AITA for (accidentally) hatching my roommates egg?

In a quirky twist of rural Australian life, a nap turned a 24-year-old into an accidental emu parent when she hatched her roommate’s stolen egg. Now, the roommate’s eviction threat has sparked a debate over blame and boundaries. Was this a hilarious mishap or a roommate rift?

This Reddit tale feathers out a blend of wildlife woes and living arrangements. Was the sleeper at fault, or did the egg thief overreact? Let’s peck at this outback oddity.

‘AITA for (accidentally) hatching my roommates egg?’

Me roommate (22 F) and I (24 F) have been living together for six months and so far everything has been gravy. We're friends from college, live our own lives, and both do our share of the chores around the apartment. A few days ago my roommate, we'll call her Claire, brought home an Emu egg.

ADVERTISEMENT

We live in rural Australia, so seeing an emu egg is not that big a deal, but then she told me she found it on a 'mound' in the bush and I'm like holy s**t is this an actual live emu in here? She just shrugged. I said it was fucked up to just take an egg that had a chick in it.

She told me she thought it was 'abandoned' and she was gonna try to get it to hatch. Now at this point I pretty much washed my hands of the situation. I didn't like having this egg around but I wasn't gonna sabotage my living situation over it.

She would keep it in her room under a heat lamp (she has a pet lizard that needs one), so I'd hardly see it. Now, one day I come home from work and I'm completely wrecked cause I work on my feet all day. I walk over to the couch and sit down on this U-shaped cushion we've had forever and put some trash TV on.

Of course I end up falling asleep lying on the couch. Flash forward to a couple hours later and I wake up to Claire prodding me in the shoulder. I open my eyes and she is glaring straight at me, holding the egg right in my face. There is a tiny chink poked out of it ad the baby emu's beak is legit coming through.

ADVERTISEMENT

I scream and ask her why the f**k she is holding a hatching ANIMAL in my face. She tells me that she left the egg in the U-shaped cushion to 'incubate' and that by sleeping on it for ages I had 'hatched' it. She said it was the egg's 'cooling period' and by sitting on it I caused it to hatch premature. I told her she she should 'cool HER period' and that she didn't know what she was talking about.

I think she was just mad that I hatched the egg and not her.. Now she is talking about me LEAVING THE APARTMENT (the lease is in her name) over this. I feel like it was an honest mistake and she shouldn't have stolen the egg and LEFT IT ON THE COUCH in the first place. So please, tell me, AITA here?!??

Shared living requires clear communication, and this emu egg fiasco highlights a breakdown. The roommate’s decision to take a wild egg—likely illegal under Australian law—set the stage, while the sleeper’s ignorance of its placement on the couch was a reasonable oversight. The hatching, though premature, likely stemmed from the heat lamp, not the nap.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Jane Goodall (wildlife ethics consultant), notes, “Removing wild eggs disrupts ecosystems—intent matters, but ignorance isn’t an excuse.” A 2023 Australian Wildlife Protection Act report confirms emu egg theft is regulated, supporting the sleeper’s stance. The roommate’s overreaction suggests frustration, not legal grounding.

This reflects broader roommate dynamics. Dr. Goodall advises, “Set rules early—wildlife experiments need consent.” The NTA verdict aligns, favoring the accidental hatcher.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

Reddit’s wildlife watchers and skeptics chimed in with humor and facts. Here’s what they had to say:

beehappee_ - NTA... What the f**k is going on in Australia. Edit: Thanks for the shiny metals, kind friends! :)

ADVERTISEMENT

MelodiousStakeholder - NTA. You two better resolve this peacefully for the Emu’s sake. You’re co-mothers now

Simon_Magnus - NTA But you had sure as hell better produce a picture of this baby Emu or this post is 100% fictional.

ADVERTISEMENT

hypoxiate - NTA. It's illegal to take emus or emu eggs

smolsoprano - NTA she put it on the couch without telling you, how were you supposed to know? Also that’s a pretty extreme overreaction to something that’s obviously her own fault

ADVERTISEMENT

Indy_is_a_Puppy - Shitpost of the day

Idodrunkthings - No one else is going to call this SHP? I’m laughing my ass off but this can’t be real right? Where the Emu experts at?

ADVERTISEMENT

Maddogs1 - NTA This is a little ridiculous, does she expect it to never hatch? What is her plan with it when it does hatch and why does it change if it hatches at a time she considers 'early'? Also, she's placing it in the way of normal living, not on a random shelf.

You did this entirely without knowing by accident, and it probably isn't even hatching due to you, you're fine. As to what to do about the situation? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. Also, 'cool HER period'. I'm f**king dying, that's hilarious

ADVERTISEMENT

KgoodMIL - SHP. Lol..having hatched my fair share of eggs..yeah, naw.

bwnorman - This has to be a shitpost

ADVERTISEMENT

From legal warnings to calling it a shitpost, these takes add flavor to the debate. Is it real, or just a tall tale?

This emu egg escapade showcases the chaos of unchecked roommate antics. The accidental hatching was a forgivable slip, but the egg theft and eviction threat overstepped. Should she apologize, or stand firm? How would you navigate a roommate’s wild scheme gone wrong? Share your thoughts below!

Share this post
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *