First ever clutch, so excited! Wish me luck

My 3000 g girl Persephone laid last night, looks like 7 huge eggs and not a single slug. I'm planning on waiting a day or two to recuperate from what I'm sure was exhausting before moving the eggs to the incubator. Wish me luck, guys, I want every baby healthy and happy and don't want to mess this up!
Pairing was banana ghost mojave x normal (maybe het pied? according to old owner), so I'm excited to see what we gethttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...413_122218.jpg

CONGRATULATIONS! :dance::carrot::pinkele::bounce:

Weren't you the one that was planning for 6 eggs max? [If so?] She just had to mess with you, :rofl:

Thank you!! Haha yes, that's me, thankfully everyone has had really good advice and I think everything is set up perfectly, or at least I sure hope so. Honestly, I'm kind of glad this wasn't a 10 egg clutch or more; so much pressure :D I haven't had a chance to weigh them yet, but I'm thinking every one will be 120+, I'm srsly impressed with how big they are, maybe I'm crazy and all eggs are this size but they look huge!

Now for "the wait"! I love few things more than watching slippery-slimy little snakes poke their noses out for their first look at "the world", all while blowing bubbles in their egg-goo. Enjoy! :D

BPs are known for having big husky eggs, but it goes with the territory of being wide-body serpents anyway. They sure look like good eggs so far, hope they all stay that way. :please:

BTW, that's a really nice photo example of ball python "motherhood"- cuddling her clutch. :love:

Holy crap, I'm either really bad at counting or she wasnt done yesterday because I just checked and there are definitely 8 eggs, not 7!! :O :D EIGHT!
I'm planning on switching them over to the incubator tonight, should I at all be concerned for the slightly brownish one? I'm pretty sure it's just fluid on it, but am I supposed to clean them off at all? I'm going to clean her tank top to bottom too, and give her a bath to get her back on feed asap!

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...414_143602.jpg

Congrats! I just had my first clutch last year. It's definitely a cool feeling. Now the hard part....the WAIT!! I found myself bummed though once they hatched, wishing I had more clutches to look forward to. Here's to hoping for nice healthy babies! GL

It's often challenging to count eggs when they're stuck together in a pile, but maybe she wasn't done either? (I hope she'll tell you but I'm not holding my breath...;))

I wouldn't worry about some eggs having stains etc- and in washing them off, you can drown them or turn them, either of which can kill the eggs.

Less handling is best, though honestly I always separate snake eggs- it's not for the faint-hearted though & there's a technique to it, so you're probably safer leaving them together as they are.

Okay, awesome thank you! I'm definitely going to be so cautious, no turning, just a quick move to the incubator and then daily monitoring. I'm so impatient lol, I can't imagine how anybody waits for dozens of clutches. I would like to weigh them, but I'll do it all together and then divide for an average. I'll also probably post updates in the future :)

thank you!! I'm so impatient :D the next two months will pass so slowly, I'm sure. Next year I am planning on pairing my boy Bento (banana ghost mojave) with my jigsaw blast girl if she's up to weight, plus my other normal, and I'm sure I'll be chomping at the bit even more then lol

We'll enjoy "waiting with you". :) :snake:

I've been so stressed I've been forgetting to update you guys! unfortunately, three eggs went bad within the first 2 days, I think they must have overheated before I moved them to the incubator, can't think of any other reason :( the others have been candling well and I think are looking good? Bit worried about the left most one, is it normal to dimple THIS much with 2 weeks left?

Day 1:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...522_192530.jpg

Day 16: https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...522_192606.jpg

Day 39:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...522_192648.jpg

Eggs go bad for no apparent reasons all the time. Sorry you lost some, but that's the way it goes.

Not having raised BP eggs, I won't comment on whether or not the egg at left is normal with all that dimpling- hopefully those raising BPs will comment soon though?

(Comparing to all the other eggs I HAVE raised though, I'd say no, it appears to be in trouble. But like I said...I have never incubated BP eggs.)

It's odd the dimpling is so strong on just one egg, and it's a bit early for it to be doing that even if it was all of them. If I had to guess something is off with your humidity and its fluctuating too much.

So, directly under the shell are two membranes. They allow the transfer of O2/CO2 during development. If these pores are blocked by substances (including water) then the developing embryo has a harder struggle to survive as it gets closer to the hatch date. I noticed that your eggs are a bit dirty, no worries there, dirt is nothing new to ball python eggs. What concerns me is that you have mold growing on what should be 'healthy eggs'. In my incubators I only see mold if the eggs are dead and/or dying. It is possible that too much water is condensing and dripping on the eggs and suffocating/drowning them and creating mold...any which way: something is wrong, but, you are very close to the end so hopefully the remaining will make it.

I also noticed you have an Analog Temperature and/or Humidity gauge in the egg box, I consider them super unreliable. If you are using a rheostat or an on/off thermostat that is not cross-checked and balanced with a digital thermometer then you could have wild temp. swings and not know it. If you have a Herpstat or VE proportional thermostat on the incubator you are a bit safer as they have greater accuracy measuring/balancing temps. Even with a better thermostat...if the incubator is in an area without climate control you can have pretty wide temp. swings.

Of course there are a variety of other possibilities with decreasing likelihood including conditions outside your control. :)

Keep us posted, and best of luck!

I did have some humidity issues the first couple of days but got it fixed and it has been a steady 99% since! So far, it is still candling well, I guess only time will tell, thank you!

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

So, directly under the shell are two membranes. They allow the transfer of O2/CO2 during development. If these pores are blocked by substances (including water) then the developing embryo has a harder struggle to survive as it gets closer to the hatch date. I noticed that your eggs are a bit dirty, no worries there, dirt is nothing new to ball python eggs. What concerns me is that you have mold growing on what should be 'healthy eggs'. In my incubators I only see mold if the eggs are dead and/or dying. It is possible that too much water is condensing and dripping on the eggs and suffocating/drowning them and creating mold...any which way: something is wrong, but, you are very close to the end so hopefully the remaining will make it.

I also noticed you have an Analog Temperature and/or Humidity gauge in the egg box, I consider them super unreliable. If you are using a rheostat or an on/off thermostat that is not cross-checked and balanced with a digital thermometer then you could have wild temp. swings and not know it. If you have a Herpstat or VE proportional thermostat on the incubator you are a bit safer as they have greater accuracy measuring/balancing temps. Even with a better thermostat...if the incubator is in an area without climate control you can have pretty wide temp. swings.

Of course there are a variety of other possibilities with decreasing likelihood including conditions outside your control. :)

Keep us posted, and best of luck!

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Thank you for your response! I also have another humidity gauge, honestly I should take that one out, I just keep forgetting. My humidity as of right now is 99%, and I have a towel I switch out once a day so water isnt dripping on them. The staining is from fluid, it doesnt come off but now I am worried its blocking oxygen or something? Can I ask where you are seeing mold on the healthy eggs? I removed the bad eggs bc they were sweating and the eggs touching them were getting windows but I've applied glue to the windows and antifungal powder and havent seen any other issues with it, so far. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Meredithm115

I did have some humidity issues the first couple of days but got it fixed and it has been a steady 99% since! So far, it is still candling well, I guess only time will tell, thank you!

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When eggs candle as good, just cross your fingers & wait to see. Only time will tell. ;)

Update! Stressed and impatient!
Day 49:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/7/9/1/8/9/9.jpg

Day 59:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../1/8/9/9-7.jpg

Temps have been between 87 and 89 but have raised to 90-90.5 the last two days. Eggs are all still papery feeling, and are still stuck to each other. I know it could be another 10 days but I'm so impatient holy crap

"Rome wasn't built in a day..." & neither are snakes! :D Hang in there...

Am I crazy or am I seeing potential mojaves? Srry, these were the best pics I could get lol
Day 61:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...614_001035.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...614_001021.jpg

I’d stop candling those eggs. You’re going to stress out the snakes inside them and risk them moving around which could cause them to get tangled in the umbilicus


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Until they are done or really, really close, it's hard to tell much of anything from color or pattern because it's still developing.

From what I have seen, most people say the eggs stop sticking together a few days before pip day, does this sound correct to anyone else? They stopped sticking together two days ago now

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Originally Posted by Meredithm115

From what I have seen, most people say the eggs stop sticking together a few days before pip day, does this sound correct to anyone else? They stopped sticking together two days ago now

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I've not noticed that personally but it may have something to do with my incubation temps as mine generally hatch a bit on the early side.

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Originally Posted by Meredithm115

From what I have seen, most people say the eggs stop sticking together a few days before pip day, does this sound correct to anyone else? They stopped sticking together two days ago now

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I've never heard of that either, & I always separated my eggs, so I couldn't say.

:D!!!! One baby pipped on day 65 and out of paranoia, I cut the other eggs, every one seems okay so far and two are out of the egg and yolk is absorbed. Every one is some banana morph, and from what I can tell, at least 3 are mojaves too, maybe ghost, and potentially other stuff because dad's genes are a ???? I didn't know it was possible to love them so much, how am I going to sell these guys lmao
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...620_070037.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...620_071445.jpg

Congratulations! :love: :carrot::dance::pinkele:And to answer your question, "you're not!" [going to sell them] LMAO! Been there & now I know better than to breed snakes! :rofl:
Better get your order in early (for more enclosures). :cool:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Congratulations! :love: :carrot::dance::pinkele:And to answer your question, "you're not!" [going to sell them] LMAO! Been there & now I know better than to breed snakes! :rofl:
Better get your order in early (for more enclosures). :cool:

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Not entirely a lie, but bananas sell like hotcakes compared to a lot of other things. I can't tell you how many got bought out from under me when I was buying for my project. Best to prepare for the worst though and be ready to care for all of them indefinitely if it comes to that.

I know their color will change with age and after first shed, but I really hope this one stays so orange, pretty!
Third baby out of the egg:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...621_134231.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...621_124922.jpg

And 4th baby out of the egg is literally the fattest baby ever :O it's egg was the biggest, must have had a huge yolk
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...621_124755.jpg

Congratulations!

Yeah…so if you can box them up and send them all to me, that would be perfect.


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Originally Posted by Kam

Congratulations!

Yeah…so if you can box them up and send them all to me, that would be perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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:giggle:

All the babies are blue right now, I'll post updated pics once they shed!