Some questions about new hatchlings....

Hi everyone, I have been looking around the net trying to find what's healthy vs not healthy to look for in a newly hatched Ball Python. Just a few questions for you guys! TIA!

What does a healthy looking umbilicus look like once out of the egg? Should there be anything protruding from the baby at all? My first one out of the egg has what looks like an umbilical cord stump like a human baby, but sometimes it looks a little bigger and redder when I check in on him.

Should I put a bowl of water in with the hatchlings right away, or wait a day or two? This is probably an obviously dumb question....

How should a hatchlings' activity level be? I just want to make sure I'm not missing any danger signs... Should they be moving around quite a bit, or being still?

Thanks so much, and if anyone has any more advice or tips, I'd certainly appreciate it! :)

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Originally Posted by nimblykimbly

Hi everyone, I have been looking around the net trying to find what's healthy vs not healthy to look for in a newly hatched Ball Python. Just a few questions for you guys! TIA!

What does a healthy looking umbilicus look like once out of the egg? Should there be anything protruding from the baby at all? My first one out of the egg has what looks like an umbilical cord stump like a human baby, but sometimes it looks a little bigger and redder when I check in on him.

Should I put a bowl of water in with the hatchlings right away, or wait a day or two? This is probably an obviously dumb question....

How should a hatchlings' activity level be? I just want to make sure I'm not missing any danger signs... Should they be moving around quite a bit, or being still?

Thanks so much, and if anyone has any more advice or tips, I'd certainly appreciate it! :)

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Once they hatch put them on wet paper towel. Not like a swimming pool, but pretty damp. Give them a water bowl. Then - leave them alone! They need to absorb whatever is left if there is any umbilicus sticking out and the wound will heal just like a belly button. Then they shed. Until they have shed, leave them alone.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Once they hatch put them on wet paper towel. Not like a swimming pool, but pretty damp. Give them a water bowl. Then - leave them alone! They need to absorb whatever is left if there is any umbilicus sticking out and the wound will heal just like a belly button. Then they shed. Until they have shed, leave them alone.

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Thank you! :) I put a water bowl and the hatchling is in it, soaking....? Is that okay?

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Originally Posted by nimblykimbly

Thank you! :) I put a water bowl and the hatchling is in it, soaking....? Is that okay?

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Yup.

I put mine into fresh tubs on wet papertowel with a water bowl. Then I leave the tubs in the incubator for another weeek until they shed.

Thank you for your input!

Just so you have two opinions ;)

I wait to mess with the hatchling till ALL of the babies are out of the eggs in the same clutch. Then they get a little rinse off and individual tubs with very wet paper towels and a water bowl. Into the hatching rack they all go. And then I very impatiently, very impatiently leave them alone....sigh....till they shed. All birth stuff and belly buttons :P are all gone with very little mark to show!

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Wapadi

Just so you have two opinions ;)

I wait to mess with the hatchling till ALL of the babies are out of the eggs in the same clutch. Then they get a little rinse off and individual tubs with very wet paper towels and a water bowl. Into the hatching rack they all go. And then I very impatiently, very impatiently leave them alone....sigh....till they shed. All birth stuff and belly buttons :P are all gone with very little mark to show!

Good luck!

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Thank you! This is very good to know. I am having the HARDEST time not peeking in and wanting to touch the new little baby... I keep reminding myself that it'll only stress them out! 'Wait until their first shed!!' I think in the future I will leave all the hatchlings until they are all out of the eggs, too. I was worried that little umbilical cord would end up drying and sticking to something in the egg tub and s/he would be hurt. Thanks for another opinion - it's all good stuff!!

Most of mine stay in the eggs until all is healed up then come out of the egg, sometimes others will come out with a bit of umbilicus attached but it has never been a problem. Just to clarify the above statement, you can put them in a separate tub with damp paper towels with a water bowl in with them. From your above question it sounded like your under the impression your supposed to soak them in a water bowl. I dont know if I read it right as I did just wake up but dont do that.

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Originally Posted by Domepiece

Most of mine stay in the eggs until all is healed up then come out of the egg, sometimes others will come out with a bit of umbilicus attached but it has never been a problem. Just to clarify the above statement, you can put them in a separate tub with damp paper towels with a water bowl in with them. From your above question it sounded like your under the impression your supposed to soak them in a water bowl. I dont know if I read it right as I did just wake up but dont do that.

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Thank you :) no I'm not under the impression that I need to be soaking them... This baby just was soaking in the water dish and I was asking if that was okay for him to be doing so. Thanks for the input!

His little umbilical cord did fall off - he's good to go now with just a small red dot on his belly! :) STILL waiting for the rest of these babies to come out of their eggs!

Another little bit of advice....our eggs tubs use straight water as a substrate with the light diffuser on the top. (make sense?) So as soon as one of the eggs pip in a clutch we switch the light diffuser under the eggs to paper towels and put them all back in the tub in the incubator. That way if one little one comes out of the egg with anything dragging (in the middle of the night or after I have checked on them for the day) around it doesn't get caught on the light diffuser.