mother lost an egg

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Umm WTH is the male still doing with the female.

Cant properly house, why are you breeding. :colbert:

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+1
I agree 100%.

If you can't afford another tank, take $30...but a locking sterilite container for $10, slap a heat pad on it and hook it up to the thermostat you should already have and GET THE MALE OUT OF THERE.

Or buy/build a rack.

Thanks for the help. I should have clarified that I'm not a snake breeder I'm just a snake owner whose snakes have now mated after 8 years of living together. I didn't even plan on owning two pythons but I took in the female as a rescue from a very bad situation.

The two pythons live in a very large custom built enclosure that is 8'x4' and is split into two areas 4'x4' each. one area is 4' tall and has a hanging basket and other "toys" and the other area is 2' tall and is a "bedroom" type area with an aquarium on its side and a nice box and heating elements.

I don't think the female is bothered by the male since they've lived together for so long. Watching them together I can't see that he is pestering her.

My main concern is just for the stray egg which I would like to save if possible. I tried setting it on top of the other eggs but it rolled off at some point last night. However, its looks like its in a better spot now so that when she goes to get water next time she might gather it back in with the others as she coils back up.

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Originally Posted by parisjackson

Thanks for the help. I should have clarified that I'm not a snake breeder I'm just a snake owner whose snakes have now mated after 8 years of living together. I didn't even plan on owning two pythons but I took in the female as a rescue from a very bad situation.

The two pythons live in a very large custom built enclosure that is 8'x4' and is split into two areas 4'x4' each. one area is 4' tall and has a hanging basket and other "toys" and the other area is 2' tall and is a "bedroom" type area with an aquarium on its side and a nice box and heating elements.

I don't think the female is bothered by the male since they've lived together for so long. Watching them together I can't see that he is pestering her.

My main concern is just for the stray egg which I would like to save if possible. I tried setting it on top of the other eggs but it rolled off at some point last night. However, its looks like its in a better spot now so that when she goes to get water next time she might gather it back in with the others as she coils back up.

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Sounds like an interesting set up you have. How are you heating it? What is the humidity in there? Do you have any pics?

Snakes aren't social animals. Regardless of how long they've been co-habitated, it would be in their best interest to keep them separated - each with its own basking site, hides, and water dish.

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Originally Posted by parisjackson

Thanks for the help. I should have clarified that I'm not a snake breeder I'm just a snake owner whose snakes have now mated after 8 years of living together. I didn't even plan on owning two pythons but I took in the female as a rescue from a very bad situation.

The two pythons live in a very large custom built enclosure that is 8'x4' and is split into two areas 4'x4' each. one area is 4' tall and has a hanging basket and other "toys" and the other area is 2' tall and is a "bedroom" type area with an aquarium on its side and a nice box and heating elements.

I don't think the female is bothered by the male since they've lived together for so long. Watching them together I can't see that he is pestering her.

My main concern is just for the stray egg which I would like to save if possible. I tried setting it on top of the other eggs but it rolled off at some point last night. However, its looks like its in a better spot now so that when she goes to get water next time she might gather it back in with the others as she coils back up.

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Since this was unplanned and you were not ready for this nor were you ready to own 2 BP according to your own words, and since your husbandry seems far from optimal from optimal for the 2 you already own, my suggestion would be to freeze all the eggs and than dispose if them.

You are not ready to accommodate more BP, get them started etc so the best thing would be not to hatch them to start with.

I know it's my not be the answer you want but that is my opinion.

Of course you can't tell that he's pestering you. Snakes cannot whine and make noise to display their discomfort. They cannot show facial expressions. And being in an enclosure there is only so far they can go to get away from each other. And any good spots (hides, warm areas, water bowls, etc) they have to fight over, which some people assume is "cuddling" or "affection". Snakes in general are not social and should not be housed together for any reason other that purposeful breeding. And even then, housing them together 24/7 is not the proper way to breed them.

Either set up the male in his own enclosure or find a home for one of them. As for the eggs, as mentioned above, if you cannot properly house two snakes, what makes you think you can house and care for the babies. They MOST CERTAINLY CANNOT live with the parents. Do you have enclosures ready for them when they hatch?

And the enclosure you do have for them sounds like it is not the kind of set up you want for a ball python. What is with the hanging basket? Ball pythons do not LIKE to climb and being suspended in the air like that would be stressful. They like solid ground under them. I would remove that at once! Pictures of this enclosure would help us help you.

We are not trying to be rude or mean. We are just trying to help you and your pythons. This site is full of people who are very passionate about their animals and have been working with them for years. We know what we are talking about. It would be wise of you to listen to our advice.

I know you guys are knowledgeable thats why I posted my original question - what should I do with the egg that fell away from the others. I don't need help with my enclosure or with my hanging basket. I just need to know what to do with the egg. Anything else can be fixed after the egg emergency is fixed.

And they told you what to do with it. Put it back! Unfortunately, it has not adhered to the other eggs, so as long as the male is in there to bother the female, it runs the risk of rolling away from the others again. The male has no instinct to protect or care for the eggs and has no business being in that cage. He could damage the eggs by slithering over them, knocking eggs loose from the nest, and stressing the mother out.

Hatch the eggs out if you want to, but with a set up like that and the male being housed with mother and eggs, you don't stand a good chance of them hatching. Now, we have answered your question about what to do with the egg. So go in there, put it back in the nest, come back to the computer, read the advice given by people who have years of experience and start fixing your other problems with the first being the male being in that cage.

By the way, that should have read pestering HER, not you.

I agree with the bunny.

But, you really need to get them separated asap, and keep them that way. The mom is going to need a long time to get healthy again, and if they keep breeding you are putting the female in danger.

What did you think would happen keeping a male and female together? Are you prepared for a lot of babies? They all need to be kept separate from each other as well. They need to establish a good eating habit, and to keep them from breeding in the future. That's a lot of space to be ready for in only 55 days.

Have you candled any of them to see if they are even fertile?

But you do need help with the enclosure because it is way WAY too big. I'm surprised they eat for you since ball pythons prefer small enclosures. I don't think those eggs will hatch at all. There is no way that cage is being heated properly and it's probably so dry that the eggs will look like raisins in a short time.

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Originally Posted by parisjackson

I know you guys are knowledgeable thats why I posted my original question - what should I do with the egg that fell away from the others. I don't need help with my enclosure or with my hanging basket. I just need to know what to do with the egg. Anything else can be fixed after the egg emergency is fixed.

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Paris, this is my suggestion:

If you are sure you can take care of the babies, then try my suggestions below. If not, then it's better to just discard the eggs.

* Check your humidity and temperature where the eggs are to be as close to this as possible: 70-80% humidity, 88-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If it is, then candle the egg that rolled out (put a flashlight against the egg shell and see if you can find veins - better to do this in a dark room). If you see veins, then put the egg back with the pile. Try to place it so that it sits snug in there. If you don't see veins, you can discard that egg.

If the conditions are not close to the humidity/temp above, then I suggest doing either of the following:

1.) Build an emergency incubator and move the eggs there (there's a styrofoam cooler incubator instructions for super cheap on the DIY forum).

2.) Move the eggs and mother into a more controlled environment - I suggest getting a Sterilite container like this. Put it on a heat pad that is run through a thermostat. Line it with 3 layers of newspaper and put a water bowl in it. Adjust the temperature so it's at 88-90F, humidity should be between 70-80%. Put mom and eggs in there and leave daddy in the big enclosure.

In either case... daddy and mommy should get a divorce ASAP.

Good luck!