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Breeding/Egg Production & Care Any topics concerning breeding of the cornsnake, brumation, egg laying, or issues concerning problems in any step along the way.

Smelly eggs?
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Old 06-07-2019, 11:02 PM   #1
GitaBooks
Smelly eggs?

So, it hasn't even been two days since my eggs went in the incubator. The majority look like slugs, but I wanted to wait and see, at least a little while. However, they already smell super bad. It smells like a week old dead animal has been rotting inside the egg container. At first I thought it was the vermiculite, but it's gotten worse. I tried giving the container a little ventilation, worried the eggs would suffocate, and I think my whole room is starting to smell.

The question is, is something wrong with the eggs? The vermiculite? When can I candle the slugs to be sure that I can toss them? Will that help with the smell?

Incubator is at 84 F (but its about 80 F down by the eggs). One of the fertile eggs was starting to cave so I just added a little more water, which is when I noticed the smell had gotten worse.

Thanks in advance
 
Old 06-08-2019, 09:34 AM   #2
Shiari
The slugs are probably starting to mold and rot. Get rid of them. I see maybe 3 good eggs in that whole thing. I would *gently* try to peel the slugs off the two normal looking eggs.
 
Old 06-08-2019, 09:41 AM   #3
GitaBooks
Thanks for the response!

That was my best guess, it just surprised me how quickly they started to smell.

I looked all over, and I couldn't really find any good information on when you can candle eggs and be at least fairly confident in whether they are fertile or not. Is it like 3 days? 5 days? A week?
 
Old 06-08-2019, 11:54 AM   #4
Scrappyeddie77
You can candle reptile eggs day 1
Chick eggs take about a week


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Old 06-08-2019, 12:09 PM   #5
GitaBooks
I use to be a chicken breeder, so sometimes I get reptile eggs and chicken eggs confused. But I know not to turn them! (the big difference between the two. That and the higher humidity and lower temp of reptile eggs).
 
Old 06-08-2019, 05:59 PM   #6
Twolunger
We have a tendency to want to save every egg, just in case there's a possibility of one hatching. But with experience you will be able to identify slugs and bad eggs and throw them out. I've never had an egg that was moldy or felt squishy hatch. I have had a few eggs develop what looks like a green fungus. I lightly dusted them with antifungal athlete's foot powder where the fungus was growing on them and it killed the fungus. The eggs hatched. It worked for me, but my methods may be unorthodox, so I wouldn't try it unless a person has nothing to lose anyway.
 
Old 06-08-2019, 06:03 PM   #7
Rich Z
After you have done this long enough, you will be able to immediately tell a good egg from an infertile egg just from a sniff test.
 
Old 06-08-2019, 09:53 PM   #8
GitaBooks
Thank you guys so much for the advice! It really helps!

So, I removed the majority of the eggs after candling (left a few for comparisons if I wanted, but will probably throw them out). I candled the one unattached fertile egg and saw veining, the rest had a small dark spot but no red or veins (in the photo the spot looks red, but it wasn't). Is this normal? For there to be a dark spot in infertile slug eggs?

Also, one of the fertile eggs, on top of a pile, started to dent after a day, so I added some water and that didn't help, so I tried a damp paper towel, but it's still dented. It really doesn't feel like 80 F in the incubator, despite a second (albeit cheap) thermometer was added. Could that be why the humidity is so low?
 
Old 06-09-2019, 12:21 AM   #9
Rich Z
One relatively reliable test I used to use to determine good eggs from bad was to just lightly spray the eggs with water. A good egg will quickly absorb the water. A bad egg will just stay wet looking.

Not sure if it is 100% reliable, but it worked well for me. So your mileage may vary.
 
Old 06-09-2019, 02:59 AM   #10
Twolunger
The incubator temp has nothing to do with the humidity level. If you moistened the vermiculite properly your good eggs should be embedded in it so they can absorb moisture. I like to leave the top of the eggs exposed in case one goes bad during the incubation, but Rich said he covers his.
 

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