Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
In my experience with snake eggs, good eggs don't mold...bad ones do. Typically mold doesn't kill eggs, mold moves in when they're already goners.

Why would you think they drowned/suffocated? If they were dead for a long time, I'm surprised your nose didn't announce it.

Anyway, sorry for the sad outcome, better luck next time.
There was one that was a goner from the very start that got pretty gross over time. It didn't seem to be hurting the other eggs, so I left it in there until I cut the eggs on the 6th. (Didn't want to risk tearing the good eggs that it was stuck to) None of the other eggs molded, but the smell was ALWAYS present because of that one goner. I cant imagine the moldy egg hurt the good ones, I'm just looking for answers as to why my clutch died so early on. I plan on breeding next year, and don't want to repeat this whole ordeal.

Takeaways from this are check daily after I pair, even if it takes months. Separate all the eggs before putting them in the box. Maybe try a different method? I plan on having 3 clutches next year, so maybe experiment with some other suggestions. Also, I'm trashing my incubator and making a new one. The only thing that makes sense is that the temps varied too much to the point of killing the eggs. I had a separate thermometer in the incubator, but I really could only check it in the mornings and nights. I plan on gutting an old fridge, filling it with heat tape/a fan, and connecting it to a Herpstat.