Hi guys, I have two clutches of corn snake eggs that are on about day 50 currently and in one of the clutches an egg is denting in, and one is soft to the touch, but both are definitely fertile. In the second clutch none of the eggs are doing this. I know that eggs tend to dent in before hatching but I don’t know if this is too early for them to be denting in or not, I know the humidity is good because there is condensation around the inside of the egg box (not dripping on the eggs though). Thank you in advance to anybody who helps out.
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You’re right, they can and often do dent or dimple some time before they hatch. As the babies absorb minerals from the eggshells, the shells lose some rigidity. As long as your humidity is good, it’s not something to worry about.
Unfortunately for most new breeders’ peace of mind, there is not a set point for this to happen. Temperature affects it, of course, as it affects lengthy of time until hatching. What temperature are you incubating at?
Day 50 is a bit earlier than usual in my collection but not to a worrisome degree. There nothing wrong with trying to “reinflate” the eggs by giving them a covering of damp sphagnum (at the same temperature as the eggs). It may work, in which case fine. It may not work, also fine.
I’ve found that some females’ clutches consistently dimple at 2-3 days pre-hatch. Other females’ eggs dent at 7-10 days. Sometimes the who clutch dimples, sometimes it’s just a few eggs. Some clutches never do it. Basically just one more thing where there’s no absolute!
But it sounds to me like you’re almost there!
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Thank you and I’m incubating the eggs at 82 degrees.
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Sounds perfect. When any of mine dent before 8 weeks, I generally give them a layer of damp moss and spritz the container. Then I leave them alone for at least 24 hours. Then comes the hard part; trying not to think about them and/or worry. Lol. Seriously though, there’s no need to worry.
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