Urgent Egg Question!!!

[Brock]

It was my girl's first year breeding, and I got one viable egg. It was laid June 1st and (I think) is about to hatch. Problem: it's been freezing cold the past week and the tempuratuers in the incubator have dropped. I have read that the egg will dimple when it is ready to hatch, and my egg has reduced at least 50% in size in the past 4 days. I can see the nose, tail, and limbs of the gecko inside, if I had to compare it to something I would say it looks like someone threw a sheet over it and you can see the outline. It was sweating and had little beads on it for about 2 of the past 4 days, and now I'm just waiting and hoping it hasn't died. It was kept on peat moss and kept humid, I can't give exact tempuratures but they were higher than room tempurature and didn't get too hot.
Now, considering it took 3.5 months to develop to this stage, I would assume that it will take its sweet *** time coming out of the egg.

Should I put a slit in the egg where the head is? This doesn't sound smart to me, but it could help?? This is my first viable egg of any kind and I really want it to hatch, any suggestions at all are hepful. Could the egg be too hard for it to crack open?

-Brock

[Youkai]

In my experience, if a gecko eggs sweats and does not hatch that day, it is usually too late. I usually wait a good while myself...but if the egg is deflated but has not hatched, I think the young gecko most likely didn't make it. :(

[Brock]

Well, after giving it 3 more days, I disected the egg. My heart stopped when the first thing I saw was the geckos eyes, she was perfectly formed, just didn't break the shell. Striping, perfect fingers, tail, nose, eyes, eyelids, everything.

I guess that's something you have to deal with in this hobby. She would not have even existed had I not kept leos, so I'm not too disheartened by it, but it's too bad she didn't hatch, she would have been my first. Looking forward to next season.

-Brock

[JeffT]

Thats too bad. I know how you feel, a few months back Ihad run outta vermiculite for the incubator when it needed a changing, so I made the terrible mistake of putting potting soil in to replace it for just 3 days, well I lost 6 hypo golden eggs to that accident and havnt gotten a single egg since. Well you can only look ahead, not back.

Jeff

[enso]

Sorry to hear that Brock. Keep trying and you'll have success.

[J-Man]

That sucks man. Must be a real downer. But hey at least you got an egg! And I'm sure you'll get a baby or 2 nexy season ;)

[hobotramp]

I know how you feel. I lost a couple eggs this year and found the baby inside looking perfect as well. Fortuneately I had other eggs that did make it... 5 so far, and 2 more tang eggs in the incubator. I'm sure next year will go better. How old is your female and was it her first year breeding?