Maternally Incubating Again =)

[Quiet Tempest]

Do the moms help with the hatching? Cant wait to see it.

When they start feeling the eggs pip, they loosen their coils to let the babies crawl out. That's about all the help that can be offered.

[Oxylepy]

As for psychological damage... I have read that moms left to maternally incubate are easier to get back on feed after laying compared to moms whose eggs have been taken from them. Not sure where I originally read about that, though. Sorry.

Oh, really? Thats pretty interesting. I assumed that it would be the only major downfall in using an incubator. That makes sense, though.

[anatess]

When they start feeling the eggs pip, they loosen their coils to let the babies crawl out. That's about all the help that can be offered.

Tempest, sorry to be hijacking your thread a bit, but I was wondering what I should do when my pastel eggs pip. They are in a small box with mama which is in a bigger plastic container. So, in the small box, there's hardly any room for eggs and mama, no more than an inch on each of the 2 sides and about 3 inches on each of the other 2 sides (the box is rectangular). The mama can get out of the box anytime (she usually gets her body halfway out to drink) but I'm not sure if babies would know to get out. So, when the eggs pip, when do I take the mom away from the eggs? I'm just wondering if the way I got mine set up if the babies would get crushed under her!

[sarahlovesmiike]

When I did this last year, I did provide my female with a lay box since whe was being housed in a 40g breeder tank. I misted the sphagnum moss lining the box regularly for the first few weeks but it seemed largely unnecessary after the first month and stopped doing so.

The humidity is no different for these two now than before they became gravid. They're both housed in tubs in my rack system this year with cypress mulch as substrate (but they've pushed it all aside and are sitting directly on the plastic) and I've done nothing extra. I believe that the humidity in my tubs is currently around 70%.

Both females laid their clutches in the back of their tubs, which puts them directly over the heat tape but I've seen no issue with this. They picked the ideal spot for their clutch and who am I to argue with them? As I understand it from other breeders, they can move the clutch if need be though I've never seen mine do so - at least not more than an inch or so. I've read that in the wild, they leave their eggs in the den to go bask and return to brood when their bodies have warmed up. In captivity, they don't need to. They just tighten or loosen their coils to hold the necessary heat and humidity for their eggs. I just check in periodically to see that everyone is doing well.

That's such good info! And now I'm even more convinced

[Quiet Tempest]

Tempest, sorry to be hijacking your thread a bit, but I was wondering what I should do when my pastel eggs pip. They are in a small box with mama which is in a bigger plastic container. So, in the small box, there's hardly any room for eggs and mama, no more than an inch on each of the 2 sides and about 3 inches on each of the other 2 sides (the box is rectangular). The mama can get out of the box anytime (she usually gets her body halfway out to drink) but I'm not sure if babies would know to get out. So, when the eggs pip, when do I take the mom away from the eggs? I'm just wondering if the way I got mine set up if the babies would get crushed under her!

I don't mind at all.

Last year I kept my ball in a 40g breeder tank and gave her a 31qt tub to use as a lay box. I cut a hole in the top so she could come and go as she pleased.



When the eggs started pipping and babies started leaving the eggs, they just cruised around the lay box. One or two of them did find the hole in the lid and were roaming about in the main tank. I was worried about the mom squishing babies that were still in their eggs but kept a close eye on them. She never squished any of the babies though I can see how it could be possible. As they left their eggs, I just moved them to their own tubs and tossed the empty eggs. The mom left the box a few times to drink and once to eat but otherwise stayed with them while they hatched out and while they were exploring the laybox. I think watching her with her newly hatched babies was the best part of the whole process even if it was short lived.

[qinw]

any updates? has the eggs hatched?

[Quiet Tempest]

any updates? has the eggs hatched?

Not yet, but could be any day now. I'm guessing that the first clutch will start hatching on Friday and the second by Monday. We'll see.

[qinw]

hi bro.. i intend to do maternally incubating too if i had a chance to breed my ball.. may i ask wat is inside a lay box? when shld i put the lay box in the main tank? wat size is suitable for a lay box? is lay box a must? sorry if i ask too much.. but is my first time.. better be safe than sorry..

[mykee]

QT:

"I read somewhere that balls are one of the few snakes capable of altering their body heat and the reason being so that females can have more control over the temp of their eggs."

Actually, the exact opposite is true. Ball pythons are one of the few snakes that cannot alter the temps or humidity of their environment for the time that they are "babysitting" their eggs.

[JEWSKIN]

i can not wait to see ur results from the maternal incubation I'm going to take pics of lucy either sunday or monday and see if I cant get some candling pics for everyone