soft eggs

[tibi]

i had 2 soft shelled eggs from which the baby leos couldn't hatch and died. i have 12 more eggs in the incubator, one of which is also soft shelled, but not as soft as the first 2, and i am a bit worried that the baby won't be able to break the elastic shell. should i cut the shell or should i let the baby hatch by itself? if i should cut the shell, how can i tell if the time is right? temperature in the incubator is 81 degrees

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Have you candled them to make sure they're fertile? I found that the eggs I had that were soft were infertile and were rotten after a couple weeks in the incubator. How long have they been in the incubator? It's difficult to tell when a baby will hatch unless your temperatures have been super stable. Have your temperatures varied much?

 

[tibi]

i can see the embrio inside when i candle the egg but it's not yet fully developed. the temperature is a constant 81 degrees and it varies just when i open it to check or put new eggs inside. that egg has been in the incubator for more than a month.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

At 81 degrees it should take about 60-70 days for the baby to be ready to hatch. There's no great way to tell exactly when they're ready. I would start to pay close attention around day 65 and get worried about day 70. Personally I would not cut the shell unless you are sure there is a problem. I would think that opening it too soon will kill the hatchling just as fast as too late.

The other may have died for a reason other than being unable to break the shell - like a heart or lung defect that was not visible but hurt them when they tried to be active or breathe.

I hope someone else has experience doing what you're asking about and had it turn out well! Best of luck!

 

[tibi]

thanks for the advice. i'll let it hatch by itself.