Monday, May 24, 2010

Cornsnake egg problem- urgent- help!?

i have a cornsnake that bred for the first times almost 5 months ago, and laid eggs about 2 months ago. they should be due to hatch aug. 5th. however on of the eggs did not have the leathery covering shell on its bottom side, all that is there is membrane. i have been keeping a close eye on that egg and appart from being smaller than te others eems healthy. however, the membrain where there is no shell keeps getting a small hole and it leaks fluid, but it heals withing a minute. tonight though when i went to check on it i noticed a large mass of a kind of fatty tissue has pertruded out of the egg where it usually breaks. it looks kind of like a tumor. should i be worried? with the baby hatch early? what can i do to fix this or keep it so no farther damage is done? please help!
Answers:
It is normal for two or three eggs to not delevop normally, or not hatch at all in a cluch because of the number of eggs laid or improper pre-breeding conditioning of the female. Bad shell development can be caused by mineral deficencies in the mother, improper incubation or simply a trick of genetics.
Eggs should be incubated at the proper temperature and humidity (90-100% humidity and 78潞F - 84潞F) to ensure the hatchlings don't develop birth defects. After the snakes hatch, they should not be removed from their shells. They will slit the shells and stay in them with their head hanging out for up to 24 hours as they absorb the last of the yolk.

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