Posted by:
WALL2WALLREPTILE
at Wed May 12 12:38:45 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by WALL2WALLREPTILE ]
Hello Randy,
Great Photos and interesting info.
However, to clarify....
Allowing a female to stay wrapped around the eggs (brooding behavior)is NOT maternal incubation.
Ball Pythons are not capable of true maternal incubation.
The successful hatch rate can be explained by the artificial temperature and humidity levels which were maintained by human activity...not maternal thermo-regulation ability.
Essentially what you have created is a cage sized incubator...and allowed the female to remain with the eggs.
If your temperature/humidity levels happen to fall below the required range for development...you will lose the eggs.
The female has no ability to control the egg temps...therefore it is not maternal incubation.
Like you said....for all the trouble...and to prevent egg death...you might as well just construct an incubator.
Another advantage of manual/artificial incubation (in any python species) is that you are able to remove the female...and begin feeding her up, to replenish the weight she has lost due to the stresses of egg production. This will give you better chances of having your female reproduce again the next season.
As for true maternal incubation...
Other species of Pythons (not including Ball Pythons) are actually capable of creating a rise in temps by utilizing muscular contractions. You can easily test this by placing a probe inside the snakes coil with the eggs.
If you momentarily increase the temperatures slightly above the proper incubation range, the female will loosen her coils to allow the trapped heat to dissipate.
And like wise, if you momentarily lower the temps slightly below the proper incubation temperature range...the female will tighten her coils and begin consistently twitching to create heat.
The tight coils will trap and help hold the heat.
It is sort of like rubbing your arms when you feel chilly.
The friction and muscular activity helps to increase the temperatures...causing you to feel less chilly.
True maternal incubation expends a lot of energy. Females will not generally feed during true maternal incubation...the lack of food intake, combined with energy expenditure, equals more stress and weight loss for the female.
I have successfully used maternal incubation in several species of Pythons, such as Burmese Pythons and Macklot's Pythons etc. However, given a personal preference...I would always rather choose artificial incubation techniques for them.
Take care.
Your friend,
Harlin Wall - WALL TO WALL REPTILES!
970-245-7611
970-255-9255
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RE: Maternal Incubation - WALL2WALLREPTILE, Wed May 12 12:38:45 2010
