Condensation is bad for eggs, but how?

[tigerlily]

You gotta remember that these aren't chicken eggs. They don't need to be dry or even close to it.

They are laid in the rainy season, they get wet in the wild and do just fine. A little water won't hurt them, just don't submerge them.

I was just reading the Barker's book, and I thought the eggs were laid just in time for the babies to hatch for the rainy season.

[wilomn]

I was just reading the Barker's book, and I thought the eggs were laid just in time for the babies to hatch for the rainy season.

Well, given that there is such a long window of time in which they lay, and the variable of weather, I would guess that a good many eggs get rained on.

Plus, given the fact that many other pythons, granted from more humid areas but genetically close to ball pythons, have their eggs rained on regularly with no ill effects, personal experience with balls and extrapolation from other species, a bit of water isn't going to hurt the eggs any.

[kellysballs]

this is a quote from pythons of the world, volume II Ball Pythons the history, natural history, care and breeding by David and Tracey Barker page 230 "ball python eggs respire as they develop, takin in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. ...eggs can be suffocated in a small and airtight egg container if the container is not opened occasionally. ...As soon as an egg slits and the snake inside begins to breathe air, it is necessary that the egg container be ventilated,..."

here is another quote from the above refrenced book this time page 231 "you are creating an enviroment of high humidity, yet at the same time...ball python eggs do not tolorate getting wet. ...they cannot withstand water dripping on them."

it goes on to say that if condensation drips on the eggs pat them dry with a paper towel and as long as it only happens occasionally (like when you open the lid) they can survive.

Some one else said that condensation comes from differing air temps and that is correct. The air out side of the egg container is cooler than the air inside.

I would vent the egg container so that the air in the incubator and the air in th egg container stay close to the same temp.

Just keep an eye on the humidity.

Good Luck!

[BT41042]

Well, given that there is such a long window of time in which they lay, and the variable of weather, I would guess that a good many eggs get rained on.

Plus, given the fact that many other pythons, granted from more humid areas but genetically close to ball pythons, have their eggs rained on regularly with no ill effects, personal experience with balls and extrapolation from other species, a bit of water isn't going to hurt the eggs any.

Oh my - I'm hoping your not serious...Wet eggs = Dead eggs...
BT

[Patrick Long]

Im serious here people I am going to try this.

Im going to get a bowl as my lid for my egg container. So when the condensations does form, it gently rolls down the side, back into the substrate from wence it came.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

Im serious here people I am going to try this.

Im going to get a bowl as my lid for my egg container. So when the condensations does form, it gently rolls down the side, back into the substrate from wence it came.

Lol, I love the use of wence. Somehow your post reminded me of Gandalf sitting in the egg container looking up at the drops of condensation and saying'

"You....shall not.....pass!!!!!"

JonV

[hhmoore]

Well, I was asked about this topic by a friend from another forum, and directed here after my response (the friend was not Wes, though I do consider him one; and the forum was not Fauna, though that is usually where I play). I'll preface my comment with the statement that I have fairly limited experience with BPs, but I have successfully bred a few other python species (as well as some colubrids) - so I am not exactly a stranger to egg incubation.

The snippet that was posted from the Barkers' book about egg respiration is absolutely correct (and, therefore, I have often wondered about the logic behind people's desire to seal their egg containers, but that's just me). Python eggs, in general (and not including those from drier climates, like womas, that do less well in "normal', or 'standard" conditions) can tolerate varying amounts of moisture & humidity. For those of you that like to quote/reference the Barkers - very knowledgeable & helpful people, and good sources to reference, btw - you may have also seen commentary (I believe it was with reference to JCP eggs, but it is true for many other species as well) that consistency of the moisture content/humidity is more important than the level of moisture content/humidity. Eggs that are kept drier or wetter thoughout the incubation period still tend to survive - but when they get drier or wetter during various stages (in other words, when the humidity level or moisture content is changed along the way), it can be lethal to the eggs.

Yes, warmth & humidity can encourage mold/fungus growth, but I have found that to be most prevalent on eggs, or parts of eggs, that have been touched more...or, to a lesser degree, eggs that get dripped on a lot. In most cases, the mold does not affect what is going on inside the egg...and most breeders will say to leave the egg alone & see if it hatches (some will take various measures against the mold, some don't bother). As far as water dripping on the eggs - one of the most common things I have seen resulting from this is spotting. It sometimes looks as if the egg is thinner in the spotted areas (so maybe it does do something to the integrity of the surface), but other times it is simply discolored. For what it's worth, my feeling is that if you have a lot of water dripping on your eggs, something should probably be changed - whether it be with the incubation process & setup, or your techniques (ie how you remove the lid).

As for the question about whether excess moisture will harm the eggs - it really depends on how much moisture you're talking about...with a good setup, and fairly consistent conditions, getting dripped on a couple of times is not going to kill them. If you are opening the egg container frequently, and more than a few drops fall on certain eggs every time, well, the results might not be so good.

To the person that commented about a bowl over the incubation container - a round or curved top, was considered an almost ideal situation for exactly the reason you described...namely that the water would trickle down the sides, as opposed to dripping on the eggs. (I suspect that it isn't more widely utilized because of the impact on space - taller containers & decreased stacking capability)

[hhmoore]

and more than a few drops fall on certain eggs

(what I really meant was, if water pours off the lid onto the egg)

[starmom]

Lol, I love the use of wence. Somehow your post reminded me of Gandalf sitting in the egg container looking up at the drops of condensation and saying'

"You....shall not.....pass!!!!!"

JonV

[wilomn]

Oh my - I'm hoping your not serious...Wet eggs = Dead eggs...
BT

Darn it. All those babies I hatched, with water dripping on the eggs throughout incubation, didn't get the note from the barkers.

I'll be sure to tell any subsequent eggs I try to hatch that if they get water dripped on them they must die.