Cut my eggs on day 50

[Don]

OK.. so I have my first clutch coming anyday ... *sigh* I have been saying that for almost a week now... lol ...... anyhow.. WHEN would be the day to HELP them out.. aka cut or slice and dice... hahaha.. Honestly Im soooo nervous about that........

You don't have to cut or help them out. They are very capable of doing it all on their own. I used to cut around day 57, but I no longer do. Here is how I care for the eggs: After the first one pips, I move the eggs to a fresh egg box with a damp paper towel on the bottom and a small water bowl with fresh water. This way, the babies are not crawling around on the light diffuser and drinking the water in the bottom of the egg tub. As they come out of the eggs, I remove the old egg and discard it. Once all have come out of the eggs and shed, then I move them to individual tubs in the baby rack. I let them acclimate a few days then attempt a feeding. I've had very good success and great feeding response with this method.

When you cut the egg, you open up the inside of the egg to a moist warm environment that is perfect for bacteria and other nasty stuff to get inside the egg. I've heard people say that they cut to make sure that the cord is not wrapped around the neonate. However, if you are cutting properly, it is difficult to see if the cord is wrapped around the neonate. The main reason people cut (and I used to be one of them) is impatience. We are all anxious to see what we produced and if we hit the odds with a particular morph. I've developed a little more patience now and can wait a few days for the babies to come out on their own. I believe that they are stronger and healthier, if left to come out on their time. But, I have no scientific proof of that. It is just my observation with my own collection over the last several years.

If you do some searches in this forum, you will see many threads where people lost entire clutches because they cut and the eggs got infested with bacteria or the neonates failed to thrive. I can cut and feel confident doing it. I also feel confident in caring for an egg that is starting to go bad from being exposed to the elements. However, why would I want to do that when the egg shell can do it with no work at all?

Good luck on your first clutch!