# Help - 9 week old egg problem



## tgt038 (Jun 11, 2012)

I have 6 Herman eggs at 9 weeks, and im expecting 5 of them to hatch any day now. 1 egg seemed to have a large air bubble at the top of the egg when candled, where all the others were completely dark. I assumed there was a problem with this egg and it had stopped growing so i made a little hole in the top of the egg. The tortoise is inside and it seems to still be alive as it's shell is covered by the very thin membrane with red veins. It's clearly a slow developer when compared to the others. My problem now what do I do.

1) Try to seal the egg
2) Keep the hole in the top of the egg, but ensure its moist so the membrane doesn't dry up
3) Open the egg fully


Any suggestions, has anyone experienced this?

Thanks


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## ascott (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh goodness....I am going to give your thread a bump so the more experienced egg keepers can hopefully give you some direction.....

I would treat the egg the same as you have in the interim until you get a direction....


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## kimber_lee_314 (Jun 11, 2012)

I have never had this happen - I always leave the eggs alone until they hatch or explode - just in case. I'm not experienced on this either, but I guess I would take a small piece of tape and cover the hole and then just leave it alone and see what happens.


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## Tim/Robin (Jun 11, 2012)

Keep a moist paper towel over the opening. Not a dripping wet one, just damp. I have done this and it should be fine. Just don't let it dry out.


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## tgt038 (Jun 11, 2012)

I went for the brave decision to open up the egg slightly and keep the bottom half attached to the sack and the tortoise. It is still very much alive and expect to to absorb it's sac in a day or two and be absolutely fine. Great news.


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## tortadise (Jun 11, 2012)

Triple antibiotic ointment will seal the hole and hatch perfectly. I've used this method as well as others here on the forum for eggs that cracked when layed. A nice dab over the hole will do te trick.


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## CactusVinnie (Jun 26, 2012)

... WHY on Earth opening an egg after only 9 weeks?? It is quite towards the earliest healthy hatchling date, since they can hatch after 100 days! Man!!
Why opening it and not candling it, if curious, or just letting it stay after all the others hatched? If it is bad, you would find it- smell, colour.
Some can be delayed for 2 weeks or even more!


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## Tom (Jun 26, 2012)

I agree with Fabian. In the future, you really shouldn't mess with egs that are still under or even anywhere near term. I will be surprised if this baby survives. In most cases the best thing to do with an egg is leave it alone. If it starts to stink, that is the only time I will touch it and chuck it. Outside of that I leave them alone. If an egg goes a couple of weeks past term and candles totally clear, I'll chuck those too. Outside of that, don't mess with them. And don't mess with them when they start to hatch either. Sometimes they take a few days to work their way out of their shell. Just make sure humidity is high enough and leave them in the incubator until they crawl out of their shell on their own. Once mine climb out of their shell and are walking around the incubator, I rinse them off and put them in the brooder box with damp paper towels until they absorb their yolk sac and the scar closes up.


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## GBtortoises (Jun 26, 2012)

I have to agree with Fabian and Tom. 9 weeks (63 days) is average for for most Northern Testudo species eggs. Depending upon species, temperatures and humidity they could hatch as early as about 55 days but most go longer.

I have used _New Skin Liquid Bandage_ to repair cracked eggs. I might also work on a hole. The main objective is to keep valuable moisture from leaving the egg and to prevent bacteria from getting in.


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