Big and Small

A tub of five burmese python eggs next to a tub of eight ball python eggs for comparison

No good

Burmese python eggs on their way out (the egg dies if the embryo dies, as in this case)

A stinker

What began as a small discolouration soon spreads as bacteria take over and the egg dies

Gone hard

Once the egg dies the contents turn hard like a hard boiled egg

Dark spot

This egg was layed with a dark spot and this is where the most bacterial growth started and spread

Opening the egg

Hard boiled egg anyone?

The contents

This is what the egg looked like on the inside

The dead embryo

The dead embryo which showed no growth, probable cause of death was the embyo sinking into the egg fluids, this prevents the embryo's blood vessels from attatching to the inner surface of the egg shell and the embryo drowns

Another sunken embryo

The embryo should develop on the outer surface of the youlk, but movement of the egg, rough handling of the gravid snake or damage during laying can dislodge it and cause it to die

Good and bad

Bad eggs can be removed but it's not really necessary, they just shrivel and dry up. These two were removed by slitting the egg, removing the contents and then trimming back the empty shell

Good denting

Eggs that have been round and smooth start to dent a few weeks before hatching

Embrio growth

This embryo definately grew after the egg was layed but died after a couple of weeks. Note the large eye and round head

Say aaaaaah

At this stage the jaws are fully functional but note the internal organs developing outside the cavity, skin and scales develope last of all

Under pigmented

Pigmantation is the last thing to develope, this boa died only a few days before being born. note the head is still rounded and the incomplete pigmentation, the belly scales have also not completely fused