Kent67
Retired Moderator
Last year Chris @ Clean Line and I traded wild caught female panthers of different locale-types. The female I received was already gravid when I got her and laid a small clutch of 15 eggs in late May. Two of those eggs died almost immediately. The rest of the eggs have all looked excellent until current. Unfortunately several days ago one of them dented in some. I pinch tested the vermiculite and found it very dry and so added some water. This would have been Friday afternoon. I didn't feel like messing with it the day after the Pomona show and so left the dented egg until yesterday when I opened it. All I found was that disappointing cheesy stuff. 
I couldn't believe such a good looking egg went full term and that was it. Gave me that sinking feeling about the rest of the clutch. I even told Chris about it this morning.
A couple hours later I went home to feed, water, and check on eggs. There in that same clutch was a baby, fresh out of the egg with big yolk sac still attached! How's that for irony?
I've hatched several clutches of panthers over the years but it's been six years since I last had any and got to feel this excitement. It's always so much fun to see them emerge! I moved the baby, yolk, and shell to a separate container because this is the first clutch I've used fine grain vermiculite with. I really don't like it, but was all I could find at the time and in fact didn't realize there WAS a fine grade vermiculite until I opened the bag at home. I'm charging my camera batteries now so that I can get some pics of the two new girls I got at the Pomona show when I go back in a couple hours. Hopefully the hatchling will be up for a pic or two also.
Oh, and Chris, I don't think I'm going to bother candleing this clutch now, haha.
I couldn't believe such a good looking egg went full term and that was it. Gave me that sinking feeling about the rest of the clutch. I even told Chris about it this morning.A couple hours later I went home to feed, water, and check on eggs. There in that same clutch was a baby, fresh out of the egg with big yolk sac still attached! How's that for irony?
I've hatched several clutches of panthers over the years but it's been six years since I last had any and got to feel this excitement. It's always so much fun to see them emerge! I moved the baby, yolk, and shell to a separate container because this is the first clutch I've used fine grain vermiculite with. I really don't like it, but was all I could find at the time and in fact didn't realize there WAS a fine grade vermiculite until I opened the bag at home. I'm charging my camera batteries now so that I can get some pics of the two new girls I got at the Pomona show when I go back in a couple hours. Hopefully the hatchling will be up for a pic or two also.
Oh, and Chris, I don't think I'm going to bother candleing this clutch now, haha.
