When to cut baby out of egg?

[MattGian]

Hey everyone, I had an egg shrink and sweat 3 days ago now. It has been incubating for 7 months and i've had 2 clutch mates hatch out. The egg now has a little dent in it and some whitish mold formed where the water dried on the egg. I tried to get a decent picture to show everyone but it just looks like a small egg in the picture. My question is, should I cut this baby out. I've read different threads about this. Some have said they cut their babies out if they don't hatch out 2 days after sweating and shrinking, others have said 2 weeks. If I could feet some advice on what do I would really appreciate it.

 

[MattGian]

By the way they are Furcifer Pardalis.

 

[ChamMan7]

Honestly, I would let the baby try to make it out on its own. If the baby doesn't make it out and dies then thats the way it is. People have a seriously bad habit of screwing with nature in this hobby (not saying you are doing this), but the reality is that if we keep artificially cutting eggs and raising up babies that are weaker than others, as this one probably would be if it did make it, then we are going to destroy the captive gene pool.

In my opinion, it would be best to try and let nature take its course on this one and let the baby make it out on its own if it can. Although it may sound horrible, a survival of the fittest mentality, in these kinds of cases, will really help to ensure that the healthiest, and strongest babies possible are making it.

In my experience, babies that have had this issue that were cut out of the egg died a few days later (most of the time) anyways. Just my two cents.

 

[MattGian]

Honestly, I would let the baby try to make it out on its own. If the baby doesn't make it out and dies then thats the way it is. People have a seriously bad habit of screwing with nature in this hobby (not saying you are doing this), but the reality is that if we keep artificially cutting eggs and raising up babies that are weaker than others, as this one probably would be if it did make it, then we are going to destroy the captive gene pool.

In my opinion, it would be best to try and let nature take its course on this one and let the baby make it out on its own if it can. Although it may sound horrible, a survival of the fittest mentality, in these kinds of cases, will really help to ensure that the healthiest, and strongest babies possible are making it.

In my experience, babies that have had this issue that were cut out of the egg died a few days later (most of the time) anyways. Just my two cents.

That is great advise. I will wait and see if the baby can make it out. If not, so be it. I didn't really think about that consequences of cutting the baby out and not letting it be the way nature intended. Thank you for your input.

 

[ChamMan7]

No problem.. I think very few people do think about the consequences, and I'm sure that there are some that would tear me up due to moral reasons for that advice. It does sound harsh, but I can name a few different snakes and other lizards that are suffering from being overbred with little concern for the quality of their genetics. People cut python eggs in order to make sure every last baby makes it out to witness any possible phenotypic variation. In the wild, of course, there isn't someone cutting open snake eggs to make sure they all make it out.

I view making it out of the egg as nature's first test. Weaker babies will not make it out alone, and those genetics will not be passed on...

Ok I'm done now, I promise.

 

[little leaf]

No problem.. I think very few people do think about the consequences, and I'm sure that there are some that would tear me up due to moral reasons for that advice. It does sound harsh, but I can name a few different snakes and other lizards that are suffering from being overbred with little concern for the quality of their genetics. People cut python eggs in order to make sure every last baby makes it out to witness any possible phenotypic variation. In the wild, of course, there isn't someone cutting open snake eggs to make sure they all make it out.

I view making it out of the egg as nature's first test. Weaker babies will not make it out alone, and those genetics will not be passed on...

Ok I'm done now, I promise.

I do agree this does make me sad to think of a baby not living simply because you did not help it, but your statement is very true - hatching is natures first test ~

 

[repdog]

I have to agree with you as well. Mother nature is not always nice but it does weed out the weak.