perfect eggs, 1 window egg, 1 boob egg.

Don't hit any veins..check the other topic!
Just take your time. :gj:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well today is day 52 for our first clutch (Ardra's clutch) and our first time experiencing cutting BP eggs. Mike and I have grown pretty confident with most aspects of our daily work with the snakes but let me tell you, today I'm nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

We've got our brand new small curved blade cuticle scissors, we've got eggs ready to be cut....now I just have to stop worrying and hearing the voice in my head yelling "I don't know nuthin bout birthin no snakes!"

Wish us luck. I'll try to remember to take pictures. If you have any words of wisdom from your own experience cutting eggs, feel free to share.

P.S. This is a clutch of 6 eggs, 4 are perfect eggs, 1 window egg, 1 boob egg.

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If your nervous why not wait till there due date? Day 56...;)

Alrighty that's done thank gawd! What a terrifying first experience!

Here's the clutch the day it went into the incubator.....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ox03-15-08.jpg

Here it is after our egg cutting today....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...5205-04-08.jpg

I cut tiny holes but I was just too nervous to do some of the big openings I've seen some of you post LOL.

From what I can see we have 4 live snakes. The boob egg I just can't visualize a hatchling in there - just goo and a bit of blood. I always got veins in this egg, there is no smell of decomp when I cut into it nor was there every any mold on this egg so I guess it's just a wait and see what comes out situation with the boob egg.

Of the 4 snakes I can see, two appear darker than the other two. We were not sure who sired this clutch. It could be Becky's lemon pastel male and/or our yellowbelly male depending on the issue of sperm retention over a couple of months. Should be fun to see these babies when they decide to come see the world.

Congrats Jo. Now that you got your first experience out of the way, you can start cutting doors on them. I am sure the boob one is fine, especially if it doesn't stink. I am pretty sure you would be able to tell a Pastel, even through tose small holes, so my guess would be that there are a couple YBs in them eggs.

Congrats. You should probably see some heads in about 4 days (depending on incubating temps).

Thanks Tim! I've been sitting here going "is it too early to phone Tim on a Sunday morning?" LOL I'm really glad to get this first experience out of the way though having to stop while I calmed my nerves and stopped my hands shaking was a whole lotta fun LOL.

Now the time is just going to drag until I see a head out of an egg isn't it. :(

One thing about tiny holes, though yours do look big enough, is that ball python heads are so wide they can poke their heads out but not get them back in if the holes are too small possibly leading to choking and stress.

I always cut a V shape so there is no problem with them withdrawing their heads when they want to.

Cool stuff, just a few more days now.

Oh I never thought of that Wes! I will go back and do a bit of trimming to make those more into a V shape. Thanks so much for all your support folks. This was admittedly the scariest thing I've had to deal with yet. For some reason all my confidence disappeared when I was facing a live snake in there with a pair of scissors in my hand....silly I guess but I'm honest enough to say it scared the willies out of me for a moment there. :oops:

OMG, is it already time for those babies to be hatching? WOW! I can't wait to see what you end up with. :clap:

It feels like just the other day Jo was saying look my girl laid eggs and Now they are hatching. I can not wait to see them either.

Richard

It did go really fast in the end didn't it. Only another 8 days and we'll be cutting Dori's clutch too. It's worked out kind of nicely that these two (Ardra and Dori) went earlier and Orlah, Kyna and Brannagh are just getting ready to lay. It's given Mike and I a bit easier introduction to all this new stuff than we actually expected we would have this year. :)

Wes, we just trimmed up those holes a bit to make them more triangular and larger. I got to watch one of the babies wiggle and I spied a little snake face peeking at me from inside the egg! What a rush! :banana:

good luck and just go slow and easy.

Can't wait to see those babies Jo.

That's really cool. I haven't done any breeding. Why do you have to cut the eggs. Don't the babies have "egg teeth" and can get themselves out?

"We've got our brand new small curved blade cuticle scissors, we've got eggs ready to be cut....now I just have to stop worrying and hearing the voice in my head yelling "I don't know nuthin bout birthin no snakes!"



Just as long as no one is slapping anyone! :P

Congrats Jo! :banana:

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Originally Posted by snakelady

That's really cool. I haven't done any breeding. Why do you have to cut the eggs. Don't the babies have "egg teeth" and can get themselves out?

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From what I understand it's to make sure every snake can get out as sometimes they just can't or don't. After three long years of planning, fretting, worry, work (and yes, lots of fun)....no way am I going to lose even one of our first hatchlings to a poor pip happening.

I don't think my stomach has settled down yet Laura, maybe I do need a "get hold of yourself Joanna" smack. :rofl:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

From what I understand it's to make sure every snake can get out as sometimes they just can't or don't. After three long years of planning, fretting, worry, work (and yes, lots of fun)....no way am I going to lose even one of our first hatchlings to a poor pip happening.

I don't think my stomach has settled down yet Laura, maybe I do need a "get hold of yourself Joanna" smack. :rofl:

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Ok here is your smack :fishslap:.Congrats on your egg cuting skill :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

From what I understand it's to make sure every snake can get out as sometimes they just can't or don't. After three long years of planning, fretting, worry, work (and yes, lots of fun)....no way am I going to lose even one of our first hatchlings to a poor pip happening.

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That makes sense. Next year I'll probably be cutting my first eggs and you will be an old hand at it. Telling me it's no big deal. :)

This is what I peeked in and saw not 20 minutes ago.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra1.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra2.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra3.jpg

Somebody wanted to come out and say hi! :banana:

I watched the one with it's head out and it easily slid it back in so hopefully we made the holes big enough the second time around (thanks again Wes!).

NOODLE FACES!!!!! :D

You did a great job! Now you get to sit there & be patient while they take their sweet time coming out on their ownsomes. ;)

Is it okay if I just lay a sleeping bag down in the snake room and never leave? This isn't being obsessive or anything is it? :rofl:

Thanks again Kara for your help with the egg cutting. Your instructions really did help make it go so well and keep me from freaking out too much (okay I freaked a little, it's my first time! :oops:)

Mike's sleeping and missed the head out bit so I'm really hoping they do it again tonight so he can see this before he heads out to work. What a rush! We have real life snake beebee's!!!!

Congrats!

Now would be the perfect time to make sure the camera works perfectly, there are spare batteries, photobucket hasn't run out of room etc.

Just sayin. :P


dr del

who's the daddy Jo

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Originally Posted by MATTI

Don't hit any veins..check the other topic!
Just take your time. :gj:

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No kidding! :)

Congrats on them!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Congrats!

Now would be the perfect time to make sure the camera works perfectly, there are spare batteries, photobucket hasn't run out of room etc.

Just sayin. :P


dr del

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Wish it was just time for a brand new camera but the old one is chugging along and will do for now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gncz73

who's the daddy Jo

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I'll be sure once I see these snakes out of the eggs Gene. It could be Becky's lemon line pastel or our yellowbelly male. Momma snake would have had to retain sperm through her quarantine period though for it to be the pastel's offspring so I'm figuring it's the yb. Two of the babies are quite a lot lighter though than the others I can spy through the cuts I made but then heck I've never seen either a YB or a Pastel right at hatching so what do I know. (gawd I hate this newb feeling LOL)

Joanna...I'm SO excited for you I could just about bust!! Regardless of what the genetics turn out to be, I can't wait to see pics of those beautiful healthy babies!!! :banana: :snake: :banana: :snake: :banana:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

This is what I peeked in and saw not 20 minutes ago.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra1.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra2.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...4-08Ardra3.jpg

Somebody wanted to come out and say hi! :banana:

I watched the one with it's head out and it easily slid it back in so hopefully we made the holes big enough the second time around (thanks again Wes!).

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Nice, Looks like a 1.2 yb 1.0 normal... Good luck:gj:

That's awesome Jo!!! Congrats on your first eggs!!!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

One thing about tiny holes, though yours do look big enough, is that ball python heads are so wide they can poke their heads out but not get them back in if the holes are too small possibly leading to choking and stress.

I

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Wes,
I was curious as to if you have ever experienced this before. I only ask because I have let eggs pip on their own sometimes, and they barely make a hole big enough to get their head out. Then once their head is out, it looks like it could never get it back in, but low and behold a bit later, they are back in the egg. I have witnessed small tears in the egg around the cut, since the egg is pretty soft at this stage.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by muddoc

Wes,
I was curious as to if you have ever experienced this before. I only ask because I have let eggs pip on their own sometimes, and they barely make a hole big enough to get their head out. Then once their head is out, it looks like it could never get it back in, but low and behold a bit later, they are back in the egg. I have witnessed small tears in the egg around the cut, since the egg is pretty soft at this stage.

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I have had it happen. Not often but more than once. You watch the little bugger squirming and wiggling and see it pulling its head back, but not going inside the egg. It may have been in eggs that self pipped I don't recall.

I used to buy gravid females and then hatch out the babies a loooong time ago and I also bred a few of my own but I don't recall where I saw it, just that I did. I don't remember if I ever had one die from it, but being stuck that way and getting panicked could lead to choking. At least it seems that way to me.

Well just a little update on this clutch today. We've seen all 6 eggs have noses or heads popping out. Even the little boob egg has a cute little snake checking out it's world outside the egg! I've tried not get too hopeful with this egg from the get go because I've read and been told how often they don't make it. It was a real joy to see a sweet little face peering at me from that egg this morning. Looks a tad smaller than the others but not a massive difference (at least what little I could see of it's head) so hopefully there's a better chance for it now. :)

The other 5 are looking wonderful as well. A few of them who stuck their heads out the cuts also made their own egg slits on the sides. Guess they wanted to do it themselves. LOL

All six eggs? WOOHOO!!!

awesome!!!! I knew you'd be fine... :)

Some of those heads look like pastels to me.

Justin

So cute! Congrats! Can't wait to see pics of the babies out of their eggs!

Never give up on the boobs! :P

Congratulations!!! :gj:

You are gonna have to make your updates with some pics ;), congrats on the babies Jo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well just a little update on this clutch today. We've seen all 6 eggs have noses or heads popping out. Even the little boob egg has a cute little snake checking out it's world outside the egg! I've tried not get too hopeful with this egg from the get go because I've read and been told how often they don't make it. It was a real joy to see a sweet little face peering at me from that egg this morning. Looks a tad smaller than the others but not a massive difference (at least what little I could see of it's head) so hopefully there's a better chance for it now. :)

The other 5 are looking wonderful as well. A few of them who stuck their heads out the cuts also made their own egg slits on the sides. Guess they wanted to do it themselves. LOL

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Too funny, Jude!

Well another pictureless update but I promise to get some later tonight. I peeked in just now and we have the first one out of the egg and slithering around. When I got too close the little booger took a jab at me. Naughty baby snake! LOL

I can't wait to see what the entire clutch is and especially get a good look at that boobie baby. :)

Somehow I think with hatchlings in the house, my years of never being bitten are about to end. Maybe I'll just get Mike to pick them up out of the incubator box when the time comes. :rofl:

They look like YB's to me Jo! :) Orth's(my lemon pastel) last babies had WHITE heads, and they don't really have that look. He only got 2-3 locks in when she was here, so I didn't figure she would take. Oh well! Congrats to healthy babies!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Somehow I think with hatchlings in the house, my years of never being bitten are about to end. Maybe I'll just get Mike to pick them up out of the incubator box when the time comes. :rofl:

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It may or may not be out of the egg, but as soon as you have them in tubs... WOOHA!!! :D

Huge Congrats Jo! 6 hatchlings, that's great! Post pics when they come all the way out!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Somehow I think with hatchlings in the house, my years of never being bitten are about to end. Maybe I'll just get Mike to pick them up out of the incubator box when the time comes. :rofl:

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Give up, Jo. If you own snakes, it's not a question of if you've been bitten...just when. =D Rick finally got bitten for the first time this past weekend (go go Cleo girl!). :gj:

Jo - I realized I haven't replied to this thread yet - I'm so excited for you and can't wait to see all the babies when they hatch! :hug:

Pic's Pic's Pic's!!

Thanks everyone! The support of this whole community has been so fantastic as we go through this first hatching eggs experience. I can't really begin to express how much Mike and I appreciate all the phone calls, the PM's, the posts here at BP.Net - you folks just simply are the best. :)

We checked the eggs just before Mike left for work tonight and found this....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ut05-05-08.jpg

Three out of six are out of their eggs, moving around and seem to be just perfect. The other three keep peeking out and will, we assume, soon join their siblings in checking out the big wide world of the hatching box.

A closeup of the three that are currently out and about (I just love the little boob egg hatchling staring up at me!)....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...Out05-05-1.jpg

I cannot believe how exciting this is! :banana:

BABIES!!!!!!!!!! Congrats man.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I cannot believe how exciting this is! :banana:

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Isn't it the greatest feeling???

Congratulations!!

What an awesome sight! :clap:

Yay Babies!!:P Congratulations!!! They are so adorable!! :gj::gj::)

Itty bitty babies! And you made them! How cool is that????? Super Congrats!!!!:D