WARNING!!!!! Deceased preemie boxie picture!

[krb1093]

Hello,
I posted 2 days ago about my turtle egg having a hole in it. The vaseline wouldn't keep it from oozing it would push right through. Last night and this morning there was no movement and a lot of liquid oozed out almost all. Knowing that the baby had pasted I wanted to open the egg to see if there was something wrong. NOTHING from what I could see on the outside. This little guy was PERFECT!!!! Now it leaves me wondering if he was trying to pip and I killed it by putting the vaseline on the egg. The eggs are only 45 days old and fill half the egg. This egg was only 1 inch compared to the other 4 that are 1 1/2 inches. Sorry for posting this pic but wanted peoples opinions on whether they think it could have lived or not being this tiny. If any of the others leak should I just let them be? I also posted the size difference in the eggs.Also was wandering what kind of eggs? Looks like Boxies!

 

[yagyujubei]

How big was the yolk sac on the belly? He seems to be fully developed.

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I don't think I would fool with the others, see what they do.

How big was the yolk sac on the belly? He seems to be fully developed.

 

[krb1093]

He/she was PERFECT! eyes, even the tiny little claws. The yolk sac was a little bigger then the baby, but had what I would think to be a weird consistency. Not slimy at all more like a consistency of spackle/ humus. Lol, sry all I could come up with.

 

[yagyujubei]

Are you sure it died? I think it had pipped. Hatching is a slow process, sometimes taking several days from pip to emergence. Those sre indeed box turtle eggs. Since you weren't sure of the species, maybe you are incorrect in the time incubated as well? I hatched an egg this year myself, several days after I thought it would hatch. I was rolling it around in my hand examining it for several minutes, when I saw a leg move. I carefully put it back in what was left of the egg, and a week later, it hatched. About 4 days later it died, no doubt because of my impatience. They can be very active in the egg one day, and the next, appear unmoving. So try to be patient with the rest. The liquid oozing indicates to me that perhaps it was a bit too wet during incubation, so if you see it again, don't worry.

 

[mctlong]

Hello,
I posted 2 days ago about my turtle egg having a hole in it. The vaseline wouldn't keep it from oozing it would push right through. Last night and this morning there was no movement and a lot of liquid oozed out almost all. Knowing that the baby had pasted I wanted to open the egg to see if there was something wrong. NOTHING from what I could see on the outside. This little guy was PERFECT!!!! Now it leaves me wondering if he was trying to pip and I killed it by putting the vaseline on the egg. The eggs are only 45 days old and fill half the egg. This egg was only 1 inch compared to the other 4 that are 1 1/2 inches. Sorry for posting this pic but wanted peoples opinions on whether they think it could have lived or not being this tiny. If any of the others leak should I just let them be? I also posted the size difference in the eggs.Also was wandering what kind of eggs? Looks like Boxies!

I'm so sorry you went through this. Its very sad. Its impossible to say whether or not this little guy would have survived on his own. The egg was undersized compared to the others. You did what was right based on the information you had at the time. Don't beat yourself up over it. Stressing over the "what ifs" will drive you crazy.

If it happens again with another egg, you could try leaving the egg alone and waiting to see what happens. Sometimes nature just has to take its course, whether good or bad.

And yes, they look like boxies--

 

[krb1093]

That's what I'm thinking now yagyujubei, but thought it was way to early and tried to cover the hole. The age of the eggs are right on, seen the Mom laying them. Shouldn't the eggs be totally full? The other 4 are only half. There all very active and moving like crazy, but so was the one that just died. Yes, it was dead

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Thanks mctlong

 

[yagyujubei]

Yes, there's more room in the shell than you might think, they always seem to only be 1/2 full until just before hatching, when it's hard to see anything. Remember, the yolk sac takes up as much room as the turtle does. Just try to be patient, and I bet in a week or so, you will have babies walking around. I leave mine in the incubator for several days after they hatch, but in a different container, until they absorb their yolk sac. After that, don't be surprised if they don't eat for two of three weeks. I find that small pill bugs are usually the first thing that piques their interest. I got my fingers crossed for you.

That's what I'm thinking now yagyujubei, but thought it was way to early and tried to cover the hole. The age of the eggs are right on, seen the Mom laying them. Shouldn't the eggs be totally full? The other 4 are only half. There all very active and moving like crazy, but so was the one that just died. Yes, it was dead

 

[krb1093]

Thanks so much yagyujubei