Why did my eggs die?

[hungba]

If there is something wrong with my incubator, then all the eggs should have problems, not just a few, right? And it would be early on, not on day 49?

I have 37 eggs in there now, I noticed 5 in the same box of 7, the first clutch this year and furthest along, had 4 eggs looking odd a few days ago. Today they are a little worse, patches of transparency and slightly green. I candled them. The 4 that looked bad have no veins. The three that look good, only 2 has veins. I presume that means 5 are dead.

All the other egg boxes look great candled with veins. Even the ones which I were worried about before in another post, because they looked dry when discovered, has plumped up.

Yes, pics I know. Later. I am too depressed.

There is two probes in the incubator top and bottom. Always same temps.

They are also on the middle level. All eggs above and below are fine, though not as far along day wise.

I can't remember if I candled them in the first place if they were fertile or not.

Is there any incubator problem that can cause death in eggs only so far along and not before?

[rlditmars]

No way of knowing what went wrong. Some eggs just don't make it to term regardless of doing everything right. Remember, the only reason we incubate is to minimize some of the variables that can lead to mortality, but despite best efforts there can still be loss. If the rest of the clutches are doing fine, then you can most likely attribute it to the genetics of the pairing. Perhaps it just isn't a good match. Best of luck on the rest.

[OhhWatALoser]

Sometimes the veins hide good, I've had a couple eggs hatch that I was never able to see good viens candling them. However the other majority of time of the time, if I don't see veins, the eggs go bad. I always give them a chance though just for those couple times.

Unless mold starting growing on them, temps got screwy, or the eggs dried out, theres not much more you can control to screw up the process, much of what goes on is out of your hands. Can't be getting depressed, it's going to happen, part of the hobby.

[Albert Clark]

What Owal says I will ditto. You covered your bases and some things are out of our control. Don't stay depressed bc you have other eggs that need your expertise.Good luck with the rest.

[hungba]

I still want to figure it out though, or if nothing went wrong, at least try. You said veins can hide. Is it possible they are still good?

They are nice and plump and no smell. Just some transparent spots, greenish, and no veins. When candled, there are no veins, but there is a lump or something on the bottom.

If they were never fertilized to begin with, shouldn't they have gone bad long ago?

[hungba]

If I am doing something wrong I should correct it.

[hungba]

I'm sorry if I sound like I am "just not getting it".

I know you said not to be but I feel really bad.

Before this, in the years I only ever lost 1 egg. Should mean that I at least kind of know what I'm doing, right?

Can I post some pics later see if you can tell me if everything seems fine?

[OhhWatALoser]

I still want to figure it out though, or if nothing went wrong, at least try. You said veins can hide. Is it possible they are still good?

They are nice and plump and no smell. Just some transparent spots, greenish, and no veins. When candled, there are no veins, but there is a lump or something on the bottom.

If they were never fertilized to begin with, shouldn't they have gone bad long ago?

the greenish spots make it sound like they are rotting from the inside, which there is nothing you can control about that, but honestly if you keep the suspected bad eggs away from the good ones, they won't hurt much just sitting there. the lump you see in the bottom is the yolk/baby.

if they weren't fertilized they would be slugs, but sometimes fertilized eggs are just doomed from the start, no viens being the easiest sign to see. I just pulled two eggs yesterday that didn't have veins to start and the rest of the clutch is due to hatch in a week. Given they started showing signs a couple weeks back of not being good, but I keep them in there just in case. Yesterday however, it was about 100% chance of not going to happen.

If you aren't squeamish, cutting them open and getting a look inside can be pretty interesting. get to see different snapshots of their development. The ones I cut open yesterday showed the very starting stages of the snake developing, it looked like a snake, but not a ball python, didn't have many features to it. it also confirmed development on those eggs stopped a long time ago and were just doomed from the start. There is nothing I can do to change that.

My advise would be separate the suspected bad and good eggs, then just see what happens.

[hungba]

They are stuck together real good.

[hungba]

Since all 5 candled no veins, it us unlikely a visibility problem or just "hidden" veins. So is it a consensus that no veins = dead, whatever day or progress they are at?