pictus eggs: Lookin' good, but that's about all...

[silent_truth]

Just wondering if others that breed pictus have found that some eggs (whether they be infertile or not) stayed looking good, but never hatched? I've had these for about 90 days now and only one of them hatched at around the 60 day mark. Is it time to scrap the rest? I know a couple in the pic don't look good anyways, but some look perfectly fine, yet never hatched...



http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Oct/200410149162159357224847.jpg


I thought all "bad eggs" either collapse or grow moldy, but these have done neither.
What do you think?

Thanks,
-Adam

[Kev]

I would leave them till they become moldy or collapse...

[concept3]

why dont you candle them and see if they are moving around inside?

[TomL]

ive had pictus eggs go that long. But i didnt have them in an incubator at the time. Just sitting on a shelf at room temp. or lower. Just leave em for a bit...

[DragnDrop]

Hard shelled eggs don't always mold over, and don't normally collapse either. They do dry out over time, leaving a little blob of organic matter inside the shell. I've got some pictus eggs from 1996. They didn't hatch, and were obviously dead, so I decided to see how long it would take for them to mold over. They still haven't. They haven't collapsed, nor discoloured. They look great, could fool anyone. The only tell-tale sign is that the yolk/embryo mass is now loose inside. If they weren't so fragile, they'd make great rattles.
Just to play it safe, I'd candle them and see if there's any sign of the yolk shrinking. After about 4 months you can probably write them off.

[silent_truth]

Thanks all for the replies. I will candle the eggs tomorrow and see if the yolk has shrunk like Hilde mentioned.


-Adam