Cut the clutch, day 54

[akaangela]

Well I cut my clutch today and I am shocked at how small the babies are They are half the size of what my last clutch was (but they where incubated at a higher temp). They where also very full. I doubt they could have pipped on their own. It LOOKS like I might get a woma, a pastel, a y/b (by his belly) and a normal. LOL That would be cool one from each dad. They didn't have much movement and I am worried about them, but I don't think there is anything I can do but hope, pray, wait and watch. I didn't take any pictures because I wanted them back in the incubator as quickly as I could get them.

Question: How often should I take them out of the incubator to air them? I have been doing it 1 time a week till about a week ago then went to once a day. I usually only have them out for 5 minutes or so. THanks

From what I could see some of them have very interesting patterns.

[A.VinczeBPs]

You don't need to "take them out" for air. You simply need to let new air in, which means open the incubator, and container for maybe 10sec and then return. They do not need to leave the incubator for any amount of time.

Also, I hope your clutch does well, some take longer than others, especially at lower incubation temps. What are your incubation temps?
I had a clutch go until day 72, they all came out fine...My mental health was another matter.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[akaangela]

Thank you. These guys/girls where incubated at 88.5-89.5 (I ment last year I incubated at a lower temp 87-88.) It has been a bad week as I lost my dog of 10.5 years and then the other day I lost one of my eggs.

[mykee]

"I doubt they could have pipped on their own"

You'd be surprised.
Baby snakes have been exiting their own eggs for a LOT longer than impatient breeders have been cutting them out of them.

[akaangela]

You'd be surprised.
Baby snakes have been exiting their own eggs for a LOT longer than impatient breeders have been cutting them out of them.

rofl: yes I agree they have and they have been flourishing, but why take the chance when I am the one controlling their environment? I agree that I was worried and maybe jumped the gun but with all the eggs so swollen it could be that I had them too moist, or some other error on my part and if I had waited maybe one would have been ready and not been able to get out. When I went through the pipping threads a large part said their eggs dimpled as piping time came near and not only where mine not dimpling but they where so full that when I put a small hole in them the fluid literally gushed out (that is why I think I had them too moist) and I had to poke fairly hard with sharp scissors to get that first hole.

I have been worried about my eggs a lot this season as I had them in perilite and a few eggs where almost all covered as I couldn't separate them before I put them in (actually I was afraid as they where stuck hard together and I was worried I would rupture one if I tried to get them apart) so the eggs that had the perlite touching them where a transparent color but where it was exposed to the air the eggs where really tough. Try as I might I couldn't seem to get a happy balance.

I am not trying to be difficult (it feels like I am being a brat so if you took it this way it is not how I intended it to sound)

I have one more clutch (hopefully) to go and I am going to try and do the substrateless incubation to see if I do any better (and lower the temps a wee bit).

[J.Vandegrift]

What temp were you incubating at?

[akaangela]

It was usually between 88.5-89.5, but a few times I had spikes up to 90.3.

[Quiet Tempest]

If they seem small, the eggs weren't denting yet and there was still a lot of fluid in there, it could just be that they're a little behind schedule and weren't quite ready to pip yet. It may be a while yet before they're ready to leave their eggs. Good luck with them all the same.

[akaangela]

Well I peeked at them today (through the glass door) and they look 2x's as big as they did yesterday. I am confused how they could grow so much in one day???? But they all looked like they where wiggling Although none have any color to them. So now it is just waiting for them to decided it is safe to come out to play

[ladybird]

I agree that I was worried and maybe jumped the gun but with all the eggs so swollen it could be that I had them too moist, or some other error on my part and if I had waited maybe one would have been ready and not been able to get out. When I went through the pipping threads a large part said their eggs dimpled as piping time came near and not only where mine not dimpling but they where so full that when I put a small hole in them the fluid literally gushed out (that is why I think I had them too moist) and I had to poke fairly hard with sharp scissors to get that first hole.

I made a thread about my eggs not dimpling but reading this makes me wonder:

My eggs were like that too, really swollen, the only one that dimpled was the one on top which wasn't touching the vermiculite, so my guess is that the substrate was too wet? But, I didn't put all that much water in the vermiculite. It was the consistency where you squeeze it and it clumps but if you drop it again, it breaks apart. So not too wet, but apparently it was?