Being relatively new to incubating python eggs, I am scrambling to read, research, and investigate the techniques used. As is usual most people seem unwilling to "share" but there have been a few (you know who you are)who have given me some assistance. For that I thank you, as most importantly the goal is to cb animals and be successful for the animals sake, I could give a &*^%^%%% about the money - I dont need it.

I have lots of experience with colubrids, crotalids, turtles and some boids but aspidites are new to me. I have read that maternal incubation is wonderful, likewise the no-substrate method works well, vermiculite seems to have a bad rap according to some unless you use the large grade material. Perlite seems to be used extensively as well and have not heard of bad results as seems to be the common thread with the vermiculite, the eggs prefer dryer conditions than other python eggs - again this is what Ive researched, heard about, read, etc...anyone working with these animals who wants to put their 2cents in please join us. I have now focused on the animals themselves, where do they spend most of their lives, what sorts of habitat do they prefer, what is that environment like seasonally, and many more questions along those lines.

My assumptions are as follows: Being a predominately desert species they probably inhabit an environment similiar to our own deserts here in the U.S. They apparently frequent rabbit and rodent burrows in Australia, we have those as well. Now, do they use these burrows for reproductive purposes? Maybe. Do the conditions inside these burrows seem favorable for incubating a clutch of snake eggs, sure depending on time of year. After studying data on sidewinders, I learned alot about the burrows in the Mojave Desert and the conditions that existed inside during the year. I am still left with questions but I am going to look into setting up another incubator and reproduce these conditions. Into this incubator I will place one of the fertile looking eggs and I will take notes and see what happens. Who knows maybe I'll learn something worth passing along....

Cheers

Brettski

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