I am absolutely not an experienced breeder, am still waiting on the first eggs so I’m really reacting on ball pythons or snake eggs but more in a general sense over all species in general, more as food for thought.
Some people claim that not cutting will make the strongest one survive which is good for the genetic development of the species. But I wonder if this is really a good argument. Some claim that cutting will give also a chance to the ones that maybe had a lesser great start but can still thrive.
I can understand the first motivation, but still lean more to the second one in a captive bred and kept snake. Living in nature I would strongly promote the first one, not cutting, because if , for example, you rescue one that missed the egg tooth and it’s babies inherent that defect they will not be able to survive in the wild. If that snake goes back to nature there will no breeder be there to cut them. But considering this, I don’t think any breeder of ball pythons is planning of sending the babies to Africa to establish a population there. If this genetic problem is inherited by the babies it will not be that much problem because most likely the breeder of the next generation will also cut the eggs. So in the wild it’s a major defect, in captive bred situaties it’s a minor defect that can still lead to many healthy thriving babies, at least if that is there is no hudge other genetic problem there. But to be honest you will not know that unless you see more generations comming. Some other problems might not even be genetic in general.
I know it’s maybe a total different topic but also in human children a bad start as a baby will not determine if the baby or it’s own children will thrive or get the same problem. I can know because both my sister and son wouldn’t have survived without medical intervention as a baby and both are very healthy people who hardly ever get sick and my sister did get two healthy thriving children.
I know a lot of people will maybe get angry about the comparison but i’m simply trying to show that a false start may not always determine the rest of the live of the animal or it’s offspring. And is it fair to compare the live of a captive bred animal and the offspring to the life of an animal that has to survive in the wild while we know our captive bred babies never have to.
On the other hand, if you see a more serious problem re-accuring in several generations, maybe it’s better to stop the line there and not breed further in that lineage. But still even that is a difficult topic because what is serious? It’s also debatable.
Finally it’s a choice everyone has to make him/herself. I myself personally will not cut if there are at least not one or two already piping themselves. But I see not problem in cutting to help the ones that maybe need some extra help, but do respect everyone who will decide different.
How do you know they need help you can’t see inside a egg? What if by trying to help you cause a baby to leave the egg early and not absorb the sac? Then you would be doing the total opposite. No one can see inside eggs so to say you cut to save a baby makes no sense. How did you know they needed help in the first place?
The only time I will cut is if all the other eggs have pipped and there is an egg that has gone 72 hours past the last pip without any sign if activity. Even then, my cutting is probably more accurately considered ‘manual pipping’ because I only make a small cut that is just large enough for the snout to come through, I do not chainsaw off the whole top of the egg.
Morelia Python Radio did a ‘Responsible Egg Management’ episode with Nick Mutton of Inland Reptile a few years ago. It’s a good listen. Nick has hatched thousands of pythons and gives a very experienced view on egg management.
I agree there is no right or wrong aswer so the only thing you can judge on is simply your own feeling/instinct and information you collected from experience or studying everything you can find on the topic. Like @t_h_wyman said, if all or at least most already piped in the same egg box then I think I would get nervous about the last ones that are not open yet and cut them. They at least had the same circumstances, incubation time, almost same temperature ect. And I would still cut only a small cut enough to get it started.
But finally you can indeed not see in the egg, so whatever choice you make, you really never know on that moment if you made the right choice. To cut can kill the snake, but you might also be a lifesaver. Only one thing I know for shure. I would only cut if the others that pipped where in the same eggbox. A friend lost last year four banana het pied girls because of cutting. He divided the clutch between two smaller boxes and didn’t notice that the temp in one box was lower than the other what resulted in them developing slower. In the top box almost all hatched. So he cut the last ones both boxes which ended up in killing all the babies in the down box. It was so sad to see. Also because of this I would not cut untill at least most in the box pipped.
I personally have only had one clutch. I did some research on why people cut and why people do not cut. I decided that it was best for me to cut but to wait till about half the clutch pips before I do it. Then cut a small slit in the others. The reason I decided to cut is I have seen guys catch an umbilical cord twist and fix it. I have also seen where an animal could not get out of the egg due to an egg tooth not developed correctly or at all. Not seen anyone have any issues with cutting after they pip. Not saying no one has. The ones that have issues from what I have seen tend to cut way to early, cut way to big of a window or poke the hatchlings around to see what morph it is causing the baby to leave the egg. In this industry people have their way of doing things and why. I would listen to as many reasons why/why not to cut eggs and when if you decide to. From what have been reading in this forum you are getting plenty of good feed back from people who have years of experience doing this.
I have ball python eggs in the incubator right now and I normally open for air to generate through my incubator Every three days my temperature varies depending on the day on the temperature outside but my temperature stays around 82 to 85 and I’m currently on day 43 and I’ve just been waiting on one of my ball python eggs to peak The key is let nature do his job after 65 days you should be good
Update* So about the eggs…it’s now day 54 and I decided to weigh the eggs just to see how heavy they are and 4 out of the 5 eggs are 70 grams and the heaviest is 77 grams. Should I be concerned? Because I feel like the 80-110 g. seems more healthy. The eggs are on the small side to begin with
I totally understand being anxious and nervous. But I tell you from my personal experiences your better off with a hands off approach. You are literally almost there! You got it!
