Learning to take the bad with the good.

So my long anticipated Fire clutch is hatching out. The first two babies out were fire's, and I was pretty darn excited. Well, as of last night I am up to 7 babies out. And have discovered that I didn't escape the effects of the brief temperature spike I had entirely.

About 3 weeks before the clutches were supposed to start pipping, my incubator had a temp spike, and I found it at 120 degrees. Naturally I unplugged it right away, opened the door and the egg tubs to drop the temps as fast as possible. Once it had stabilized at normal incubation temps, I hooked it back up and began my vigil. Every 15 minutes for 12 straight hours I checked that thing. Whatever went wrong must have fixed itself when I unplugged it, because it's never wavered since.

When my first clutch of 6 hatched out fine, I was sure I had dodged the bullet. Then when the first three babies of the fire clutch were fine, I was finally relaxed. Then when the next group started pipping, I noticed one baby was eyeless, like my Athena. So much for dodging the bullet. Now today while photographing the 4 new babies to emerge, I discovered that while three of them have an insane black back thing going on, one of them only has one eye. There are still three eggs to go, so time will tell if there are any more problems.

Now I know I have a right to be upset and dissapointed, but truthfully if all that happens is a couple of the babies have minor problems like this, I will consider myself extremely fortunate. I know that things could have been much worse. I could have lost all of the babies. They could have been kinked or deformed to the point they could not survive, or worse I might have had to put them down myself.

So all things considered, I will take this tiny amount of bad with my massive amount of good, and be content. And now, the pictures of the babies I know you all want to see.

Baby #1 a beautiful fire


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...eHatchling.jpg

Baby #2 is also a fire, but it's pictures came out blurry, have to get more later.

Baby # 3 normal
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...es/Number3.jpg

Baby #4 a normal with a black back

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...es/Number4.jpg

Baby #5 another black back
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...es/Number5.jpg

Baby #6 the eyeless fire. Prettiest baby out so far
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...es/Number6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Number6eye.jpg

Baby #7 ridiculous black back. This one only has one eye.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...es/Number7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Number7eye.jpg

Gale

they are beautiful!!! if ever you want to sell any of them, look me up

Those are some beautiful babies. The eyeless fire and the one eyed black back are amazing!


I'm sorry that some came out eyeless, we had a temp spike with our corn eggs and ended up with 4 DIE and 3 kinked. We had to put down 2 babies because they couldn't move properly and kept flipping over on their backs. It was horrible :(

Despite the obvious defects, I think you're lucky considering the huge spike. Your babies hatched, the ones here aren't showing kinks or anything horribly wrong. In fact, an eyeless BP doesn't bother nearly as much as a kinked one does, if that makes sense. Heck, I would add that little eyeless Fire to my collection any day! I do presentations at schools frequently and there's something people can relate to when one of them has an ailment. Almost like they can sympathize with them, rather than judge them as 'creepy'.

Fingers crossed for your other babies for sure!

First of all, congrats on the clutch! I'm sorry that two of them are eyeless. But hopefully that won't impair their quality of life and ability to thrive!
Both are by far the most gorgeous in the clutch! I would take them any day if I had space!

They all look good. The eyeless fire has a remarkable color and pattern.

Eyeless or not they all have great patterns

Eyes or no eyes those babies are amazing looking, I would have no problem buying a snake if it had no eyes long as it was healthy and eating.

Nice looking little babies. I agree, the eyeless fire is very pretty! I would take her any day too. Congrats!

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Amazing little troopers those missing eyes.
Interesting how crazy things can go with a temp spike. Congrats on the clutch. Glad they survived. 120 is super hot. They are lucky little babies.

Can a temp spike produce hermaphrodite snakes? I just thought of that...does it occur with snakes?

Great photos

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