Snake breeding progression thread...

[pomtzu]

Your snakes are very pretty, but I'm also one that likes to admire them from afar!

[snakemama]

My sis in law came by tonight and showed me how to feel for eggs, and Pearl is FULL of eggs. I'll be putting a next box in with her in the next few days, even though she's going to shed again before any eggs actually appear. I'm so excited! I needed a smile this evening after Chamomile passed away.

[Karen]

How exciting! We look forward to seeing pictures of the eggs, and the wee snakeys!

[snakemama]

About an hour after I posted last night, I went upstairs to find that Pearl JUST had her pre-laying shed! Nest box is going in the moment I get home from work tonight! My sis in law is making it up right now, but due to Pearl's somewhat restless nature, I'm going to have to put it in her tub. (She's not really MEAN, she was just raised in a big facility where the snakes don't get much individual attention besides making sure they're healthy.)

[snakemama]

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY There are eggs!

Pearl laid 22 eggs today - 20 are definitely good, 1 may or may not be, so it's being incubated anyways, and 1 was definitely a slug, so I fed it to Grendel. She also still has one egg stuck high up in her body. I'm concerned, but hopefully a meal and a few round in the bathtub for some exercise will push the last one out.

Now the long wait before hatching - should be a little over two months.

Of course, I was way too excited to remember to get pictures, so I'll have to get some pics of them in the incubator in the next few days.

[Bonny]

Congratulations to you & Pearl. That is a lot of babies to hatch out. In the wild where would they lay their eggs & would they guard them against prey? Could Pearl absorb the egg that hasn't come down back into her system? Are the eggs soft shelled like turtle eggs? I hope Pearl will pass her egg safely.

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh babies on the way! Nice surprise for Mothers Day!

[snakemama]

Congratulations to you & Pearl. That is a lot of babies to hatch out. In the wild where would they lay their eggs & would they guard them against prey? Could Pearl absorb the egg that hasn't come down back into her system? Are the eggs soft shelled like turtle eggs? I hope Pearl will pass her egg safely.

In the wild they lay their eggs in a sheltered area and hen leave them. Unfortunately, it's unlikely for her to reabsorb the last egg at this point, it will have to come out...with any luck food/swimming/massaging her will push it out without the need for drastic measures. Yes, the eggies are soft like turtle eggs. Good eggs are white and fluffy and feel like marshmallows. The dud egg she laid was yellow and squishy.