Urgently help needed - premature snakelet, still alive in broken shell

[Starter]

I am waiting for my first snake babies to hatch and just realised 20 minutes ago that one of the shells was broken from underneath and egg contents was running out. I opened the shell and found a snake embryo which looks about fully developed, but is attached to lots of variously coloured egg components. It moves slightly! It looks as if it is breathing, but I cannot see the head. What shall I do to help it survive?

I left it lying in the partly open shell with the opening upwards, so nothing can run out, and I am keeping it warm and moist, separate from the other eggs. What else can I do?

Timeline: My snakelets could be about ready to hatch, the eggs were laid on New Years Day, but I expected them to take a bit longer, because I didn't manage to keep them at a constant temperature and we had all sorts of troubles, such as mould and rotting eggs which were stuck to the heaps too strongly to be taken away... I will do ANYTHING to make this our very first snake baby survive! (And it will definitely not be sold if it does, but be our forever loved pet python.) It is a Bredli / Centralian Carpet Python. Your help and advice will be much appreciated.

 

[Classabear]

I'm not experienced with breeding at all, but I would separate it and keep an eye on it. Try not to touch it too much and just let the snake handle things. There isn't much you can do. I think it will be fine as long as it is fully developed


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[Ramy]

While I am not an experienced breeder, I have read that it is common enough for babies to break the shell but remain in the egg to absorb the last of the nutrients. The best advice I've seen is generally to leave the babies to sort themselves out, and try not to interfere as much as possible. (I've also seen youtube videos of people snipping eggs because they think they're ready but I feel like they're setting themselves up for under-developed, weaker babies.)

I can only assume it broke the shell itself, so hopefully it's ready and can take care of itself.

Good luck.

 

[Ramsayi]

Since you rotated the egg chances are that it will not survive.How did the shell get broken from underneath?

 

[Starter]

I don't know how it broke. I gently lifted up the heap to check underneath for possible mould, and saw the egg-protein (or whatever this jelly-like rather colourless fluid is) running out of a hole. This one egg was only relatively loosely attached to the heaps, as I had previously removed a rotten neighbour egg, so I could rotate it without turning around all the others. If I rotate it back the liquid contents will all run out and I don't think that would be good. (?) I thank you all for your advice; I'll better won't interfere any more and see what happens.

 

[diamond_reptiles]

With eggs, you never want to rotate them. And ALWAYS avoid touching them. The only time you should touch them is when you put them in the incubator and even when that happens, you need to be VERY careful.
Chance of it surviving are very minimal sorry, but have faith.
Try to keep it warm and if and when she pops out, then help the snake get the 'Jelly-like stuff of it'

Good luck, let us know what happens

 

[Ramsayi]

And ALWAYS avoid touching them. The only time you should touch them is when you put them in the incubator and even when that happens, you need to be VERY careful.

You can touch eggs without any problems,just don't turn them.Curious as to why you think it's an issue.

 

[diamond_reptiles]

Their eggs are thin, have seen people touch them and break them.

 

[The_Geeza]

Their eggs are thin, have seen people touch them and break them.

What's thin?

 

[Trimeresurus]

The eggs are leathery, they don't just 'break', you'd crush everything inside before you break them.

 

[Ramsayi]

Egg shells are relatively strong.It would take a deliberate effort to damage them by handling.

 

[pythonmum]

I handle my eggs at different stages of development when candling with no problem. I have never had one break. You just have to keep them right side up. Marking them with a soft pencil after laying is an easy way to keep track of the up side.

 

[whyme]

Touching the eggs will do nothing, as long as they're not turned. After that long, I'd hazard a guess that the bub has probably slit the shell and is finding its "feet". It should be able to lift its head out of the fluid and survive.

 

[eipper]

I pick up reptile eggs all the time. They don't rupture with me holding and moving. They are strong and resistant to tearing. Remember these things are designed to hatch and be impacted by outside forces. Diamond_Reptiles.....I think you need a little more experience before continuing to shell out your gems of wisdom

 

[chris.w]

A snake egg is very tough, once they all hatch try to tear one and you'll see what I mean, if the little bloke has cut his own way out that's fine, you should not pull it out as the remnants of its yoke sack is still attached to him and it will still be drawing nutrients from it, this yoke sack is best kept moist in what's left of the egg, he will come out when its ready, at this stage of hatching turning the egg should not cause a problem, turning an unhatched egg will/could cause harm, if a slug glued to the clutch turns mouldy and can't be removed just leave it, the fertile eggs are tough enough to not be affected, try to remove it and you may damage a portion of a good egg, letting bacteria in, I have seen eggs next to a mould slug turn partially brown in colour and look pretty bad yet still hatch normally and produce healthy young.

 

[saintanger]

how is the little one going? hope he made it.

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

Their eggs are thin, have seen people touch them and break them.

haha i touched a clutched of eggs every couple days for a whole 2 months they all hatched fine...
ive only seen a few of your post and and worried about the advice your giving.
good advice when it comes to rotating eggs.