Now what do I do with these babies?

[loonunit]

Het lav x het lav clutch is start to come out of their eggs... Now what do I do with them? I know they'll shed in a couple weeks and then I can feed them, but what do I do with them between now and then? Keep them together or separate them? Are paper towels okay? Do they need extra humidity? Will they drown in their water bowl, or die of thirst because they don't know about water bowls?

[adamjeffery]

i usually set up my hatchlings in individual tubs once they have hatched. i use a moist paper towl until they shed. once they shed i switch them onto aspen. always have a water source avaliable. they wont drown and they wont die of thirst. instinct kicks in at birth. i offer live mice after they have shed. usually small adult mice or hoppers that dont act like crack heads.

ok so i have answered your questions now im gonna lecture....lol
these are all questions you should have asked 6 months ago. alwasy research before you venture into something.
adam jeffery

[sho220]

Het lav x het lav clutch is start to come out of their eggs... Now what do I do with them? I know they'll shed in a couple weeks and then I can feed them, but what do I do with them between now and then? Keep them together or separate them? Are paper towels okay? Do they need extra humidity? Will they drown in their water bowl, or die of thirst because they don't know about water bowls?

These questions are typically best asked before they pip...

j/k

Some people keep them together until after first shed. I put them into individual tubs (6 qt I think?) on paper towels, with a hide and shallow water dish. Mist the paper towels before putting them into the tubs if they are fresh out of the egg...I usually hit Target or Wally World prior to pipping to pick up enough tubs and get the holes burned into them...then have them staged and ready...as they come out of the eggs, I mist the paper towels and put them in the tubs and start a feed/shed card, as well as label the tubs. Once you sex them, keep everything straight so you don't get them mixed up. I'll sex them several times within the first couple of weeks to make sure I get it right, and make sure the cards are correct...they don't need extra humidity and most likely won't drown in their water bowl...as long as it's not too deep or tall I guess...I never thought of that...and they all seem to find the water just fine...I picked up a bunch of dishes like these from Good Will for 50 cents each...work great... http://www.kitchenworksinc.com/5-OZ-...H__971226.aspx

[loonunit]

These questions are typically best asked before they pip...

Right? But it's one of those things where you watch all the breeding videos about setting up babies, and you read the forums, and Markus Jayne's site, and you build your own incubator and so you THINK you know everything you'll need... and then suddenly you've got a clump of babies piled in the corner of a tub, and you realize you're not sure about their humidity needs.

[adamjeffery]

yeah the humidity is very important to all ball sizes actually. but babies especially. like i said in the earlier post. moist paper towels is what i use up until they first shed.
adam jeffery

[sho220]

Right? But it's one of those things where you watch all the breeding videos about setting up babies, and you read the forums, and Markus Jayne's site, and you build your own incubator and so you THINK you know everything you'll need... and then suddenly you've got a clump of babies piled in the corner of a tub, and you realize you're not sure about their humidity needs.

I hear ya...it's all good! Babies are easy...my first couple of clutches a few years ago weren't even on heat tape...as long as the room temp is low/mid 80's they are fine. Good luck and post some pics when they're out.

[loonunit]

The two weeks between hatching and first shed are a little spotty on info, guys. And it's not something one pays attention to much, when you're so busy worrying about incubator temps and tub humidity and what's going to come out of the egg and do you have enough rack space... it's a weird lull in Baby Snake Neediness, so it's easy to forget about it.

But they've been hanging out for two months in that tub full of 99% humidity vermiculite, so I don't think they'll switch to bone-dry Arizona desert air without some kind of easing in. And I know people typically use paper towels, but I'm not really sure why.

I think I'm mostly worried about dropping the humidity too suddenly on them. And yeah, I don't want Mr./Ms. lavender drowning in her water bowl.

[snakesRkewl]

You'll want high humidity for them until they shed the first time, I typically keep the water bowl back towards the heat tape so it adds a little extra.
Keep the paper towels nice and damp under them until they shed and then they can go on dry paper towels or the bedding of your choice.

Congrats on the babies

[el8ch]

Congrats on the babies

Congrats indeed! Post some pictures!!

[sho220]

I always thought the paper towel misting was more because they come out a little slimey and you don't want them sticking to dry paper towels...I'll mist maybe once a day, but I don't keep the paper towels constantly damp until the first shed...and they seem to thrive and shed just fine.

I suppose in AZ you may want to mist more often though...