Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well my female that laid a couple of weeks ago has decided that after two weeks she doesn't want to sit on her eggs - it's been about 5 days since she has been on them and they are starting to look a little dehydrated. So in order to try to save them, I've fired up the incubator and I'm currently waiting for it to come to a steady temperature before removing the eggs from Moms tub.

Here is my question .... What do I do if the eggs are stuck to the bottom of the tub? I know last year when the eggs had hatched I had to peel them away from the tub - can't very well do that when they still have snakes in them. I'm not really sure at this point if they are stuck but that would seem to be my biggest hurdle right now. If they are stuck then I'm most likely going to have to turn Moms tub into an incubator (crank up the heat and humidity) and hope for the best.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks!
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.4 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.0 Lizards of unknown origin

Could you cut your tub and put your eggs and the small piece of attached plastic in the incubator? I've never tried this though. Just an idea, and good luck. JDalbo
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0.0.1 Green tree python (Aru LT)
0.0.1 Green tree python (Wamena LT)
0.1 Irian Jaya carpet python
1.0 Albino ball python
0.1 100% het Albino ball python
0.1 Normal ball python
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow boa
1.0 Leucistic Texas ratsnake
1.0 Albino cornsnake

tosha if you have a room that stays in between 88-90 just put some baked damp cypress mulch around the eggs in the container but not touching them and put the whole tub in the room or maybe even do an experiment and see if another female would foster the eggs is that possible ill ask in a seperate thread

LOl - that was the first thing that came to my mind as well. I guess I've been hanging out in the rat barn too much - "this girls not a good mom I'll just move her pups to that girl."

There are some studies where they have moved eggs from one females clutch to anothers and they have incubated them - however females generally only lay as many as they can effectively incubate and might push out the extra eggs that they cant handle. Plus, I only have the one clutch right now and the next one not due for a couple more weeks. And I don't think that another snake would just randomly sit on the eggs - tho I have heard instances where one female has laid a clutch and another housed with her has temporarily sat on the eggs.

My worst case scenario is to crank up the heat to 89* and make sure I maintain 100% humidity just like the incubator and I'm sure they will be just fine. It's just a bit of a bummer if I have to pull them - but she is just not interested in sitting on them and they are starting to deflate to the point were I am concerned.

Thanks!
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.4 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.0 Lizards of unknown origin

I'd be tempted to get the old Dremel tool out and cut the tub around the eggs and put them in the incubator with the part of tub attached...In case you don't think you have a steady hand maybe lightly mist the surface where the eggs are attached to the tub, wait a while and then try to peel them off?

Hope this helps,

Rob Reiding.
Link

I would wet the bottom of the tub and that should be enough to release them from the tub. If she has been off them for 5 days the eggs need the moisture anyway. I have ran eggs under running warm water when cutting off a dead egg with no ill effects.

Good luck.
Raul

I've had eggs stick slightly to the tub but they lifted away with some gentle coaxing. When eggs are stuck to each other, the white of another egg helps to seperate the eggs, water may work the same way. How about lightly misting the eggs as closely to the tub and base of egg as possible and gently try to pry them loose?

Best of luck whatever you choose to do.
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gail

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I would go with a roto-zip, or dremmel. A new tub is only a few $
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1.2 Het Pied
1.1 Het Lavender Albino(SK)
1.1 Het Albino
0.7 Normals
1.0 50% Het lav albino

I'm guessing that your incubator wouldn't hold moms tub huh? What kind of incubator do you use?
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

I have succesfully "peeled" from a tub after a couple of days - as someone put it "coaxing them gently". Typicaslly they will not adhere much more after the first 36 hours so unless they were very sticky when laid you shouldn't have much difficulty. Remember to keep the tops of the eggs up and avoid rotating them when doing the transfer. A little water may help to soften the shells but if you go with that then I suggest wiping off excess water before putting them in the incubator. If you have a disaster and tear an egg you can patch it with clingwrap to prevent loss of albumen - if you have to do this just extend the wrap over a small area of the shell and leave at least half of the egg shell uncovered. I think you'll have less trouble than you expect. The eggs you hatched in the tub will have leaked a lot of albumen when they hatched which caused the heavy sticking last year. Good Luck. Richard.