A question about unhatched corns

[crocsnhots]

The 1st baby came out on Sunday, the 2nd on Monday, and the 3rd and 4th were pipping on Monday and came out today (Tuesday). However there were no others pipping today.

How long should I wait before I become concerned about the 6 others? When I put a light to the eggs I can see they're still alive but I don't want them to end up D.I.E..

Any suggestions?

[gonesnakee]

It is one of those things that is hard to call. I would suggest pipping the remaining eggs later tonight if they have not pipped on their own by then (just a suggestion, your call). To pip or not to pip is always hard to decide & can save snakes that would have otherwise drown or may cause complications for ones that were not quite ready to hatch. There is always the "live & let die" thing too. Maybe they didn't pip because of "natural selection" by Mother Nature. My 2 headed snake last year never would have lived at all if I hadn't pipped it myself & it never made it anyhow, slowly starving to death over 4 months or so. Good example of how a specimen that was not meant to be was allowed to do so for a limited time due to my intravention. It is a judgement call on our part anyhow. The fact that the others pipped already on Sunday/Monday could also be due to location in the clutch. Sometimes eggs on the top (or Bottom) will all hatch prior the ones on the bottom (or top). This happens because they are slightly more humid or warmer due to location in the clutch. Eggs incubated at warmer temps will develop/hatch faster & sometimes certain eggs are "behind" others due to location in the clutch. When my VBBs hatched this year all the ones on the bottom & in the middle hatched first, a day before the rest. Corns (as most Colubrids) usually all hatch within a day or 2 of one another though. Pythons will sometimes hatch over the period of almost a week which makes pipping decisions even harder. Its one of those things whre there are no "solid guidelines" but more of an opinion thing. Some say that if they haven't pipped within a day of the first to pip them all, but others (myself incl) hold a different opinion & take things on an individual basis. Then there are the all natural live & let die people who don't intravene at all & let Mother Nature decide everything which is sometimes better? Good Luck anyhow, Mark

[crocsnhots]

Thanks. That is my worry, I think some of them may not have been kept as warm as the others. If I am to pip them, how should I go about it? And how will I know if it was right to pip them, like how will I know they're ready?

[gonesnakee]

Only Mother Nature knows for sure, but if you do pip them do so with a good pair of cuticle sissors (sp?) Use the tip to make a small hole do so by scratching the edge of the egg & try to make the orginal hole by an outward motion, not just stabbing into the egg. Once a small pinhole is made gently insert the tip of the sissor & cut, trying to keep the side of the sissor in the egg pulled towards the outside being very careful of whats inside. Make a long slit or a V or X & wait for the snake to come out, might take a few days. If the snake is still alive it will move around inside if it isn't moving its most likely stillborn or drown. Good Luck with what ya decide, Mark

[BoidKeeper]

For what it's worth the corn snake manual says that some breeders pip any unpiped egg 24-48 hours after the first one has piped.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Simon]

Yup
I agree with Trevor
I usualy start manually piping after 24 hours after the 1st hatchling starts to come out.

I would think that its always better to be safe than sorry.
But of course....I have seen hatchlings come out after 3 days after the first one has piped...but I just don't really like the chance of that...so I do it in 24 hours...`

[BoidKeeper]

3 days that's me right now. My clutch started on Sunday and I still have 3 in their eggs.
Cheers,
Trevor

[crocsnhots]

If I manually pip the remaining eggs, and they still have yolk available, will they stay in the egg til its completely absorbed?
What about all the fluid that comes out, amniotic (sp?) fluid, won't they die if that stuff comes out of the egg and they aren't ready to leave the egg yet?

Thanks

[Tim_Cranwill]

I had my first corn clutch this year hatch out over a 3 1/2 day span.... kind of ruined my vacation because I had to keep driving back into town every day to setup 5 or 6 babies a day.... :)

But I'm compulsive that way... :rolleyes: