need egg advice

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lvstorts

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Hi everyone,
I'm in need of your collective expertise and opinions. I had eggs from my Redfoots last fall (and all winter!) for the first time and I'm finding them to be a challenge! I'm used to Box turtle (Eastern) and Greek (Ibera) eggs as they develop it's like a road map. It's so easy to see the blood vessels and even limbs when they are close to hatching! I have yet to see a blood vessel on a Redfoot egg! I know the physical characteristics of Redfoot eggs are much different than others but I'm at a loss! I've poured over pictures of development on the web and in my books but I'm not any closer to understanding what I'm looking at.

redfoot eggs 1.jpg
Picture #1 (laid 9/23/09): I've never seen the dark blob on top with a band of clear then the embryo with any other eggs. It appears on more than one egg in this clutch. Is this normal?

redfoot eggs 2.jpg
Picture #2 (laid 9/23/09): I see this circle in a lot of the Redfoot eggs. What is it?

redfoot eggs 3.jpg
Picture #3: This is an OLD egg (laid Aug. 2009). I have not tossed it because it's intact and doesn't smell. I'd be surprised if the embryo is still alive. If the embryo is dead, would the remains eventually flow to the bottom as a result of gravity? Because it's still attached to the side of the shell could it be viable?

Thank you so much for lending your eyes and experience. Sorry for the long post.
 
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egyptiandan

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You should definately be able to see veins in a fertile Redfoot egg :D
The first egg looks like it was fertile, but died very early on and didn't completely "chalk up". Don't think the second one was ever fertile. Hard to tell with the third one, but it may have gone full term and died.
What temperature are you incubating at?
Here are some pictures of fertile Redfoot eggs. http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9385

Danny
 

lvstorts

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86F/80-85% humidity.

I looked at your pictures...question: what is the red ring in pic 1 and 2?
 

egyptiandan

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That is called the "ring of life" :) It's the first thing you see after an egg chalks up. You won't see larger veins for 3 to 4 weeks after you see the ring. You'll usually see the ring 10 to 14 days after the egg chalks.
Once you see veins in an egg, you will be able to see veins up till just before hatching. If you don't see veins in an egg that you have already seen veins in and it's not near hatching time, the embryo has died. :(

Danny
 

lvstorts

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Thanks for the info...I don't think it looks good for my eggs. I'll keep up hope and won't toss any until they implode or explode. One more question, if I could. After the pictures were taken my block had a power outage. I did everything I could to keep the heat in the incubators but the temp dropped to 78F before the outage was over. This took place over a 6 hour period. Is this drastic enough to kill embryos?

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
 

egyptiandan

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No that not a low enough temperature or for long enough to do anything to the embryos. :)

Danny
 
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