I have been using maternal incubation almost exclusively with several python species since the late 1970's and this is the setup that has worked best for me. The keys to success revolve around maintaining consistently high cage humidity, control of proper ambient temps, and proper nest box substrate temps. The setup below will keep the ambient humidity at about 90% with no problem at all. The plastic boxes contain towels which protrude above the surface of the water and act as a wick system. It is heated from below the cage bottom using thermostatically controlled Flexwatt and is augmented by overhead heat from the fluorescent ballast. This setup can also be easily size scaled for about any size python, although a 3 X 3 foot nest box in a 4 X 4 foot cage space is as large as I have used it with. That size will work well with up to 16 to 18 footers. Those larger cages were 4 X 8 length-width, but with the nest box at one end, a partition is slid in to cut the cage size in half after she lays in the nest box. The Sri Lanka python below is in a 3 X 6 cage with a partition in place to make it 3 X 3 after laying. The smaller the interior air volume, the easier it is to maintain the higher humidity. Vents are kept to a minimum. The nest box is lined with moist, long-fibered sphagnum. The key is to keep the ambient temps and nest box substrate temps in the mid-80's,and being careful not to let it get above about 88. The female can always raise the egg mass temp, but she has no way of lowering it if it climbs above the preferred incubation temp for that species. With physiologically thermoregulating Burmese pythons, the muscular contraction rate can be used to help gauge the proper temps somewhat. You should shoot for rates between 5 to 10 per minute. If she is contracting below that range, the nest box temps are too high. If much above this range, the temps are too low, and she will expend an inordinate amount of energy maintaining the proper egg mass temp. Non-physiologically thermoregulating species need to be supplied with an additional basking area. Always use quality temp and humidity monitoring equipment. Ambient and nest box temps, and cage humidity are monitored several times per day and intra-coil temps are taken every few days as well. I have had outstanding success with this setup and never had any egg desiccation problems, or health problems with the females.

A drawback that bothers some breeders is that the female comes off the eggs at hatching with a significant loss of body weight. This essentially prohibits her from being bred the following season in most, but not all cases, and so maternally incubating pythons are typically in my opinion best bred only every other year. I personally never had a problem with that. Another issue that bothers some is the fact that infertile, decomposing eggs cannot be removed from the egg mass and may cause the death of adjacent eggs. My experience has shown this not to be an issue. I have seen fertile eggs on several occasions hatch successfully when surrounded by several decomposing eggs. In fact I do not recall ever losing an egg from what I thought was due to this issue. Additionally, I have never had any mold issues with this setup.

The python in the upper photo is one of my P.m. bivittatus taken in the early 1980’s. The lower photos are of one of my Sri Lanka molurus or P.m. “pimbura”. Maternal incubation is obviously more work than artificial, but much more rewarding to observe. Good luck with her which ever way you choose.

Kelly

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