*GRAPHIC* I haven't cried like that in a while..

[Lena]

I'm a little embarrassed by this, but here goes.. Some of the details are a bit graphic..

So I've been having a little bit of trouble with my eggs. My first clutch was going great, staying plump and looking lovely and pink. About 15 days in the same female lays a second clutch.. This one isn't looking as stellar.. They're dented, dirty, but still candled pink, so I put them in the cup with the other two eggs. A day or two later, I find that the second two haven't plumped up at all, and used moist paper towel to plump them up.. Which they do.. A little bit.

But then something starts to happen to one of my first two eggs.. It started out being a little dented at first, and progressed until today.. It was basically collapsing upon itself. So, after asking around, I decided it was best to toss the egg out, and probably do the same with the other two eggs if they don't improve in a few days.

Note that this egg I was tossing out today had HUGE dents top and bottom..

Curiosity got the best of me. I was very upset to have lost this egg, but I wanted to see if the egg was fertile at all, and if so, how far the hatchling got.. It's true what they say - Curiosity killed the cat.

:main_robin: I made a little cut.. There was a phlegmy yellowish gook that greeted me from the opening, and as I dug further.. To my horror.. I saw some blood and a tiny little gecko tail unfurled...

I freaked, ran into the garage, and tossed away the egg with the paper towel I had been working on. I was convinced that the tail moved on it's own and that I had doomed the baby by opening the egg.

I regained my composure and asked my mom to go look at the egg for herself and tell me whether or not the hatchling was indeed alive. My step father came upstairs, and they both examined it while I sat in the other room, back turned, asking for details. Unfortunately, but thankfully, the poor little fellow was already dead.. My step dad took the full fetus out of the gook and it was such a beautiful little baby.. And so well formed. I'd say about 2 weeks away from hatching.

After looking at it and talking for a bit, the baby slid a little on his finger, and he said, "Oop, it moved!".. To which I freaked, ran into the other room, and sobbed like a child. Again.

I feel so awful, still, and irresponsible for opening the egg, though I intended to toss it out anyway.. Did I make a stupid move? Ugh. I'm just glad I wasn't the one who killed it..

....My first hatchling.. Ugh..

 

[Mel&Keith]

Ugh, I've been there. Sometimes you just can't win. If the "gook" is yellowish it's because the egg is going bad. The toxicity probably would have killed the baby if you had let it go to the hatch date. But, if you cut it open and it's premature it can die too. It's usually lose/lose either way. Don't blame yourself, sometimes nature has it's own plan. I just never cut eggs open until they're weeks past due now. Occasionally eggs go bad and there are full term perfectly formed babies inside that just didn't make it out of the egg for whatever reason. We've even had one perfect looking baby make it out of the egg only to die minutes later. Sadly it's one of the terrible heartbreaks that goes with breeding. It just plain sucks...

 

[Lena]

I probably won't ever cut an egg open for curiosity's sake again. Either way it was going to be tossed.. but.. Ugh. How horrible.

Thanks for replying, Mel. I needed to hear from someone about it.

Anyway.. I'm going to buy some new containers and limit one egg per hatch box. I'm terribly afraid that one bad egg could harm the other.

Thankfully, this egg's brother or sister is still looking healthy as a horse.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

You'll hear most breeders tell you to leave the egg until it "molds over". Don't be so quick to doom it simply because of a dent. There was a chance, no matter how small, that the gecko could have hatched out on its own. I'm sorry for your loss!

 

[DLS Reptile]

I am sorry and it is indeed very sad. If you learn from your mistakes you can feel better about your mishaps. Never throw an egg out or cut it open until it gets moldy and starts to smell. I have seen many eggs that looked like they would never hatch and hatched perfect little babies. When an egg starts to dent it means the gecko is absorbing the fluid and it is getting ready to hatch. When you see dents after a few months (depending on your incubating temps) get ready for some new arrivals..:main_yes:

 

[Lena]

It did have a patch of mold and was starting to smell funky.. But I really think I jumped the gun. It wasn't denting because it was getting ready to hatch, though.. It was pretty nasty inside. Something was wrong with the egg.

Thanks guys.

 

[italipinos8]

I have been there. I thought one of my eggs were totally lost and cut it open. Yellowish goo came out and then i saw the hatchling. It was very small but after a while of looking at it it opened its mouth a little and moved its head. I freaked out and learned my lesson. That was the last time i cut open one of my eggs.

 

[Lena]

I have been there. I thought one of my eggs were totally lost and cut it open. Yellowish goo came out and then i saw the hatchling. It was very small but after a while of looking at it it opened its mouth a little and moved its head. I freaked out and learned my lesson. That was the last time i cut open one of my eggs.

Oh god.. As bad as it sounds, I'm glad the poor thing didn't show any signs of life.. That would've freaked me out even more..

I'm so sorry, Ben..

 

[eric]

Ugh, I've been there. Sometimes you just can't win. If the "gook" is yellowish it's because the egg is going bad. The toxicity probably would have killed the baby if you had let it go to the hatch date. But, if you cut it open and it's premature it can die too. It's usually lose/lose either way. Don't blame yourself, sometimes nature has it's own plan. I just never cut eggs open until they're weeks past due now. Occasionally eggs go bad and there are full term perfectly formed babies inside that just didn't make it out of the egg for whatever reason. We've even had one perfect looking baby make it out of the egg only to die minutes later. Sadly it's one of the terrible heartbreaks that goes with breeding. It just plain sucks...

I totally agree with Mel! Most of us have been there. Just remember, when in doubt hatch it out. The trials you go through now, will make you a better breeder in the long run! Keep your head up.

 

[BalloonzForU]

After gutting an egg open only to find a baby leo that had developed inside out, I swore I'd never cut another egg but curiosity alway's gets the best of me and I'm never happy about what I see in an egg that I know won't make it.