Can an egg tooth break off before it hatches?

[nesualCttaM]

I have an egg that appeared to be starting to pip yesterday, and Im a little worried because the lil guy hasnt made a cut in the egg big enough to get out of. I was wandering is there a risk of it dying in the egg and should I cut a hole big enough for it to get out?

 

[cornmorphs]

i would suspect this does happen.

 

[dawnrenee2000]

how many days has the egg incubated?

 

[CodeJones]

it will be able to push itself through there, just takes patience, if it takes more then a day, you could make a small insision with a box cutter, just make sure not to cut the snake and it will come out when its ready.

 

[nesualCttaM]

Today makes day 59....but all of the others have hatched, and this one made several tiny slits in the shell, and that was yesterday. Id post a pic, but my camera isnt good enough to beable to show any detail that small.

 

[dionythicus]

it will be able to push itself through there, just takes patience, if it takes more then a day, you could make a small insision with a box cutter, just make sure not to cut the snake and it will come out when its ready.

I agree with the patience part, but I wouldn't use a box cutter to cut an egg. Eggs are too soft to be able to apply a safe amount of pressure to penetrate the shell without piercing the baby. I used a tiny pair of sewing scissors with points about 2" long. You have more control over what you're doing. But patience is best!