38 days in [maternal incubation]

Since there are so few images to be found of ball pythons left to maternally incubate their clutches, I'm tossing some pics of mine doing just that. She's 38 days in and the eggs are still looking good. She wasn't thrilled with it but I did candle them last night. I got to see babies fluttering around inside and I absolutely love that. The pics are lousy and I apologize for that. I'll have to get some extra hands to help me next time.

She's housed in a 40 breeder tank with a 30qt sterilite tub lined with moss as a lay box.

Next year I may just put the eggs in an incubator and let mom get back on track with feeding but I figured this was my year for firsts and I let her do her thing. I'm very pleased with the way things are going right now. I've only seen her leave the eggs once and that was just for a stretch and drink of water. She seems to be an excellent mother and this is her first clutch.


http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4058/cimg3627.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8107/cimg3631f.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7624/cimg3637a.jpg

your right not to many people do that hope it all works out!!! What was she paired with?

She's a pastel sibling from 8BallPythons and the male is a normal I inadvertently adopted from someone that left him in my care but never reclaimed him several years ago when I worked in a pet store. I'm hoping to work with a pair of het pieds next year but I expect all normals from these eggs.

Natural and very cool!
Does she get nippy when you intrude on her? I'm not sure how territorial mothers can be on a clutch.

She was not at all happy with the penlight in her tub. She struck at it once and then stared it down while I got a couple pics. I've since left her alone and won't bother her again unless I have to. ;)

That is very cool! What are you doing for heat and humidity?

I've got an inch or two of moss lining the tub that's serving as her laybox. I was misting it at least once a week in the beginning but things seem to be stable in there now. I've got a hygrometer in the laybox with her that's reading around 70% but she stays tightly coiled around the eggs most of the time, so I imagine the humidity is even higher beneath her. Her laybox is sitting above the heat mat for the cage and a dinky little strip thermometer in there reads 80-90 through the course of the day. :)

Now that is cool as heck.:taz:

Very cool and Good Luck!

Very good. I have never really seen this done. I was told its always best to leave the eggs in the incubator. Cant wait to see what happens. Hey if its done in the wild, why not in captivity?