DragnDrop
03-31-05, 01:38 PM
A clutch of leopard gecko eggs from Jan 21 died a few weeks ago. I normally leave them until it's obvious they're dead, so the last month I've been watching them, and noticed they're drying out, getting a bit mummified.
The first clue I had about them being in trouble was mid-February, they didn't look 'just right'. By late February/early March, they weren't growing as one would expect, but I still left them. Today I decided they were write-offs, there was a distinct odour coming from the deli-cup.
So, out of curiosity, I opened the eggs.
These pictures were taken this morning. Some of the details could be in better focus, but it's hard to do with something that small. There's a Q-tip in some of the pictures for scale. If you're really into it, there are more pictures in my gallery, just click on the camera icon and go to the "Woodland Edge Herps" folder. Some of the pictures are pretty much the same, just different lighting or angle.
One egg was just a mess of 'pink cream cheese' looking paste, with a small body-like mass, nothing very discernible, so I didn't take any pictures (the smell was a bit too much). The second egg had dried out to some extent, somewhat like a geode, leaving an almost mummified body. The features of the embryo are already visible. If you look really hard at the pictures, you can see, or at least make out, the muscles, vertebrae, and even ribs.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrbk2.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrout.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrbkclp2.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrouthd.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbroutfcs3.jpg
The first clue I had about them being in trouble was mid-February, they didn't look 'just right'. By late February/early March, they weren't growing as one would expect, but I still left them. Today I decided they were write-offs, there was a distinct odour coming from the deli-cup.
So, out of curiosity, I opened the eggs.
These pictures were taken this morning. Some of the details could be in better focus, but it's hard to do with something that small. There's a Q-tip in some of the pictures for scale. If you're really into it, there are more pictures in my gallery, just click on the camera icon and go to the "Woodland Edge Herps" folder. Some of the pictures are pretty much the same, just different lighting or angle.
One egg was just a mess of 'pink cream cheese' looking paste, with a small body-like mass, nothing very discernible, so I didn't take any pictures (the smell was a bit too much). The second egg had dried out to some extent, somewhat like a geode, leaving an almost mummified body. The features of the embryo are already visible. If you look really hard at the pictures, you can see, or at least make out, the muscles, vertebrae, and even ribs.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrbk2.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrout.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrbkclp2.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbrouthd.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3093/321LGEmbroutfcs3.jpg