Pleez HELP!!!! LR may be gravid!!!!

So, I have bred and hatched BPs before, but have never hatched colubrid eggs!!!Temp?? Humidity?????? Could I just let Starscream incubate em???? Help!!!!!! I am askin because when I went to feed my LRs today, she refused to eat....she usually eats three to four mice!!! As I was holding her, I noticed she looked kind of "lumpy"....I think I feel eggs!!!! I made a quick "nest box" for her just in case, from a 12x8 tupperware container with peat moss and some other kind of green moss which was moist, and a hole cut in the top big enough just for her to fit in. I must say, I just checked on her, and she is inspecting the inside of it rather curiously!!! Could someone help me please???? what do I do!!!!

I'll preface this with saying I have yet to incubate colubrid eggs (hopefully next year), I do have Kathy and Bill Love's book, Corn Snakes: The Complete Owner's Guide.


She recommends and enclosed container with a few scattered holes (no bigger than 1/8 inch) with the goal of keeping humidity at 100%. The container should be at least 4 inches deep (3 inches for the incubation material and an extra inch or more to spare on al sides of the eggs. They use both sphagnum moss and coarse vermiculite as incubation mediums, though prefer to use the moss. They wet it completely and squeeze out the excess water by hand to for the right moisture level (wet but not wet enough to wring water out of it).

They lay an inch of moss then place the eggs (which are usually laid in a vertical mass) in and surround and cover the eggs with at least an inch of moss on all sides. A suggestion is to pack an 1 inch layer of moss which you can lay overtop of the eggs and pull back once week to check on humidity or the eggs. (If using vermiculite a papertowel covering them will suffice, though I don't see why this wouldn't work with moss as well). Note: the moss with lightly stain the eggs brown and there is no need to be concerned.

Eggs hatch in approximately 9 weeks at 85 degrees F. If there is some fluctuating of temps from 70 - 90 degrees it is usually tolerable for the eggs (better to be to high than low).

Anyways, that's the short version from the book, hope it helps!

Congrads!!


Pictures :D

Thanks wendy hoo!!!! I'll keep that in mind.....

Maybe you could ask joepythons as I know he has a bunch of corn eggs.
I bet he could help you. Congratulations!!!

Yeah! I didn't think of that!! Will definately send him a pm...Thanks for that Cody!!! :)

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

So, I have bred and hatched BPs before, but have never hatched colubrid eggs!!!Temp?? Humidity?????? Could I just let Starscream incubate em???? Help!!!!!! I am askin because when I went to feed my LRs today, she refused to eat....she usually eats three to four mice!!! As I was holding her, I noticed she looked kind of "lumpy"....I think I feel eggs!!!! I made a quick "nest box" for her just in case, from a 12x8 tupperware container with peat moss and some other kind of green moss which was moist, and a hole cut in the top big enough just for her to fit in. I must say, I just checked on her, and she is inspecting the inside of it rather curiously!!! Could someone help me please???? what do I do!!!!

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OK, She will go thru a prelay shed and after this prelay shed she will drop her eggs in 10 to 14 days.At that time i remove the eggs and place them in a incubator at 80 degreas they will hatch in 60 or 64 days.The humidity is a little higher then ball pythons,i place vermiculite in sterilite containers and keep it moist(do not let the eggs lay in any water though.I also keep water in the bottom of the incubators reserve area.I do not allow my females to keep them to hatch for several reasons.They will not eat until after the eggs hatch and its really hard to keep the humidity correct.My snow female double clutched on me and i was unaware of it and the eggs looked deflated when i found them.Since being in the incubator they look great.As far as the nest box is concerned she will stay in thier until she goes thru her prelay then until she drops her eggs.Keep the moss a little moist to help her with the shed.Now try not to disturb her accept to change the water bowl.She will make a spot in the moss and lay the eggs amongst the moss.Once she goes thru the prelay shed mark your calender to the 10th day to the 14th day.My females normaly are closer to 10 days.If you have any other question ask away.

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Originally Posted by gmmuscle91

Maybe you could ask joepythons as I know he has a bunch of corn eggs.
I bet he could help you. Congratulations!!!

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Well thank you :salute:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._congarats.gif

Ok....she shed like two days ago......should I be freakin out now??? Time to fire up the incubator??? She doesn't look "plump", but this would be her first clutch, so it may be small. Thanks for the great info Joe...I don't care what anyone says...I still give ya 5*s...;)...

Shree that is sooo cool!! loove it! :aww: How's Mat-Su? Isn't she due to lay soon to?

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Shree that is sooo cool!! loove it! :aww: How's Mat-Su? Isn't she due to lay soon to?

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Check out her thread called "Finally!"

My theory is that with the very first clutch you gotta play things by ear! The main thing'll be humidity for the eggs, and I have no idea when or if Ma-tsu will lay... she did just shed tho! Didn't your LRs lock up pretty recently? You might still have some time before the pre-lay shed, I'm not sure.

Well, Sheree, they have been constantly lockin up for the last month or two, I'll have to check my record book for the first "witnessed" lock up date......I however am in the same boat as you!!! I have experience breeding balls, but not colubrids!!! You would think that breeding them would be easier than BPs.......my friends had a pair of corns that would produce all the time...double clutch too!! I am spazin right now.....Starscream shed three days ago!!!

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Ok....she shed like two days ago......should I be freakin out now??? Time to fire up the incubator??? She doesn't look "plump", but this would be her first clutch, so it may be small. Thanks for the great info Joe...I don't care what anyone says...I still give ya 5*s...;)...

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Ok one question for you though.When was her last normal shed? Since you said the last feeding was her first time refusing to eat this shed might be a normal shed.I would still keep a eye on her just in case.Do not handle the eggs to much when she does lay them,once you take them and place them in the incubator try not to move them until they start to hatch.Corn snake eggs are not durable like ball python eggs.Just because she is small do not be surprised how many eggs she will lay;) .I am still trying to figure out where my snow female kept these 14 eggs inside of her:O .Yes i would get the incubator set at 80 now so when she drops them you are well prepared.

I have looked in my record book, and It seems as though the last shed I recorded for her was the first week in May, also when I started witnessing a "lotta lockups" lol

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

I have looked in my record book, and It seems as though the last shed I recorded for her was the first week in May, also when I started witnessing a "lotta lockups" lol

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OK, then i would keep your eyes open.Let us know how things are going ok.