# Should you ever help a tadout of the egg?



## neddy191 (Sep 29, 2009)

I have a group of R. reticulata that has recent started giving me clutches of eggs. I've had several tads die after the egg sack is gone and the external gills look to be completely gone. Its like the they cant make it out of the egg at the right time.

Ive got a couple at that stage right now, egg sac gone and external gills haven't been visible for several days. The egg around them seems to be shrinking now so that the tad is in a tight circle. 

Should I take an exacto and cut open the egg to let the tads out? I'm afraid I might lose these too if I don't.


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## alsofaac (Aug 21, 2013)

I have experienced this several times with tinc tads, and have helped them get out of the egg. Usually, this has been successful, although a few died. I would expect this to be somewhat more difficult with smaller tads, as opposed to tincs. I would suggest not doing this with an exacto, as it is difficult to control really small movements. Try using 2 watchman's forceps: insert 1 point of each into the egg, right next to each other, as far from the tad as possible, and pull them apart, in opposite directions, to tear the egg membrane, and release the tad. Best of luck!
If you get some extra froglets, plese let me know, as I'd love to get some from you. I had a pair with 2 froglets, a number of years ago. I had 'minimally invasive' back surgery in 2010, was supposed to be up and around in 2 weeks, but because my sutures opened, it took 21/2 months, mostly flat on my back! I lost my retics, and most of my other frogs. So, please keep me in mind. Thanks.


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## neddy191 (Sep 29, 2009)

I released them a short time ago as I was worried about them. A couple #11 blades with a steady hand did the trick. I'll keep you in mind assuming they do well.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I have in the past, but would not do it again. Mother Nature has her own ways of weeding out the weak and inferior. It could be that a tad that can't escape his or her egg, wasn't supposed to survive in the wild. Forcing the possibly weaker frogs to breed in captivity, could be breeding weak traits into our captive lines.


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## neddy191 (Sep 29, 2009)

good point. I didnt consider it from that point of view.


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## alsofaac (Aug 21, 2013)

That is certainly a possibility! But there might also be an environmental cause, e.g., something causing the egg membrane to be tougher than normal.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

alsofaac said:


> That is certainly a possibility! But there might also be an environmental cause, e.g., something causing the egg membrane to be tougher than normal.


The tadpoles secrete enzymes that actually break down the membrane of the egg when they are ready to emerge from the egg. So if something was making the membrane tougher it would be changing the protein shapes which could inhibit the enzyme funtions. 

In this sort of case, I would wonder if the tadpoles has sufficient reserves to develop properly to enable them to escape out of the egg. In the OP's post, I doubt the shell is shrinking, its possible that observation is an artifact from the tadpole still growing. 

some comments 

Ed


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

While it’s entirely possible a tad that doesn’t hatch on its own wouldn’t have in the wild, you also have to keep in mind they are being raised in a completely artificial environment. There could well be something (perhaps a chemical of some sort or any number of other issues) that have prevented the tad from hatching. On the rare occasion that I’ve had a tad take longer to hatch than it’s clutch mates I do cut it out. They typically develop just fine. I can’t actually think of one that didn’t make it. But it’s possible I’m forgetting.


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## cap7 (Dec 4, 2016)

Here’s my situation: 4 eggs, two have broken free in the past 24 hours. The other two look ready but have not hatched yet. I read somewhere that the adult male will break the egg with his feet. Is this true? Then if I break out these tads, aren’t I duplicating that process?


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

Imo I would let nature take its course.


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## cap7 (Dec 4, 2016)

S2G said:


> Imo I would let nature take its course.




Thanks, I appreciate your response 


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