Pastel Butter x Spider (Maternal Incubation)

[FireStorm]

FWIW, all of our females maternally incubate, and we heat our room to 85F with no supplemental heat. So I don't think the 85-86 temp is cause for concern. In addition to moving the eggs, females are capable of raising the temps slightly by themselves through thermogenesis (basically, females use muscle twitching to generate heat). If she feels like the eggs need to be warmer, she can get them there. And you are right, females will loosen their coils if they want to drop the temp of the nest. We had a/c unit go out once, and our room hit 87-88 while we were fixing it (only for a short time). All of our females loosened up or left the nest altogether. Once the temps dropped, they all went back to normal.

[meowmeowkazoo]

FWIW, all of our females maternally incubate, and we heat our room to 85F with no supplemental heat. So I don't think the 85-86 temp is cause for concern. In addition to moving the eggs, females are capable of raising the temps slightly by themselves through thermogenesis (basically, females use muscle twitching to generate heat). If she feels like the eggs need to be warmer, she can get them there. And you are right, females will loosen their coils if they want to drop the temp of the nest. We had a/c unit go out once, and our room hit 87-88 while we were fixing it (only for a short time). All of our females loosened up or left the nest altogether. Once the temps dropped, they all went back to normal.

I have read somewhere that ball pythons aren't able to raise their temperature with thermogenesis like other pythons are.

But the temperature of the eggs is fine right now. Up at 87.5-88.5 last time I checked.

[FireStorm]

I have read somewhere that ball pythons aren't able to raise their temperature with thermogenesis like other pythons are.

But the temperature of the eggs is fine right now. Up at 87.5-88.5 last time I checked.

I have found papers saying that they can, and papers saying that they can't.....I have also found papers that say that carpets and diamonds can't/don't use shivering shivering thermogenesis, but I have seen videos of them doing it. There are even some old papers that say ball pythons will not maternally incubate. So I think there is some really bad info out there...I have been trying to figure out how I could get my females to keep a thermometer probe in with the eggs. I would like to log the temp range of the eggs. Since we use only ambient heat, I am curious if the females are actually maintaining the egg temp above the ambient.

[meowmeowkazoo]

I have found papers saying that they can, and papers saying that they can't.....I have also found papers that say that carpets and diamonds can't/don't use shivering shivering thermogenesis, but I have seen videos of them doing it. There are even some old papers that say ball pythons will not maternally incubate. So I think there is some really bad info out there...I have been trying to figure out how I could get my females to keep a thermometer probe in with the eggs. I would like to log the temp range of the eggs. Since we use only ambient heat, I am curious if the females are actually maintaining the egg temp above the ambient.

Yeah, I've also seen a lot of conflicting information. Part of the reason I am doing maternal incubation myself. I think it's important to contribute as much accurate information as possible.

I've just been using a temp gun on the female herself, which seems fairly accurate. When the eggs are showing they seem to show the same temperature her body is at.

[meowmeowkazoo]

Today I offered another meal, and was able to get a better shot of the eggs and an updated count. There are at least six eggs, I strongly suspect there are seven or eight. Not bad for your first clutch Charlotte, not bad at all!

The soft fur managed to get a hind leg free, and kicked one of the eggs multiple times. When it did this, the shell gave slightly and then resumed its original shape. Yes it was heart-stopping to watch, but the eggs (and Charlotte) appear to be uninjured.

[Fidget]

What a great thread - thank you! Best of luck to you and Charlotte. Sounds like everything's going well so far.

[MorphMaster]

This is awesome!

[BHReptiles]

This is awesome! I want to try this sometime. Maybe I'll let a girl go "all natural" next season just to try it out.

[TurkeyPython]

I was planning on trying this when I breed my girl. I don't really trust technology that much but I do trust mama to know what's best for her eggs and adjust.

[TurkeyPython]

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