Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female Everglades is on her pre-lay cruise right now and I am leaving for the weekend tomorrow for snake road. So I am pretty sure if she doesn't lay tonight she will tomorrow night right after I leave. It is not a big deal really but it still just sucks for timing. What do you guys do in a case like this. I have a egg box with sphagnum moss dampened in it with a lid. I am sure the eggs will be fine for a couple days but a idea or two won't hurt.

Later Jason

I remember once when I knew I wouldn't return in time- so I filled the entire box with sphagnum. Completely full. She actually loved it and I think it was probably much more natural anyway. I came home to a beautiful clutch of eggs and a happy snake.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

This is an excelent plan. The eggs will be fine unless the female crawls around and keeps knocking into them and moving them around, as she most certainly would if they were laying on the floor of a plastic box with all of the bedding pushed to the other side.

By filling the nest box you make it more stable so the eggs are less likely to move.

I go this with all of my females anyway because they love the tight dark laying conditions. I was away this week and had two female kingsnakes drop perfect cluthces while I was gone.

I don't know if this will help or not; but, 20 of my females have laid and they did so on average of 7 days after their pre-natal shed. Three laid 6 days after and two 8 days after. So, you could gage your expectations on this--Or not.

On the other hand, let's say your snake lays while you're gone. I'm almost willing to bet she'll just lay there around her clutch until you return, leaving the eggs undisturbed. Even if she crawls off, which I doubt, they will be protected from drying out in the sphagnum moss. I believe the eggs will stand a better chance in the laying box than they would if she laid them outside somewhere, you reckon?